Well, that was fun.
An entertaining four-game international window was a refreshing change-up from what we typically see from an international break, despite Germany collecting just one win over their four matches. While there were some reasons for optimism despite the lackluster scorelines, there were some clear negatives, and they mostly came down to poor individual performances.
Bambasé Conté
Conté was one of the more curious callups of the international break, being a relatively unknown talent, especially outside
of Germany. Despite his status, he featured in three different matches over the international break. That alone made him one of the most featured players over the window for Germany, and it really begs the question why.
Conté created virtually no chances for his team and squandered the opportunities given to him. With no disrespect intended, he simply looked out of place, and this was seemingly too big of a jump for him at this point in his career. Maybe in another year, he will actually earn his callup. For now, fans will feel as though they saw enough of the Hoffenheim talent.
Every striker
This is the most obvious question mark after this international window. Kai Havertz’s injury allowed the opportunity for others to stake their claim as Germany’s striker for the time being, and simply no one answered that call. While Nick Woltemade’s performance wasn’t anything special, he created space for Florian Wirtz and others to make an impact.
Jonathan Burkardt, while scoring a goal that was ultimately disallowed, seemed completely invisible at times, which summarized his time with the national team so far. As great as the 26-year-old has been with his club in his career, he has yet to score in 8 appearances with Germany.
Josha Vagnoman
Josha Vagnoman was a player who simply didn’t seem up to the level of a national team player in the past. Despite this, his early-season form was enough to give him a call to Jürgen Klopp’s first squad, but it wasn’t great for the right-back. He simply is not at the level of a national team player, and with Treu solidifying his spot over this window, fans will hope not to see Vagnoman again for the time being.
A handful of decent performances at the start of the season don’t always justify a callup.
Lennart Karl
This one might seem harsh, but it isn’t solely based on the player’s performance. Klopp decided to leave Karl as an unused substitute in the win over Serbia in Munich, and decided instead to bring in Conté once again.
That might speak volumes about where Klopp views Karl in the team hierarchy at this moment, or it could simply mean nothing. Either way, when Karl did come in against Greece, he failed to make a big impression and was one of the more forgettable players over this break. Nonetheless, this kid has plenty to offer in the future.
Karim Adeyemi
The former Dortmund winger has shown great things so far this season under Hansi Flick at FC Barcelona and was one of the more exciting callups, as many expected that he might finally turn up for the Germans.
That was not the case, and while Adeyemi did show off his impressive pace and moments, he squandered some key chances which might have cost Germany its qualification to the Nations League quarter-finals. If Adeyemi had finished those chances, he might have been a hero.
Is there anyone we missed? Let us know in the comments!
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