Germany has returned to embarrass itself in the global stage yet again. Following nearly 10 disappointing years of continuous losses and a steady decline, the country hit a new low, as they granted Slovakia an easy 2-0 win. The lofty aspirations from manager Julian Nagelsmann, who claimed the aim was to win the World Cup 2026, were proven to be mere words as Germany helplessly failed by dint of a solid Slovakian performance. Here are the observations from the game.
Slovakia deserved the win
There has not been a single aspect
of the game in which Slovakia did not upstage Germany.
There are two ways a team can be better than their opposition: either they truly outclass the opposition with an otherworldly performance, or the opponents are just terrible and the team have done the bare minimum right. Slovakia mostly belongs to the latter — the team that managed to execute very basic, simple, yet effectual football. There was much wrong with die Mannschaft. The home team at Bratislava simply took advantage of this — the inability to pass, the poor press tolerance, the near-absent defense and the attack that shut down with even the bare minimal pressure. One may argue that both goals were the result of Germany’s breakdown, but they deserve due credit for the beautiful passing in their goal build-ups and the picture perfect finishes.
The hero of the hour, Leo Sauer was otherworldly. He tore through Germany, with explosive pace and a terrific vision for goal. Additionally the Slovak striker David Strelec had a goal and an assist to his name. Both Sauer and Strelec played a little over 80 minutes, and completely dismantled the German defense and midfield. Other mentions go to Ondrej Duda at midfield and goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka.
Slovakia were compact, well-coordinated, and the best of all, even older players pulled their weight. That is the hallmark of a team that deserves every win they get.
NT: National team No tactics
As extreme as it sounds, the truth is that there has been a complete tactical breakdown in Germany. Some may hate to admit it, but Nagelsmann clearly did not instruct the team appropriately enough. Somehow the Germans could not string a single pass together, and were even worse off the ball — look at any tackle made and not one looks clean, let alone effective. Goretzka playing out of position did more for the attack than Serge Gnabry. Kimmich floats around in arbitrary positions — from midfield to right back, to left centreback. It begs the question — why move at all without a plan in mind? The backline is severely depleted as wing-backs progress forward but it is also the former’s job to make recovery runs and that does not happen when every defender has already lost their man.
Antonio Rüdiger somehow had his worst ever Germany performance. His decline at club seems to have bled into his performances for the country and given tonight’s performance, it is of doubt as to whether he will start further games in the presence of other personnel. Jonathan Tah continues to exhibit the same questionable performances he has shown at Bayern Munich lately, if not worse, being very mistake prone.
The attack looks toothless and the options at bench did not satisfy either. Florian Wirtz looked stuck and unhappy and despite his best attempts could not outplay his markers. Nick Woltemade looked terribly underwhelming and the decision to play him as striker is a head-scratcher. The fact is, that the attacking answer lies in neither Nadiem Amiri, nor Karim Adeyemi — the team simply needs to go back to the drawing board and figure out tactics afresh.
The blame game
Whom do you blame for Germany’s fall from grace?
Is it:
a. The DFB for retaining ineffective coaches for too long and failing at developing young talent, or,
b. Julian Nagelsmann for his nonexistent tactics, poor choice of players and terrible setup, or,
c. The players for having played like amateurs?
The fact is that Germany desperately need to qualify for this World Cup. Blaming Tah or Rüdiger for being terrible and ball watching in the Slovakian final third helps no one if they do not plan on fixing things. Maximilian Mittelstädt and Oliver Baumann may have saved the country from a worse outcome, but this still is not an acceptable state of affairs for Germany. Perhaps, it might be ok to accept that the former Weltmeister Germany will not be a part of the World Cup — for they have hit a new low. Congratulations to Slovakia on having won their first game in months.
