analysis
Hansi Flick only has one weekend to address his list of deficiencies before the England game on Monday. The time until the start of the World Cup is also running out: the national team’s problems against teams like Hungary are complex – an analysis.
On November 23 at 2 p.m. Central European Time, things will get serious for Germany: the first group match against Japan is scheduled for the World Cup in Qatar. Japan is no longer a football dwarf, the team is extremely strong, technically top, makes the space very narrow defensively and, like now in the 2-0 friendly win against the USA, repeatedly puts pinpricks on the offensive. Kind of like Hungary.
Willingness and courage were lacking
Such opponents are traditionally not particularly good for the DFB team, Hansi Flick’s men like playing and high-level teams. But the World Cup will not be a wish concert, in addition to Japan, Costa Rica is another opponent waiting on December 1st at 8 p.m. The Germans have to work out the gaps in such games themselves, and the willingness to do so was not only lacking in the first half in the 0-1 win against Hungary.
It is to be expected that the approach against England (Monday from 8:45 p.m. in the live ticker at sportschau.de) will be completely different, but England don’t play like Hungary, Japan and Costa Rica either. These opponents can only be cracked if you pull them apart, quickly shift the game again and again, run behind the defensive line and then also pass from central midfield with the courage to take risks in the path of the starting striker or winger.
Joshua Kimmich (front) and Jonas Hofmann show their disappointment
Load from Munich and Leipzig
Against the Hungarians there wasn’t even a lack of space behind the chain, but Joshua Kimmich and above all Ilkay Gündogan turned away far too often and slowed down the attacks. In addition, there were sometimes hair-raising errors and ball losses, which built up the opponent and continued to reduce one’s own self-confidence.
Thomas Müller openly admitted after the game that the current lack of self-image from some clubs was also transported to the national team. In addition to Bayern, who despite the absence of Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka due to the corona virus, still had four starting eleven players in Kimmich, Müller, Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry, this also applies to Leipzig with David Raum and Timo Werner.
Problems in the club and in the national team: Thomas Müller looks at a loss
On the one hand, Hansi Flick is known for his loyalty to players in trouble, which is also part of the great success story of his coaching career. But after the Hungary game he also said quite unequivocally: “The first half opened our eyes, we have to draw our own conclusions from that. The time for experiments is over.” That could be bad news for Raum, Werner and Gnabry, but Gündogan plays too rarely for Germany as well Manchester City.
Musiala and Havertz are the top alternatives
After all, Flick definitely has alternatives. Instead of Gündogan, it is to be expected that Goretzka will move to the headquarters next to Kimmich for the World Cup if he survives his illness without long-term consequences. David Raum is now back on Robin Gosens, who triumphed refreshingly at the European Championships two years ago, even if he is not yet in top form after his protracted thigh injury.
On the offensive, the creative Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz pushed into the team, significantly things went better against the Hungarians when the two were on the pitch from the 69th minute. Flick later said about Musiala in his analysis of Hungary: “Jamal has that certain something when a team is deep and defending compactly. He would certainly have done us good in the first half too.”
Healing snapshots
The German national team has always benefited from wake-up games like the one against Hungary in the past. Before the DFB team became world champions in Brazil in 2014, they lost 0-0 to Poland in May and 2-2 to Cameroon in June. Before the 2006 Summer Fairy Tale Tournament in Germany, Jürgen Klinsmann went down so badly on March 1st with a 4-1 loss to Italy that DFB Presidium member Franz Beckenbauer campaigned seriously for an immediate emergency solution with Winfried Schäfer and Lothar Matthäus on the bench to ” to save his” World Cup.
Despite all the deficits against Hungary: Such mind games would be really exaggerated this time. However, Flick has to learn his lessons very quickly, after the Bundesliga break on November 13th he only has a mini preparation with a single friendly against Oman before the start of the World Cup.