In Germany’s last home match before flying to North America this week, Julian Nagelsmann’s squad wore down an outmatched Finland side. Deniz Undav secured a brace while Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala also found the back of the net. There were very few physical challenges and Germany came away relatively unscathed, pending the status of Undav.
Who is running Germany’s offense?
In the first half, Florian Wirtz was making a lot of noise in the early action then disappeared for large stretches. Lennart Karl had a few nice runs but did
not anticipate the next level of defenders being around. Jamal Musiala can dribble through tight spaces, but did not generate a lot of opportunities either.
Just like Bayern Munich, Serge Gnabry was probably the solution. It is a shame that he will miss the entire World Cup after such a fantastic year. Felix Nmecha and Aleksandar Pavlović are decent distributors, but rarely create the passes that lead to a shot on target.
Tonight proved that the simple answer is a committee approach. Different players will step up in different moments. This will make it difficult for opponents to focus on shutting down one specific area of Germany’s offense.
Julian Nagelsmann still has a right-back problem
It feels like no coincidence that Joshua Kimmich’s primary contribution tonight was in the attacking third. Kimmich properly supported Lennart Karl, sent in dangerous crosses, and kept the ball moving as a third central defensive midfielder.
Against lesser opponents, Joshua Kimmich will be visibly underutilized at right-back. Against better opponents, Kimmich will be forced to help out more in the midfield and attack, leaving the right flank exposed. Jonathan Tah is a solid defender but can’t cover that whole side of the pitch by himself against speedy wingers or counterattacks.
Nagelsmann may also not have the luxury of waiting until the knockout rounds for Aleksandar Pavlović and Felix Nmecha to transform their budding chemistry into an asset rather than a work in progress. Kimmich and Pavlović played a lot of minutes together at Bayern this season and would immediately bring stability to the middle of the pitch.
Deniz Undav proves his worth to the team
After a fantastic run of form throughout the Rückrunde and deep tournament runs in the Europa League and DFB-Pokal, Undav only scored two goals and one assist in his last eight appearances. Kai Havertz spent the weekend walking around Puskás Aréna (except that moment of brilliance), gifting the perfect opportunity for Undav to make his case as the better fit in Germany’s starting XI.
For most of the first half, Undav was lethargic, lost, and lacked chemistry with the rest of the squad. The other attackers were simply moving at a different pace than Undav. Wirtz and Musiala both presented Undav with quality balls in front of the net and he squandered those chances.
But there is a lot of value in Undav’s opportunistic style. On Undav’s first goal, Lukáš Hradecký and both of Finland’s defenders could have taken one step toward the ball and prevented the header. On Undav’s second goal, the defender thought he had the proper position, until Undav accelerated at the last moment and used his upper body strength to overwhelm the defender and tap in the finish.
Here’s the solution. Against lesser teams, let Undav start and find these weird goals. There will be enough opportunities that he doesn’t need to be super efficient. He just needs to be a shark. Against the better teams, let Havertz start and mentally wear down the opponent. This should keep both players fresh, hungry, and engaged throughout the tournament. Don’t forget to add Nick Woltemade as a tertiary piece of the puzzle.
Bonus Observations
- Nathaniel Brown looks to be the guy at left-back. He just needs to sharpen his focus when he is in defensive mode. Luckily, he is only 22 years old and he will naturally develop with time and experience. His star continues to rise.
- Cyan shorts, pink cleats, and a dark blue jersey. Draw your own conclusions.
- Did you catch Aleksandar Pavlović accidentally poking Deniz Undav in the eye after one of the goals?
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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