analyse
In the 2:3 against Belgium, the German national team strays through the first half hour. Only Emre Can stabilized the situation. That would have been the job of captain Joshua Kimmich, whose role can be discussed again.
Hansi Flick can be pretty merciless. Taking the 19-year-old Florian Wirtz, a former Cologne player and now a Leverkusen player, off the pitch after a good half hour of a game in Cologne was tough for the national coach.
There were arguments for that, of course, because Wirtz was weak, he lost the ball quickly and many passes ended up with the opponent. Flick also changed his basic order with the changes that also affected the ailing Leon Goretzka so early in the game.
changes take effect
A 4-2-2-2 became a 4-3-3. Emre Can, new to the game, moved into central midfield, Joshua Kimmich next to him with a more attacking orientation, as did debutant Felix Nmecha, who came on for Goretzka. That was consistent and ensured a significant improvement in the game of the German team.
The toughness that the national coach showed against Wirtz was not remotely recognizable when it came to a player who was nine years older, decorated with titles and recently equipped with the captain’s armband.
Criticizing Joshua Kimmich, who always claims to lead the way, not only went down in the first half hour, but also gave the Belgians goals and more chances through undisciplined play. The Munich player was missing in the space in front of the back four, where he would have been needed to stabilize a confused eleven.
Can takes on the role of leader
But criticism of Kimmich was only very hidden, as praise for Emre Can. “He was the aggressive leader we needed in this game. He shook the team awake.” said Flick about the Dortmunder, who brought in the virtues that the German Football Association (DFB) has often heard about again since the premature end at the World Cup in Qatar.
The national coach then admitted on Tuesday evening (March 28th, 2023) that an important finding of the first international matches of the year is that “a clear six” is urgently needed, which thinks defensively above all.
Traditional construction site right-back position
With that, and also due to the again decent performance, it was then reopened, the discussion as to whether Kimmich might not be better off in the position of right-back.
This traditional construction site in the German team was opened again against Belgium after Marius Wolf, who had shown a very decent performance against the much weaker Peruvians, was shown the limits.
This also applied to the two central defenders Matthias Ginter and Thilo Kehrer, who even had to hear from Flick that they should have been louder and “coached better” in order to “bring back the six”. At that point at the latest, it became apparent how much Joshua Kimmich was being wrapped up in cotton wool by his former club coach – at least publicly.
Kimmich in low form
The German national team will need Kimmich to be successful at the 2024 European Championship. There is little doubt about that. But the way he’s played in the national shirt over the past few months, he’s not a pillar of the team, just another player looking for good form that can last a game.
“If you deduct the first half hour, we played a good game,” said Emre Can. There are also arguments for this thesis, but after the desolate 30 minutes at the start the gap should have been significantly higher than 0:2.
In June Germany will continue to look for the right personnel, the right basic formation and the right tactics. The “clear six” seems to have been found in Emre Can for the time being, but there are questions about the captain.