Most people at Rentschler Field had long since resorted to weatherproof clothing, but Julian Nagelsmann wasn’t bothered by the rain in Hartford. He crossed his coaching zone in a billowing shirt jacket, always in action to give his players some guidance and to correct a position by a few meters. It wasn’t always necessary, the German team showed a clear idea in the first game under the new national coach, but Nagelsmann wouldn’t be Nagelsmann if he didn’t always see something that could be improved.
It wasn’t the case that everything went according to plan for the national soccer team in the friendly against the United States this Saturday. Especially in the first half, they were known to be vulnerable collectively in transition situations, and with the American opening goal by Christian Puslisic In the 28th minute, he was only partially ready to defend himself – Nagelsmann will have to work on that. But all in all, it was a first work sample that was really impressive.
Ilkay Gündogan (39th), Niclas Füllkrug (59th), Jamal Musiala (61st) turned the game in Nagelsmann’s team’s favor. And because it was based on a good playing foundation and the right attitude, which led to an all-round dominant second half, the Germans were able to take the hope that this would mark an overall change for the better from Hartford to Philadelphia. The opponent there will be Mexico on Tuesday at the end of the USA trip – then at midnight in Germany at 2 a.m. early Wednesday morning (in the FAZ live ticker for international matches and on ARD). “We came back very well after going behind. In terms of football, it was very good,” said Nagelsmann after the game. Returnee Mats Hummels added: “It was a lot of fun.”
Kimmich flies back to Germany
For a key player in Nagelsmann’s team, the journey is over before it even really begins. A good hour before kick-off on Saturday afternoon (local time), the German Football Association announced that Joshua Kimmich would miss both games due to a cold and would fly back to Munich on Saturday. Nagelsmann reported chills and fever.
Kimmich’s position in the center next to Ilkay Gündogan was not given to Leon Goretzka but to Pascal Groß. And after just a few minutes it was clear that it wasn’t a problem for the Germans. On the contrary, Groß, the late arrival from Brighton & Hove Albion, contributed a good deal to a well-functioning center. Defensively attentive, offensively functional – this mix was good for the Germans. Hummels, who started in central defense alongside Antonio Rüdiger, also contributed to the good impression of the opening phase; the Dortmund player’s qualities in the opening stages of the game resulted in a productive connection to the defensive midfield with Gündogan and Groß.
Central figures in this game: Germany’s captain Ilkay Gündogan and his American counterpart Christian Pulisic: Image: Reuters
Something interesting also happened further up the line, where Nagelsmann actually had Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz start together. He had already spoken about what was in itself a “very good idea” at the press conference the evening before, but he still seemed undecided as to whether the timing was right. It hasn’t always sparked, but of course it has to be a goal of every coach to accommodate these two top talents together. In any case, Nagelsmann’s plan for this game was clearly visible: when they had possession of the ball, space was to be created for Musiala and Wirtz to act as accelerators and initiators by moving the two attackers, Niclas Füllkrug and Leroy Sané, out to the sidelines.
