This morning, the front page of Bild, Germany’s biggest tabloid, had a big picture of captain Joshua Kimmich surrounded by his 25 teammates and the caption: Macht uns Stolz!
Make us proud!
Can they do it? Today, yes, beyond that who knows? Germany have brought talent to this tournament, but their progress through it depends on Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, their two attacking midfielders. On their day, both are world class. Unfortunately, there have not been many of those days lately, with Musiala and Wirtz both suffering through difficult seasons (for Bayern Munich and Liverpool respectively).
During the preparatory friendlies, Kai Havertz has played well. That’s important, because Havertz is a rare attacking pivot, capable of scoring goals but also opening attacking doors for his teammates. Can that dynamic work? Let’s hope so. One of the commonalities between Germany’s group stage eliminations in 2018 and 2022 was an inability to create chances. Havertz helps with that. Expect him to be moved around a lot, both in possession and as a way of making space.
And the German defence; that has a question mark against it. Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah will likely start in central defence, with Joshua Kimmich on the right of the back-four and Nathaniel Brown on the left.
Brown, who is currently subject to significant interest from Bayern, will be preferred over David Raum. Raum is a more orthodox full back who sticks close to the touchline and is an excellent crosser. Brown is more technical and versatile. He can play in field to a higher standard and will be used to supplement the midfield and create numerical advantages.
