Die Folgen: Germany’s 2-0 win over Luxembourg (Bavarian Football Works)
Uh…after an extremely disappointing first half, Germany rallied for a second half effort that would result in a 2-0 victory over Luxembourg, but it is hard to think that anyone — from DFB executives to coaches
to players to BFW community members — feel really good about how things played out.
Yes, Germany got the win, things were not great and it will not fill anyone with confidence, but hey…it’s weekend at least…and it was a victory. Let’s get into it, here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s begin with a look at the starting XI:
- This went exactly as expected. Once Julian Nagelsmann called back there was never a doubt that Leroy Sané would get the start. Otherwise, most fans could have predicted this lineup and would have expected it.
- As expected, Germany was ball-dominant early on. Luxembourg, while displaying great energy, was frequently on its heels or scrambling to keep up with Germany.
- Luxembourg, though, was frisky and did have some chance to go at Germany, like when it almost capitalized on some lax defending from the Germans in the 11th minute.
- That near miss seemed to give Luxembourg some confidence, because for the next 15 minutes it was the better side.
- Germany — again — felt like it was missing something. While not necessarily flat, it seemed as if the Germans were content to let the game play out a bit rather than asserting themselves. Under Nagelsmann, this has become an issue.
- Germany would put together a flurry in the 27th minute, but Luxembourg had so many bodies in front of the net, it was near impossible to get anything through the wall of bodies.
- Florian Wirtz had a great look in the 28th minute, but airmailed his attempt. Wirtz is looking like he is batting himself.
- Normally, this is the part of the of the post where I say that there is no reason to worry, but, indeed, there is a reason for concern. Germany does not look right and it seems as if Nagelsmann’s recent run of tinkering has had an ill-effect on an already fragile group.
- If you were scoring the first half like a boxing match, it would have been 10-9 in favor of Luxembourg. Sure, Germany landed more jabs, but Luxembourg was more active and landed more significant strikes/power punches.
- It was a thoroughly disappointing first half for Germany.
- No one wants to come to BFW to read the writers trash Germany, but this was a shoddy effort that was equally an issue for Nagelsmann and his players.
- Finally, in the 49th minute Germany broke through when Sané slid a pass over from the right-side to a streaking Nick Woltemade, who deposited the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
- That must have felt like taking a boulder off of Nagelsmann’s shoulders.
- Germany looked relieved and probably a little assured, but it was far from a convincing performance.
- Woltemade struck again in the 69th minute when Sané slid a pass to Baku, who sent in Woltemade again for the 2-0 lead.
- Woltemade needed to produce and — if anything — this was a massive boost for him.
- Sané hit the crossbar in the 85th minute, which really could have capped off his performance.
- Overall, it was a less-than-inspiring performance for Germany. The silver-lining was that Sané came back and had a nice return to the squad, while Woltemade did what he needed to do to at least start to assert himself at the striker position. Defensively, it was a clean sheet, but it was not a great showing as there was far too much scrambling. In the end, Germany is better than Luxembourg, but the final scoreline — and the eye test — tells us that it is not by much.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast give them a look or a listen:
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…
Bayern, Laimer expected to make easy work of new deal (Kicker’s Georg Holzner via @iMiaSanMia)
If Konrad Laimer wants to extend his contract at Bayern Munich, it is expected to be an easy process:
Bayern and Konrad Laimer are expected to agree a new deal without complications.
It seems like a no-brainer at this point for Bayern Munich to bring back Konrad Laimer. The Austrian seems extremely open to extending his deal as well. While not necessarily wanting a move to right-back, Laimer has embraced the position switch and become a valuable (some would say irreplaceable) part of the squad.
The only question that rises from this would be if Josip Stanišić becomes tired of waiting for his chance to run with the right-back job.
United wants BVB’s Adeyemi (ESPN)
Manchester United could be eyeing a move for Borussia Dortmund attacker Karim Adeyemi:
Manchester United have inquired about the signing of Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi, as per Sky Germany. While Dortmund are pushing to get the 23-year-old Germany international to pen a new contract, any agreement currently remains way off. As such, United are continuing to monitor developments with Adeyemi, who has two goals in 10 Bundesliga appearances this season, and has been at the club since July 2022. According to Sky Germany, both Adeyemi and his agent, Jorge Mendes, are hoping to include a release clause in any extension.
It would mildly surprising to see Adeyemi leave BVB at this point, but there have been some rumors that Niko Kovač’s disciplined and sometimes heavy-handed style could be wearing on some Dortmund players, who are not used to working under such stringent conditions.
Juve out on Gnabry over feared salary demands (Gazzetto dello Sport)
There were rumors that Juventus was thinking a move for soon-t0-be free agent Serge Gnabry, but the Serie A club is worried that the German will want too big of a salary:
An exploratory inquiry has also been conducted for Bayern’s Serge Gnabry, but the matter has already cooled because his salary is out of reach and competition from Liverpool makes a financial challenge impossible.
Before the season, this might not have been a concern, but Gnabry has had a very good campaign. It still feels like he will re-up with Bayern Munich unless some other club swoops in with a more lucrative salary offer.
No truth to James-to-Orlando City rumors (Fabrizio Romano)
Rumors had emerged that MLS club Orlando City was contemplating a move for former Bayern Munich attacking midfielder James Rodríguez. Per Fabrizio Romano, there is no truth to the reports:
🚨❌ There are no talks between James Rodriguez and Orlando City despite reports.
He’s still looking for new club as a free agent.
Well, at least Orlando would fit the temperature requirements for James…but does it rain too much?
Competition heats up for Fofana (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
Over the summer, Bayern Munich was linked to Olympique Lyon winger Malick Fofana, but now it looks like Liverpool and FC Barcelona could be vying for the 20-year-old:
Liverpool and Barcelona are reportedly in the race to sign Lyon winger Malick Fofana.
The 20-year-old moved to Lyon in the January window of 2024 from Gent and has made a big impact for the Ligue 1 side already. Back in July, it was suggested that Bayern were interested in signing the winger, who is valued at around £51.5m (€60m).
Fabrizio Romano claimed that Bayern had made contact to sign the attacker, and stated that he could become a ‘strong’ option for the Bavarian giants if they fail to sign Luis Díaz. However, the interest probably died down after Bayern signed Diaz from Liverpool.
Last month, Malick Fofana’s agent, Frederico Pena, said Fofana deserves to play for clubs like Liverpool, Manchester City or Bayern Munich. According to a report from Sport (print edition, page 15), both Liverpool and Barcelona are looking to bolster their left-wing areas and have earmarked Fofana as an option.
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…
