Germany squared off with Greece for the second time in the past week, hoping to avenge a stunning loss last weekend.
Things were never going to be easy for the Germans, but Jürgen Klopp’s second group could not muster the same kind of performance as it had against Serbia earlier in the week. Ultimately, the two teams drew 0-0, which probably left the Germans breaking camp feeling a little unsatisfied.
Lineup changes
Germany made several changes for the rematch with Greece, although Klopp has kept plenty of continuity
from Thursday’s 2-0 win over Serbia. Germany’s starting XI against Serbia was Jonas Urbig; Philipp Treu, Waldemar Anton, Malick Thiaw, Maximilian Mittelstädt; Tom Bischof, Aleksandar Pavlović, Florian Wirtz; Derry Scherhant, Nick Woltemade, and Serge Gnabry.
The biggest change vs. Greece came at left-back, where David Raum replaced Mittelstädt. Lennart Karl also got the start vs. Greece, replacing Gnabry who left camp earlier in the week. Jonathan Burkardt started for Woltemade, giving Germany a more natural striker in the No. 9 role.
Meanwhile, Tom Bischof and Aleksandar Pavlović retained their midfield partnership, while Florian Wirtz remained the central creative force and captain. Urbig also kept his place in goal, as Klopp had already confirmed that the Bayern goalkeeper would receive another game during the international break.
How it played out
Greece was more than ready for the task of facing Germany. With a strong attacking mindset and seemingly endless cardio, the Greeks were not going to make anything easy for the Germans. Just under two minutes into the match, Greece tested Urbig. but the Bayern Munich goalkeeper was up to the task with a dazzling save.
Later in the first half, it appeared that Germany had taken the lead on a cross from Derry Scherhant to Jonathan Burkardt, but it was ruled that Tom Bischof had a handball in the build-up to the goal. It was an unfortunate play for Bischof whose arm was extended while jostling in a scrum for an aerial ball that was headed into his forearm.
Despite a clear advantage in every statistical category, Germany went into the locker room at halftime knotted 0-0 with Greece.
The second half was more of the same for the most part, but Greece was able to find its bearings a bit and be more competitive. As the game more physical, the Greeks seemingly got more focused and into it. Meanwhile Germany struggled to take advantage of its possession advantage and settled for low-percentage chances.
Klopp was determined to stick to his plan, which does not appear to have a strong focus on tallying wins right now. The head coach seems more concerned with figuring out the talent and who deserves a look for the future. With the squad needing a goal, the manager opted for subs like Bambasé Conté and Mika Baur as time was waning — not exactly a dynamic duo.
Without an ability to find a way to break through the stingy Greece backline, the Germans would have to settle for a tie.
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