Nobody stands out so much that another role would necessarily have to be discussed, and nobody stands out so much that it would be necessary. The German national soccer team is heading towards a World Cup more calmly than ever before.
Superstition may have played a role. In any case, the German Football Association scheduled the first home game of the calendar year in Stuttgart, and the last test in Germany before departure for the tournament will be played in Mainz. That was the case in 2014, when the German national team became world champions for the last time.
The game in Stuttgart ended happily with a 1-0 win against Chile. The goal was scored by Mario Götze, who also scored the only goal in the final against Argentina a few months later. When he came on as a substitute, national coach Joachim Löw told him that he should show the world that he was better than Messi.
Clear roles for Undav, Kimmich and Goretzka
It is not known what Julian Nagelsmann gave his substitute Deniz Undav. However, he later gave him one when he openly told the Stuttgart striker on the Sportschau microphone that his winning goal in the 2-1 win against Ghana changed little to nothing about his role.
Undav is scheduled to be a substitute, as are Alexander Nübel as the second goalkeeper, Joshua Kimmich as the right-back and Leon Goretzka as the forward “six.” The content of the now famous role discussions that Nagelsmann held before the two test matches against Switzerland and Ghana were supposed to remain a secret, but the national coach revealed a lot and some things can be easily deduced from the lineups and hints.
Amazing calm just before the World Cup
Nagelsmann will announce his squad for the World Cup in around six weeks, and there is every indication that Germany will avoid big and loud debates.
The loud calls for Undav were certainly largely due to the fact that he plays for VfB Stuttgart and is already a popular figure. The whistles against Leroy Sané, which Undav and the national coach denounced, were probably also due to the fact that Sané has never wanted to be popular. If he plays poorly – like in Switzerland – he is a popular victim of whistles. But the little excitement was already forgotten when Sané prepared Undav’s winning goal.
It’s almost frighteningly quiet around the national team so close to a World Cup, and the fact that the roles are largely known and hardly anyone is bothered by it may play a big role.
Open questions don’t cause much excitement
Antonio Rüdiger instead of Nico Schlotterbeck? Lennart Karl instead of Leroy Sané? Felix Nmecha instead of Goretzka next to Aleksandar Pavlović in the double six, as requested by ARD expert Bastian Schweinsteiger. Such questions can certainly be discussed, but they do not have anywhere near the potential as, for example, the question in 2006 of whether Oliver Kahn or Jens Lehmann should be in goal.
Some questions may not even be questions at all. Nmecha will be out for a longer period of time and it is questionable whether he will be fit again in time for the tournament. A healthy Jamal Musiala will find his place in the first eleven, and then Sané and Karl will probably sit on the bench initially.
Is Germany strong enough for the title?
A question that traditionally always arises after the first international matches of the year before a tournament is whether Germany is strong enough to win the title. Ghana’s now-sacked coach Otto Addo believes it is. He sees the DFB’s selection on a par with Spain, France and Brazil.
Julian Nagelsmann sees the team at least on the right track. He liked the performance against Ghana better than the 4-3 win against Switzerland. That could be debated, but it’s a bit out of fashion.
It’s rippling towards a World Cup that leaves so many questions unanswered beyond the stadiums that sport also has its clearly defined role – but it’s still a subordinate one.
