analysis
The German national football team loses Portugal in the Nations League because it has speed deficits. They noticed on the defensive, but it was too slow.
He was not explicitly asked for a definition for a game for third place in the Nations League, but delivered one. “Psychological it is not a fireworks”said Julian Nagelsmann. But that would now be the challenge in which he could recognize who can best break resistances and whether it might be able to do the whole team.
The national coach always looks for the positive things, and therefore he also mentioned the cabin address of Joshua Kimmich, who took his work after the lost game and put his finger in the wound. “This is a good sign”, said the national coach, who agreed with the captain that Portugal deservedly won 2-1 and therefore had moved into the final of the Nations League, which Germany would have loved to win one year before the World Cup
DFB captain Kimmich complains: “Never at the limit”
“We weren’t at the limit in all phases of the game”complained Kimmich. If it had been the team in its 100th international, it would be “There was a victory”the captain struggled, and the national coach saw that too.
“We have to give 100 percent, then we can keep up with top nations, maybe even better”Nagelsmann stated in his press conference, where he was noticeably eaten. “If you don’t attack in static situations, a third division team can also play apart”he criticized the defense behavior at the gates of the Portuguese, which, however, also had other causes.
For example, there would be the enormous tempo part that Francisco Conceição used against Robin Gosens before compensation. “I would have had to close the inner track,” admitted Gosens. He knew from duels in series A that the professional of Juventus Turin likes to pull inside.
Motor with turbo against energy sources without energy
But whether that would have been enough is questionable. Portugal’s coach Roberto Martínez changed three times in the 58th minute, Nagelsmann did it two minutes later. With Vitinha, Portugal received a new engine in midfield and with Conceição a turbo, the selection of the German Football Association (DFB) only a slightly different coat.
“Afterwards you are always smarter”said Nagelsmann when asked if he was next to the change. He wanted to bring “energy sources” with Gosens, Serge Gnabry and Niclas Füllkrug, but Portugal made the Germans look in the substitute and their colleagues in the last half hour as if the battery was empty.
Weaknesses recognized, but not exploited
The day before the game, Nagelsmann had said that the Portuguese had many “gamers” in the team, plus some players at an enormously high pace. However, he also saw spaces that would open to his team because some players’ players would not like to defend.
From time to time these rooms were also shown, but the offensive game of the German team was just as disappointing, if not due to the weaknesses at the opponent, more disappointed than the behavior on the defensive. The goal through Florian Wirtz and a conclusion from debutant Nick Woltemade gave two good chances in a home game, which was pretty mau.
“We have attacked the depth too little”said Maximilian Mittelstädt, who played in the left midfield in front of the triple chain until he was replaced by Gosens. Nagelsmann calls this position “Joker”, on the other hand it was taken by Kimmich.
Often the two “Joker” were almost on a line with Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sané and Wirtz, which made it narrow in the line behind the center forward, while Aleksandar Pavlović had to prick up a lot of square meters in the central defensive midfield.
Kimmich’s good counter question
Kimmich was asked whether the speed was a problem, and he asked back: “In which direction?” That was a good question, because the static game on the offensive made it easy for the Portuguese in connection with mostly weak flanks to allow little chances.
Again a conceição
For the first time since 2000, Germany lost again against Portugal. At that time it meant 0: 3 (all goals shot Sergio Conceição, the father of Francisco) after the preliminary round for a remarkably bad and broken German team.
After that there were five wins for Germany, all at big tournaments. Among them was also a game for third place – 2006 at the World Cup in Stuttgart. Due to the special circumstances, it was even a psychological firework.