Germany were hosting Italy exactly 10 days after their last meeting on the first matchday of the new Nations League campaign. That game ended in a 1-1 draw, but this one went slightly differently as the scoreline suggests. Tactical analysis and match report by Neel Shelat. Germany’s Nations League campaign had been less than ideal […]
Ahead of kickoff, the odds were firmly on a German victory. In the end, the contest did not align with what many expected. Hansi Flick’s men might have startled their youthful hosts but soon ran into several problems to which their individual quality could not find solutions. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. […]
Germany’s clash with Armenia ought to have been a formality, and so it proved. In a one-sided affair from start to finish, a mixture of old and new roles produced a brand of full-throttle football; the away team’s 4-4-2 deep block had no answer. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. Germany’s early EURO […]
Germany had some good moments to start off with, but eventually England’s man-oriented pressing and stability in possession brought them game control, especially with Germany falling into quite a passive defensive stance. The game drifted somewhat for long periods due to the stability focus of both teams, but England eventually broke through in the second […]
Everyone remembers that Trezeguet goal in the Euro 2000 final, but prior to the left footed finish there was a brilliant solo move from Robert Pires who assisted the winner. Gliding past Demetrio Albertini, before pinning Fabio Cannavaro to the ground with a fake dribble inside then going outside to cross the ball. Written by […]
If the main objective in football was to cross the ball, few could dispute Germany as the commanding favourites for EURO 2020. Alas, the game is decided by looking at who puts the ball in the opposing goal the most. In that setting Joachim Löw’s side look unconvincing and unprepared. Tactical analysis and match report […]
Overload and draw Portugal to the right, switch the play to Robin Gosens, goal. As simple as it sounds, this was the sequence of the game. It was repeated countless times, and it allowed Germany to secure the win over Fernando Santos’ side. With the Portuguese manager failing to adjust, Gosens ran Nelson Semedo ragged. […]
The second round of group stage fixtures sees Germany and Portugal lock horns. Portugal labored their way past a stubborn Hungary with three very late goals, while Germany struggled to get their offense going and ultimately failed to overcome an early Hummels own goal. Without either nation on song in their first game of EURO […]
The Germans suffered the trademark defense plus counterattacking strategy of Deschamps’ France. Looking at shot count and expected goals might wrongly show Germany as the dominant side, as these numbers were just a result of the game state. After France’s 20th-minute goal, Les Bleus mostly sat back and let the Germans come to them. The […]
The last few years will go down as a bleak chapter in the history of the German national team. New talents and old heroes offer pieces to solving the puzzle, but awkward approaches to putting them together have blighted chances of success. This preview puts forward a brief appraisal of the country’s plight and the […]