A new-look Germany is grabbing EURO 2024 by the horns. Led by former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann, the hosts are back to their dominant ways.
After years of high-profile tournament failures, Germany is now one of the most exciting and in-form teams of the tournament. How did it come together so quickly?
The right timing
After the 2018 World Cup, Germany’s next generation, led by the likes of Kai Havertz, was ushered in but proved not yet ready to take the mantle off the old guard. In 2021, Bayern Munich wonderkid Jamal Musiala was still a reserve player only beginning to spread his wings. And in 2022, Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz was still finding his feet after returning from a torn ACL.
How things have changed. Wirtz, then Musiala, then Havertz all scored in Germany’s EURO 2024 opener and have started every game so far under Julian Nagelsmann. They are more than the future — they are the stars of today, and their time has come.
And around them, Germany seems to have simultaneously sorted out three key problem positions that have long plagued them — left-back, right-back, and defensive midfield.
VfB Stuttgart left-back Maximilian Mittelstädt has stabilized a position that has seen, at best, glimpses of promise (you’ll always have Portugal, Robin Gosens) over the years. Joshua Kimmich is back at right-back, but this time in a system that complements him. And Leverkusen destroyer Robert Andrich is giving Germany midfield steel not seen since Sebastian Rudy…who was not trusted by then-head coach Joachim Löw until the second game of the 2018 World Cup, and promptly exited with a broken nose.
Even the striker position is as settled as it has been since the days of Miroslav Klose. In Havertz and Borussia Dortmund’s Niclas Füllkrug, Nagelsmann has a compelling Plan A and Plan B — Havertz, the dynamic forward who links play just as he does for Arsenal FC, and Füllkrug, the box striker, for when the clock strikes “Crossing Time”.
The right tactics
None of this works without the right system in place — and boy, does Germany look good.
All the trademarks of Nagelsmann ball are here. High octane attack, numbers forward, but with measured risk. In possession, the Germans run a 3-1-6, with the movement and interchanging between the four forward players critical. By operating heavily in the half-spaces, Nagelsmann is saying: Germany may lose the ball here trying a tricky combination play, but will converge quickly in numbers to win it back. It is simple but effective, and plays right into the team’s strengths.
It is also an evolution from Nagelsmann’s Bayern days, or at least an adaptation. At Bayern, Joshua Kimmich pulled the strings as the lone pivot. Here, Real Madrid star Toni Kroos is the man running the show — not from midfield but from the defensive line, and not from between the center-backs but from the left flank.
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From here, Kroos can offer his full range of passing while challenging opponents to press him. If they do, space opens in the center, where Germany is most potent anyway. So far, teams have largely stayed off — and Kroos, given the time and space, has been downright lethal.
In this role, Kroos necessitates Andrich, who provides protection ahead of the German defense. Andrich in turn facilitates Kimmich, who can freely bomb up the wings again. And all of them enable Germany’s front four to do the work of pulling defenses completely apart in the final third.
The right chemistry
Nagelsmann has little say over his player pool — but complete say over his squad selection and XI.
Big names like Mats Hummels and Leon Goretzka were left home — national team vets with standing, playing time expectations, and less than ideal fit in the current setup. In their place are solid, versatile players coming off terrific seasons: Waldemar Anton, captain at third-placed Stuttgart, and Pascal Groß, finally getting his national team shot after years of starring for Brighton in the Premier League.
The result is a squad that is not overloaded with big names and big expectations, but rather has them in exactly the right amounts in exactly the right places. Kroos, who delivers the quarterbacking Hummels might have otherwise. FC Barcelona’s İlkay Gündoğan, who leads in attack now that Bayern’s Thomas Müller is past his prime. And Müller himself, the elder statesman, who this season has embraced his role as off-field leader and tone-setter with the consummate professionalism.
Look around elsewhere. Füllkrug and Bayern winger Leroy Sané (coming off injury) are the top men off the bench and regularly involved. A handful of internationally experienced veterans, such as RB Leipzig defender Benjamin Henrichs and BVB destroyer Emre Can. And then there are players such as Chris Führich (Stuttgart), Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart) — energetic attackers off the bench, all hot names on the transfer market, all trying to make their mark on the national team for the first time.
The result: a measured blend of experience and youth, led by some of the tournament’s most dazzling young guns and helmed by the mainstays who know what it takes to win it all. A hungry Germany that just might do it again, at last.
But…is it different?
The disaster of the Germans’ recent tournament exits may do them less credit than they deserve, but results are results — and what this team will be remembered by, too.
In 2018, Germany created a dizzying amount of chances but failed to convert against South Korea. In 2021, Germany nearly equalized late against eventual finalists England in the Round of 16. In 2022, Germany and Spain put on the tactical showcase of the group stages…and then an already qualified Spanish side dropped its final game to Japan.
In each case, the Germans got it together by tournament start and played competent football with classy tactics. But as so often happens in tournaments, it just did not work out.
The energy really is different this time. This Germany side has energy, verve, and swagger in abundance. No dark clouds, and not near the same weight of expectations. It is a side that is having fun playing football, and playing football very, very well.
To cement their legacy, though, they will need to prove it.
They can begin with a Round of 16 victory over Denmark on Saturday.
Looking for some thoughts on Germany’s Round of 16 match-up against Denmark? Good, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. Check out our thoughts on how each team looks at this point of the competition, who Julian Nagelsmann might start, and how the match might play out. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below:
