AAs they watched the ball, eight German national players stretched their arms like schoolchildren. Kevin Trapp reported in the gate, in front of him Antonio Rüdiger, Niklas Süle, Matthias Ginter, Suat Serdar and Thilo Kehrer, a few meters further Toni Kroos and Julian Draxler. They all stood in their own penalty area in the 96th minute and probably thought: Sure, offside, the Spaniard Gaya was so free when he kicked the ball into the goal in front of their eyes. They turned around almost at the same time, looked to the sidelines. They wanted to see what the assistant referee was doing with his flag, but then discovered Robin Gosens, their teammate, who was kneeling just behind the baseline. Then they knew: Oops, but no offside.
Late on Thursday evening, the German national soccer players had to be annoyed in the stadium in Stuttgart, even though they were looking forward to the appointment there. They were allowed to play an international match for the first time in ten months, in the Nations League against Spain, without fans, but at least. They led 1-0 from the 51st minute, it was Timo Werner. Then came stoppage time – and with it the trouble. Spanish captain Sergio Ramos fouled Ginter, who was treated on the field. The referee extended the extra time, Torres crossed, Moreno headed, Gaya scored. 1: 1, game over. And how much that annoyed the Germans, was clear at the latest when Robin Gosens stood in front of the ZDF camera and said: “I’m really on the fire that we got such a big goal.”
Outlook for EM 2021
With Gosens, the newcomer to the national team, it is wonderful to discuss what went well and what did not go so well in the first international match on the way to the European Championship in summer 2021. The national coach Joachim Löw set him up as a full-back, who should stand high in the attack and participate diligently. Gosens knows that from Bergamo, where he played so well in this role – including in the Champions League – that Löw couldn’t overlook him. In his first game for the national team, Löw said afterwards, Gonsens was “dynamically forward”, with good passing technique and promising crosses. That was especially evident before the 1-0 win. Ilkay Gündogan initiated the attack with a fantastic flying ball on the left side. There Gosens took the ball with him without losing speed, fitting it precisely into the middle, where Werner shot it into the goal.
Dedicated debut: Robin Gosens (right) in Stuttgart during a duel against Spain and Dani Carvajal
:
Image: Reuters
It was no coincidence that the 1-0 came after a quick attack. Löw now relies on this style. When the Germans escaped the Spanish pressing, Gündogan, Kroos or Draxler often played the ball straight to the top. So the fast strikers Werner and Sané came in one-on-one situations. You could have scored more than one goal, maybe even should. Sané thought it was “on the whole tidy”, Werner considered it a “step in the right direction”.
But it was no coincidence that the 1: 1 followed. When they led, the Germans withdrew astonishingly far. Shortly afterwards, Ferran Torres easily dribbled past Gosens on the right. It went well, but not later. When Torres crossed in the 96th minute, Gosens was too far away. He straddled, a mistake. Because he slipped over the baseline and stayed there, he picked up the offside. In the interview, he said that he believed that he had no influence on the offside rule when he was out. That’s not true. A national player should know that.
Löw seems to like the system
Robin Gosens can not only discuss the details that preoccupied the national team in Stuttgart, but also a crucial sporting question that affects the future: Is the back three in defense a good idea? First of all, a fine point: You shouldn’t call it a three-way chain, but a five-way chain. Because the outside players – against Spain it was Gosens and Kehrer – are primarily responsible for defending. This system is becoming more common in the Bundesliga. Loew also seems to like it.
The argument: In the middle of the defense, where there is a threat to your own goal, there is one more player. The counter-argument: This player is mostly absent in midfield. This presents Löw with two challenges. On the one hand, he has to entrust his central defenders – against Spain it was Rüdiger, Süle and Can – with important parts of the game setup. On the other hand, he can probably set up less creative players. Kroos and Gündogan were allowed to play in Stuttgart, but Kai Havertz and Julian Brandt were not. And Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, currently on vacation, still exist.
On Thursday evening, Löw then had to deal with other questions in the ZDF interview. It was about the goal conceded, Thomas Müller, again. At some point Löw scolded, but not about the questions. He was annoyed with Uefa, which had spontaneously reduced the number of possible substitutions from five to three. And he was annoyed about the game calendar, which provides for three instead of the usual two international matches per course until the end of the year. “As a coach,” said Löw, “I’m not very happy with that.” On this Sunday (8.45 pm in the FAZ live ticker for the Nations League and on ZDF), his team is playing against Switzerland in Zurich.
.
