After two forgettable international matches, the German national football team’s performance at the European Championship test in France was encouraging. The youngsters Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala as well as the returnee Toni Kroos were particularly impressive. The individual criticism of the 2-0 (1-0) of the DFB selection on Saturday (March 23rd, 2024) in Lyon.
Goal – Marc-André ter Stegen: Germany’s number two was there when she was needed. In the one-on-one against Mbappé (25th minute) or with Dembélé’s angled shot (35th), ter Stegen was in top position. He was also calm and calm when building up the game. There are absolutely no worries about this position.
Defense – Joshua Kimmich: Kimmich started the European Championship year as a right-back with the hardest possible task. Superstar Kylian Mbappé cannot be taken completely out of the game. But Kimmich got along well – especially in the second half – and tried again and again to join the forward team. There will be no discussions about this personnel.
Defense – Antonio Rüdiger: The German defense chief was very present in the duels, stood well and, above all, supported Kimmich strongly against Mbappé. With his powerful charisma, he was a solid rock in the defense even in stronger phases for the French. Shortly before the end he also happily cleared a Mittelstadt ricochet on his own line.
Defense – Jonathan Tah: The Leverkusen player wasn’t always perfect, but he didn’t let anything go wrong in the duels. In the second half he was particularly good at defending in depth when the French won the ball. In terms of his style, he fits in well with Rüdiger.
Defense – Maximilian Mittelstädt: On his international debut, Mittelstädt had a difficult time against Dembélé. At this top level, he didn’t always seem comfortable. He caused a stir with a ricochet shot in front of his own goal (88th). The game was perhaps not quite the right one to determine whether Mittelstädt really is the solution for the left side.
Midfield – Robert Andrich: If France came with speed, Germany’s “Holding Six” had clear problems. In the second half he was more confident in the center. The French often let him come in the build-up game. But Andrich couldn’t do anything with that.
Midfield – Toni Kroos (until 89th minute): The returnee immediately set the pace. Kroos got a lot of balls, distributed them cleverly and made a clear statement towards the European Championship. He also hit hard defensively. He also provided the assist for the lightning lead. Comeback successful.
Midfield – Waldemar Anton (from 89th minute): In the final phase, the VfB defense chief made his first international appearance as a reinforcement for the center.
Midfield – Jamal Musiala (until 80th minute): In the first half, the Munich player was extremely busy, especially against the ball. Whether it was a desperate tackle against Dembélé (32′) or a few ball conquests in counter-pressing – Musiala was wide awake. In the second half he also found his way better offensively, repeatedly going deep and providing the assist to make it 2-0.
Attack – Deniz Undav (from 80th minute): With his first shot (81st) he almost refined his debut. Undav was immediately in the game, bursting with energy and commitment.
Midfield – Ilkay Gündogan (until 71st minute): The DFB captain did not like the number 10 position in this constellation. Gündogan didn’t really get into the game, was mostly only able to make short passes and couldn’t bring any depth into the game. He also had a few unusually easy ball losses.
Midfield – Thomas Müller (from 71st minute): In fewer minutes of play, the veteran had more good actions behind the front than Gündogan. Even as “Radio Müller” he immediately went back on the air, loudly controlling and directing those around him – just as we know and need Müller.
Midfield – Florian Wirtz (until 71st minute): In addition to the fastest goal in German international history and the sweet pass to Musiala before making it 2-0, Wirtz provided a lot of arguments both offensively and defensively as to why there are great hopes for him for the European Championships. Overview, precision, work against the ball – a very strong performance.
Midfield – Chris Führich (from 71st minute): Führich courageously immediately looked for one-on-one situations on the way forward. After a clever run down the left, he narrowly missed the ball from the left (79′). As a complement, he made a good impression.
Attack – Kai Havertz (until 80th minute): Havertz was unable to make the deep runs that he expected. The Arsenal professional played extremely variably, repeatedly offered himself and was in exactly the right place when the score was 2-0.
Attack – Niclas Füllkrug (from 80th minute): Like Undav, the center forward was immediately involved with a finish. Otherwise he couldn’t put himself in the spotlight in the final phase.