DFB-Elf: The path taken by the national team is positive

Mhe is going to Doha this Thursday with some of his assistants and Oliver Bierhoff, the director of national teams. The day after, the draw for the preliminary round groups at the World Cup, which begins on November 21, will take place in the capital of Qatar. Hansi Flick, the national coach, will be there when the opponents are drawn.

Whatever their names are at the end of the drawing, the German national team is on course, as she demonstrated to all those who watched them play against the Netherlands on Tuesday evening. The direction in terms of their development is correct. That remains to be seen after the 1-1 (1-0) in Amsterdam, even if the team also had some luck in the second half when the English referee Craig Pawson took back a penalty after he saw the scene again on the sidelines in the watched the video

“It’s beautiful how she plays football. She is brave”

After eight wins in eight games against teams from the lower shelf, the pressure was great before the first duel with a top-class player. But the German team not only withstood him, they surprised especially in the first round with a lot of dominance and a respectable performance, which Thomas Müller crowned with the lead shortly before the break. With his 43rd goal in the DFB jersey, he also equalized Uwe Seeler’s goal mark, with whom he now shares eighth place in the all-time list of goalscorers.

“It was a top game with high intensity for the spectators,” said national coach Flick afterwards and praised his team: “It’s nice how they play football. The way is refreshing. She is brave. We can be satisfied with the 1:1.”

There was evidence on Wednesday morning that the team under Flick was also able to gradually regain lost credit when the TV ratings became public. The game in Amsterdam gave ARD top ratings: an average of 8.82 million viewers watched the broadcast the night before. The market share was 31.2 percent. The 2-0 win against Israel last Saturday, on the other hand, was only watched by 6.37 million viewers on ZDF.

The increased interest may also have been due to the opponents, who, it seemed before the break, were a bit surprised by the well-playing guests from Germany. Flick’s team, who started their best team against the Netherlands in the absence of Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Niklas Süle and Robin Gosens, did not put themselves in the back. It attacked early and went energetically into the duels. Only it knew – and that was a big shortcoming – rarely to find a good solution in the offensive game. That needs to be improved. After all, in injury time in the first half, the hitherto only well-thought-out attack led to Müller’s lead.

The move was initiated by Jamal Musiala, who played in the six-man position, which was unfamiliar to him. The Munich was the best German that evening. Busy, willing and technically adept. He gave commands, gestured and showed once again why those responsible at the DFB campaigned in February last year for Musiala to play for Germany.

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The midfielder grew up in England and had the option to play for the Three Lions. Bierhoff and Joachim Löw, then the national coach, spoke to Musiala and his mother. In the end, Germany was chosen. Bierhoff rated that as one „good signal for the future of German football”. A little over a year later, he must have felt confirmed in this once again. “What he did defensively today was outstanding,” praised national coach Flick after the game: “He showed that he is also an option in this position.”

David Raum, who played two good international matches, also proved to be one for the left side, but missed the great chance to make it 2-0 shortly after the break. The DFB selection then lost control. The Dutch got stronger, equalizing through Steven Bergwijn in the 68th minute and showing the visitors things to work on. The German team looked defensively vulnerable when the opponent played quickly and passed the ball into the interfaces. She allowed the Dutch too often and thus too many chances.

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Despite the superiority of the opponent at the end of the game, the German players were satisfied after the final whistle. “You noticed that we can not only keep up, but also dominate. The feeling in itself is good,” said goal scorer Müller: “Of course we wanted to win. We have to make it 2-0 after half-time. From the 60th minute until the 85th we lost control. It’s a bit annoying, but it’s also logical on the way to where we want to go.” Manuel Neuer, the captain, praised the “good character” of the team. “We are confident. I think we’re on a very good path,” he said.

At the end of May, when the Bundesliga season is over, the German internationals meet again. Then there are four Nations League games against Italy, England and Hungary – four more touchstones on the way to the World Cup. Flick would like to have his players a little longer around these games. There is talk of a training camp. “We want to get in touch with the clubs and get them on board. This is important. We’ve already talked to the players about how they feel about it. It would do us good to have a few more training sessions,” said Flick, knowing full well “that it’s not that easy to plan”.