analysis
The midfield is the showpiece of the German national team, although some players are currently struggling with their form. There are many options in terms of personnel and tactics.
The question of which player had the most starting eleven appearances in the previous 15 games under national coach Hansi Flick should only be asked in a football quiz when the wheat has already been separated from the chaff.
It’s not Thomas Müller, nor Joshua Kimmich. It’s Thilo Kehrer. The pro of West Ham United experienced the kick-off twelve times in 13 appearances on the pitch. Kehrer is a constant, as the numbers clearly show.
More embarrassment than flexibility
Most recently, the former Schalke player was used as a right-back under Flick, before that as a central defender and on the left in the chain. On the one hand, this is a sign of flexibility, on the other hand – from the point of view of the national coach – one of embarrassment. Whether candidate A defends on the left and B on the right, or C and D swap sides, the quality decreases or increases in nuances, as the past few years have shown, when Nico Schulz, Ridle Baku, Lukas Klostermann and Marcel Halstenberg were the candidates.
The phenomenon of constant quality can also be found in midfield, whether defensive or offensive, but at a higher level. This part of the team is nominally the strongest, in midfield the national coach has the most options with a view to the World Cup.
Lots of options
He can consider whether Kimmich is the only one “six” in the center in front of the back four, he can also put İlkay Gündoğan at his side like on Monday (September 26th, 2022) at 3: 3 in England, but it can also be Leon Goretzka, who lost the game in London because of a corona infection missed. It is also possible to hire Jamal Musiala as a freelancer “Sixes/Eights/Tens” to summon. At Wembley Stadium, the 19-year-old FC Bayern professional proved that the national team’s game was lively.
“Then we have more space”
It wasn’t just his close ball control, nimble hooks and fast-paced dribbles that made him convincing against the country he played for in youth teams. Musiala won the ball both before 1-0 and 2-0. “Jamal has shown why he is an exceptional talent. He is a player, both defensively and offensively, who is very good for us.”Flick enthused, “He can cause problems for the opponent and such situations as penalty kicks (converted to 1-0 by Gündoğan, editor’s note) get out. He outplays one or two opponents, then we have more space.“
However, the national coach could have remarked that only in the second half “more room” bot. Before the break, the German game was more flawed, more static. The midfield, especially Musiala, couldn’t find a solution to the central attacker Kai Havertz and the attacking, fast neighbors Leroy Sane and to use Jonas Hofmann.
One of Kimmich’s weaker games
Quite helplessly, Kimmich also looked for ways to create opportunities. The Munich player’s 70th international match was one of his weaker ones. The difficult situation at Bayern could have contributed to this, just like at sane and Serge Gnabry, who also underperformed.
Lots of ball possession, often few goals
But there was also a home-made problem in the play area. As under Joachim Löw, the German national team is also looking for dominance under Flick, i.e. high ball possession values. In England, the DFB selection had 58 percent possession of the ball. That was the lowest value in all Nations League games.
In the other games it was between 60 percent (1-1 in the home game against England) and 66 percent (0-1 in the home game against Hungary). The only result was a win against a weakened Italy (5:2), in the other four games before the duel in England a maximum of one goal was scored.
Flick’s goal is for his team to win the ball far up front so that the path to the opposing goal is shorter afterwards. The 2-0 win at Wembley, achieved through Kai Havertz’s perfect shot, showed that there is another way to success. It went very quickly and with many players through midfield against a team that was not organized in their otherwise massive defensive 3-4-3 system.
Quietly letting the opponent have the ball, condensing the center and then counterattacking is far more a sign of flexibility than embarrassment. The staff provide the various tactics during a game, especially in midfield.