Germany nearly went down as took their own sweet time to wind down an energetic Luxembourg. Backed by a fantastic home crowd, the Luxembourgers showed up big time and challenged the visitors with everything they had. However, poor finishing, several bookings and running out of energy forced Jeff Straser’s men to settle for 0-2 defeat. Without further ado, here the observations from the game:
Luxembourg nearly got Germany
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Due credit to Germany and by no means is this observation made lightly. Luxembourg had Germany. They built up a wall that the Germans had a lot of trouble getting near while making great progressive plays. Had their finishing been any better, the visitors would have been lucky to get a draw.
The tenacity, drive and precision of the homeside outdid the visitors for most of the game. It was only past the hour mark and after several yellow cards did Nagelsmann’s squad finally gain some sense of control.
The Luxembourgers had a fairly simple plan. Absorb the German attack in their half and play very directly. In the first, they had 20 successful long balls coming with an accuracy of 77 percent! This level of precision amplified the threat to the German goalpost.
Luxembourg’s gaffer Jeff Straser deserves a lot of praise for marshalling his troops very well against a very strong opponent. Several players deserve mentioning, namely Dirk Carlson, Olivier Thill, Aiman Dardari and goalie Anthony Moris who made four saves on the night.
Germany were severely lacking any sense of control for most of the game. It was a real shame to see a stacked German lineup looking clueless on several occasions. The opposition’s pressing had no answer from the Germans. The pressure often forced several mistakes.
The absence of Joshua Kimmich made things worse. The midfield was totally invisible and it was honestly a poor showing from the duo of Leon Goretzka and Aleksander Pavlović. The stats have evened out over the two halves. However, the point is, Germany needs to be able to handle pressure better. Waiting for the opposition to tire out does not work against the best teams. And a major part of handling pressure comes from being able to make forward plays against the press. This forces the opposition to commit less vigorously.
(Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
Pavlović for instance, made just seven passes into the final third compared to 12 from his previous game against the same opponent. Without Kimmich, Pavlo’s contribution needs to be higher. Goretzka too had a similar dip in this game.
Having said that, credit where it is due. Germany seized two important moments and found goals despite being a bit of a hot mess all night. Sane, Pavlo, Woltemade, the fullbacks made good connections and with better finishing than the opposition turned it around for Germany. While we do expect a better performance overall, having the ability to suddenly switch up gears is a vital ability in tournaments and can pull the team out of tight spots such as this game.
After switching clubs in the summer, it was natural that Sane would have to perform very well to be in the eyes of the selectors. However, in his game where he was recalled he left a strong mark. Playing a key role in both goals, Sane exploited the opposition’s right flank and made some good connections.
(Photo by Federico Gambarini/picture alliance via Getty Images)
It has to be said. Vincent Kompany has transformed Jonathan Tah into a defensive beast. He was the coolest cucumber throughout the game. Even when Germany was all over the place Tah was the one to hold the fort. Tah made several clearances and two important blocks.
His partner Waldemar Anton did aid Tah admirably but was the shakier of the duo. Nonetheless, the German defense had to bear the brunt of several attacks due to the precise long passes of the opposition and came out with a clean sheet. Tah’s composure in a chaotic game such as this deserves praise.
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