With various injuries, Germany managed to field a respectable array of up-and-coming Bundesliga players alongside established stars to beat the Netherlands 1-0 in UEFA Nations League action. Here are four observations from the match:
Julian Nagelsmann plays fair with awards
It has been a while since so much of the Bundesliga was represented on the German national team. Today TSG Hoffenheim, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach were represented alone in the series. Mainz was later also to be represented when Jonathan Burkardt was brought in. It seems that if a German player plays well, he can legitimately hope to represent his national team.
Jamie Leweling was a star among Stuttgart’s other bright spots
It is hard to deny that many players from Stuttgart are being called up by Julian Nagelsmann, but based on performances they certainly deserve it. Jamie Leweling was unlucky to have a goal disallowed early on (for what appeared to be Serge Gnabry’s millionth offside of the international break) and would go on to score the winner. He was a bright spot throughout the game and more than deserved the call. The players that Nagelsmann has chosen have all shown that they deserved their call-ups.
Aleksandar Pavlović finally got a start…
And stabilized the midfield alongside former Bayern Munich youth, Angelo Stiller. Germany controlled play in the first half, with some exquisite combination play at times. The crowd appreciated the game as the attacking players seemed to know each other well despite spending so little time playing together.
OIiver Baumann radiated some much-needed calm in the back
Baumann could have earned the #1 spot for Germany; he made a brilliant save today and was good with the ball at his feet. There were very few panic-inducing moments from him. With Marc-André ter Stegen out and Kevin Trapp out of the picture for now due to injury, the veteran Baumann arguably impressed more than Alexander Nübel and could perhaps retain the number 1 spot.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis from Germany’s 1-0 win over Holland? Great, we’ve got you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show, where our Jack Lauschway breaks down the game. Jack gives you all the analysis you need from the game, along with where the German national team could be heading. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify and below:
Be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all your updated coverage of Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @bfwinnn, @IredahlMarcus, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.