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EM 2021: Germany favorite against England is not a steep thesis

opinion Germany at Wembley

Weak start – so what?

Status: 9:58 a.m.

Löw defends Sané – “Had to go through the middle”

In the game against Hungary, the German national team could not shine. Above all Bayern winger Leroy Sané. National coach Joachim Löw still takes the left foot in protection.

With the exception of the game against Portugal, Germany has so far disappointed at this European Championship. But that doesn’t mean anything. Because what could be better than the classic against England? A new life starts.

Hlet’s get off Gary Lineker first, then we’ll be over. One day the tombstone of the former England international will probably have this one sentence that has been quoted as often in football as at least no other in this country. “Football is an easy game,” said the striker, and continued: “22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and in the end the Germans always win.”

Unfortunately, the players of national coach Joachim Löw have recently provided counter-evidence for this thesis with unsightly regularity. Most recently on Wednesday evening in this strange 2-2 win against Hungary, when Germany only made it to the round of 16 of this European Championship in the final phase and the players helped their coach off the cliff. Otherwise Joachim Löw would have resigned with the one-time penalty of two preliminary round withdrawals at major tournaments in a row.

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Luckily: Leroy Sané

But it is not. And now a new life begins. Yes, apart from the win against Portugal, the preliminary round offered a poor German performance. But that’s the way it is with tournaments, it doesn’t have to mean anything. It was precisely those Portuguese who became European champions in 2016, although they did not win a game in the preliminary round. They cheated their way into the round of 16 and still won in the end. German teams are also familiar with the phenomenon, just remember 1974 and the defeat against the GDR.

The starting position suits the German national team

And what could be better than the classic? Germany is the favorite against England, says Michael Ballack, once the captain of Jürgen Klinsmann. A steep thesis? Only at first sight. Although the English are still undefeated and have not conceded a goal, they have not yet burned off fireworks. The optimism of the British press (“Bring on the Germans!”) Must be preceded by the word “purpose-” in view of the up to now rather staid kick of their own team.

Sterling redeemed England – Czech Republic also in the round of 16

Even in the third group game, England can rarely develop their footballing class, but thanks to Sterling’s golden goal they make it to the round of 16. Despite the defeat, the Czechs are also in the knockout round. The highlights in the video.

Rather, the starting position is more favorable to the DFB team: The English have to offer something in their own stadium that creates space, as there was for the Germans against Portugal, but not against the Hungarians. And we don’t even have to talk about the recent history of the duel between the two great football powers at tournaments. Lineker or coach Gareth Southgate can take over, who supported Germany with his missed penalty in the semi-finals in 1996 when he later won the last European Championship title.

Is that too optimistic for you? Quite understandable. Because of course everything only applies if the Germans in London are more Jamal Musiala than Leroy Sané and if they take to heart Joshua Kimmich’s sentence after the game against Hungary: “If we play like we do today, we don’t even have to play in London.”

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