Monday, June 7th, 2021
Chain customer against Latvia
Is Löw planning the Kimmich Revolution for the EM?
By Stefan Giannakoulis, Düsseldorf
Chain of five, four or three? Joachim Löw is facing a system decision. The European Football Championship should go into the European Championship with a stable defense. He wants to continue practicing against Latvia – and indicates that midfield boss Joshua Kimmich could wait for a new job description.
What’s the matter?
It is the second and last test match of the German national soccer team before the European Championship, which begins for the team of national coach Joachim Loew, who abdicated after the tournament, with the game against France in Munich on June 15. This has not changed after the somewhat disappointing 1: 1 (0: 0) against Denmark on Wednesday in Innsbruck. In Dusseldorf this Monday in front of 1000 spectators against Latvia (from 8.45 pm live on RTL and in the ticker on ntv.de) It’s about scoring a lot of goals, winning and starting the European Championship with fresh courage. This is not meant to be disrespectful to the Latvians, but they are not among the greats of world football. “It is very important that we deliver a great game again and go into the EM with a positive mood,” said Robin Gosens from Atalanta Bergamo. And before we forget: FC Bayern captain Manuel Neuer is facing his 100th international match. No goalkeeper has managed that in Germany before him.
Back three or four – what’s the plan?
Germany: Neuer – Ginter, Hummels, Rüdiger – Hofmann, Kimmich, Kroos, Gosens – Müller, Havertz – Gnabry. – Trainer: Loew
Latvia: Ozols – Oss, Cernomordijs, Savalnieks, Jurkovskis – Karklins, Emsis, Jaunzems, Zjuzins, Ciganiks – Uldrikis. – Trainer: Kazakevich
Referee: Nikola Dabanovic (Montenegro)
Basically, however, the question of the German team’s plan does not seem to have been completely resolved. How does she want to survive the preliminary round – against the world champion from France, the European champion from Portugal and against Hungary? How against Denmark with a three-man chain, which is actually a five-man chain, because in the event of a defense, two full-backs join the three central defenders on the left and right? Or with a back four in defense, as is usually the case? The concept of the back three is based on having one more defender on the pitch in case of doubt. Less risk, less fun, but more protection. It’s actually a concept for underdogs against teams that are better playfully and individually. National coach Joachim Löw said in Innsbruck that the three-man chain was “an option for the tournament”. And it is not completely absurd, against the French attack with luminaries such as Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema, the supposedly safer variant of choosing the building society contract among the tactical concepts and setting up the team so that half of all field players are defenders consists. Or?
Ten applicants for five offensive places – what now?
The disadvantage is obvious, you don’t have to be a math genius for that: If you have a defender more, you just miss a player in midfield or in attack. This deprives you of your offensive strength, or at least limits it. Especially since there is an oversupply of good midfielders in the EM squad. The usual calculation is as follows: Munich’s Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, who will probably miss the opening game after his hamstring tear, İlkay Gündoğan from Manchester City and old master Toni Kroos from Real Madrid are applying for jobs in sixth and eighth. Kai Havertz from FC Chelsea, Thomas Müller from FC Bayern and, since his strong performance against Denmark, Florian Neuhaus from Mönchengladbach are speculating on a place in the attacking midfield, although Havertz and Müller can also play at the front. Only: There are also Munich’s Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané as well as Timo Werner from Chelsea. Makes ten high-profile applicants for five offensive places. And now?
Or is Kimmich playing on the right?
Don’t panic, said Löw on Sunday, the last day in the training camp in Seefeld, Austria. It is like this: “If someone thinks that a back three is the more defensive variant, then they are mistaken. The back four is more defensive, you have four defenders.” In the case of the three-man or five-man chain, however, it is like this: “The two winger players are midfielders. I expect that from them.” That is probably true, against Denmark Lukas Klostermann struggled on the right and, offensively more successfully, Gosens on the left honestly, but that was not the revelation. In general, he doesn’t want to put the system question so high. After all, it is “completely irrelevant whether three or four back. Actually, the principles remain completely the same, and so does the room layout. What is important is that we occupy the rooms and use the rooms.
And even if the national coach knows that the opponent of the rehearsal “does not have the same offensive power” as France, he wants to stick to the triple chain against Latvia, but change the staff. Gosens stays, and Jonas Hofmann from Mönchengladbach could play on the right. Or the national coach is planning a small revolution and lets Kimmich, the chief driver in the central midfield, run at the right end of the five-man chain – against France at the latest. Loew said he hadn’t talked to him about it yet. But: “Jo Kimmich can play in both positions, both are possible, let’s see.”
.
