Germany were bruised and battered, but they were still able to outlast Bosnia-Herzegovina for a 2-1 win in UEFA Nations League action.
Let’s get to it….
Chemistry was lacking, but don’t panic
Germany put together a lineup of literally every decent, non-injured player it could find, and that was good enough.
The team controlled play and possession but struggled to find the right amount of synchronicity to dominate the scoreboard as if dominating the possession clock. In the end, Julian Nagelsmann just wanted to lean on Florian Wirtz to lead the pack and create offense, which the Bayer Leverkusen man fully embraced.
Deniz Undav proves he deserves more time
Undav was a forgotten man during the EURO 2024 competition, but in the last two games he has three goals and is versatile enough to slide into the No.9 or No.10 role.
The VfB Stuttgart man is on a two-season tear now and isn’t really showing much sign of slowing down. Playing for a Stuttgart side that lost a lot of talent, Undav gets a lot more attention on him – which could make him battle-tested for the rigors that await the German national team.
Aleksandar Pavlović will help the midfield
Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović was late due to a calf problem or a knee problem, depending on which report you believe (he has NO LUCK with the German national team … watch out for locusts attacking him in November). That said, when he comes back, he will make a big improvement in central midfield.
Pascal Groß and Robert Andrich were fine, but Pavlović’s passing and vision will be a huge upgrade that should strengthen the attack even more.
If the goal was to learn about the skill of Alexander Nübel, this accomplished nothing
Bayern Munich loanee Alexander Nübel had been waiting for this moment all his life – a chance to lead the German national team. Unfortunately for the goalkeeper, he could have bought a ticket and been as active as he was between the sticks.
Credited with zero saves and allowing one goal, Nübel wasn’t tested much at all (and neither really was the back line, for what it’s worth). Both goalkeeper and defenders must start to show progress ahead of the World Cup. There’s a ways to go, but the attack looks set to become extremely dangerous…now the rest of the squad has to catch up.