Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1 in an international friendly in Frankfurt earlier this week. Julien Nagelsmann’s side thus continued their resurgence by winning back-to-back matches against formidable opponents. They had earlier beaten France 2-0 in another friendly last Saturday.
Die Mannschaft had a pretty ordinary 2023, losing in a number of international fixtures. However, their recent form suggests that they will be confident ahead of the European Championships to be held in 2024 on home soil.
Germany made changes to their midfield set-up:
Germany fielded their team with a 4-2-3-1 formation in each of their last two internationals, with Ilkay Gundogan playing as the No. 10. It was a bit more advanced role than the 33-year-old midfielder is normally used to.
However, Jamal Musiala starting on the right flank meant that the young attacking midfielder had the license to roam all over the final third, thus forcing Gundogan to play deeper at times. Moreover, Florian Wirtz also made his mark, scoring a goal within the first 10 seconds against the French.
Toni Kroos, who came out of his international retirement recently, started in the double pivot with Robert Andrich of Bayer Leverkusen, who made his international debut last year against Austria. It was something of an additional burden on Kroos defensively, but the 34-year-old is capable of playing in a deeper role, too.
Niclas Füllkrug Proved His Utility Once Again
Füllkrug did not start for Germany in either of the matches, as Kai Havertz started as the No. 9. However, Füllkrug made an appearance as a substitute against the Dutch and also scored the match-winner in the 85th minute.
The Borussia Dortmund striker now has scored 11 goals in 15 matches for Germany, making him have one of the best strike rates by any German striker in international football in the recent past. While Havertz is a quality player, Füllkrug is better as a pure goal-scorer and Nagelsmann should that keep that in mind while finalizing his starting XI at the European Championships.
Maximilian Mittelstädt also played quite well as the left-back and also scored his first international goal against the Netherlands in the process. This means that David Raum might find it difficult to find a place in the starting line-up for the hosts at the European Championships.
Germany Will Play Their Next Internationals in June
The Germans will take on Ukraine and Greece in June before they start their campaign at Euro 2024 against Scotland. Until then, their players will be involved in the business end of the season in club football.
Hence, Die Mannschaft’s form against the two strong opponents will make Nagelsmann happy. The pressure of expectations will be there on the young manager at Euro 2024, as the hosts will be expected to win or at the very least reach the last four in the tournament.
Germany has won the European Championships thrice – the joint most by any nation along with Spain. They last reached the final in 2008, when they lost 1-0 to Spain. However, they will like to make amends this time around by winning the title on home soil.