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Another disappointing performance for Die Mannschaft, this time in a 1-0 loss to Poland. The team is but a shadow of its former glory, even under former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick. If you just woke up after being in a coma since 2016, you wouldn’t believe how much Germany’s men’s national team has fallen from grace.
Defense showed improvements
Germany’s defense this match looked much better than in the match against Ukraine. Against a much better side, they conceded two fewer goals this game. While not perfect, it is way better than the disaster in the first match.
Still, it is hard to be convinced that the three back is the proper formation going forward. However, AC Milan’s 21-year-old center-back Malick Thiaw had a great debut for the Germans and could be a promising option in future years. What a shot he had that was saved by Polish keeper Wojciech Szczęsny.
There are bigger problems with the national team
At first, we all thought that Germany was just one player away from being a world-class team again. That player was of course a world-class striker, which never came.
Since then, Germany has had a thousand reasons as to their failures. Whether it be coaching, chemistry, fullbacks, politics, whatever. The team is in a bad state. This tournament is a fresh opportunity to rebrand and make a serious impact and the team is looking like it won’t take advantage of it.
Whatever the problem is, the DFB need to make a big change. Or is it the DFB itself that needs to change? Who knows.
Wojciech Szczęsny is a beast
Szczęsny, the current Juventus and former Arsenal FC man, made the difference for Poland in this one. While Germany didn’t have a thousand high scoring chances, the Polish keeper was tested all game long and Szczęsny not only made the big saves when needed, he never gave Germany a whiff of a rebound.
An absolute stellar performance from the veteran keeper.
Can’t get enough of that game? (Seriously?) Well, have we got the post-game Pod for you. Join Samrin and Rayyan (Cyler) as they discuss Germany’s back three setup, Niclas Füllkrug’s exclusion from the XI, fullbacks, Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann, a look back at the World Cup, and all manner of delights. Listen on Spotify, or via the player below:
And while you’re at it, please throw a vote our way for the 2023 Best Club Podcast Award at WorldSoccerTalk! As always, we appreciate all your support!
