Germany kick off Euros with performance that shows hosts’ enthusiasm

MUNICH, Germany — You couldn’t have asked for a better start to calm the nerves. And, yes, those were real nerves, despite the somewhat blasé, let’s make the most of it vibe they gave off in March.

When you’re the historic superpower of European football – with four World Cups and three European Championships – and you’ve been to three major tournaments without making the Elite Eight, the screws turn no matter how hard you keep them away. Especially when you organize the party and the haughty neighbors that you have regularly humiliated in the past (France and England) come to visit you wishing you nothing more than schadenfreude.

The gaudy win over Scotland, however, feels a bit like Glenfiddich’s double whammy to calm down before a scary but necessary task. It’s a temporary boost, but the hardest part is yet to come. And the last thing you need is overconfidence. The doubts and questions that existed before the tournament are still there. This is obviously not Germany’s fault. It’s the fact that, on this night, Scotland were really poor, at 11 against 11, not to mention when they went down to 10 in the first half after Ryan Porteous unleashed Mortal Kombat on Ílkay Gündogan.

The quartet of young (Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz) and old (Gündoğan and Toni Kroos) behind Kai Havertz had clinched the deep Scottish 5-4-1 in the first twenty minutes. Joshua Kimmich – magnificently picked out by a Kroos diagonal pass so ballistically perfect that the soon-to-be ex-Real Madrid player ended up on his back – delivered a cross to Wirtz at the top of the Scottish defense who sent in a cross at ground level. , side-foots the goalkeeper’s hands, the post and into the net, like a 1970s pool shark jostling tourists.

And then a magnificent move, with threaded passes from Kroos and Gündoğan, a smart takedown from Havertz and an explosion from Musiala into the roof of the net effectively killed the game.

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The only German misstep during this first half came from Robert Andrich, who looks like he belongs on the undercard of an independent wrestling show and sometimes plays like that too. There is no reason to be booked when you are two nil up, let alone against a significantly inferior opponent, even less for a foul in the opponent’s half, and even less for stopping Scott McTominay. Havertz converted the penalty awarded for the tackle from Porteous’ red card (that’s right, he didn’t just surgically sever Gündoğan’s ankle, he did it in the penalty area) and Germany went at the break at three zero.

There was little to learn from the second half, as Scotland coach Steve Clarke – probably in some sort of attempt to break the tie on goal difference for the third-placed teams – withdrew his forward -center Ché Adams. , and sent a central defender, Grant Hanley, to take Porteous’ place. The 5-4-1 thus became a 5-4-0, which partly explains the numerous chicken eggs in the Scottish score: zero attempts on target, zero attempts, zero corners, zero offside and 0.00 goals expected (xG).

Most normal teams don’t play that way and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann knows this, which is why you imagine he took the events of the second half with a pinch of salt. Substitutes Niclas Füllkrug and Emre Can both scored, with Antonio Rüdiger’s most bizarre own goal sandwiched between the two. But in reality, the game was over a long time ago. And, arguably, it wasn’t even football as we know it after the break. You do not believe me ? Kroos completed 101 of 102 passes, setting a new completion record (99%).

“He (Kroos) is very important, like everyone else,” Nagelsmann said after the match. “He is very experienced and calm. He is part of the group, but this experience is what makes him different. With his track record, some would have difficulty being accepted, but he is not arrogant, he is very important to the team. team and for a pole of calm.

Now, passing percentages are generally wrong as a statistic, but if the tall blond 34 year old you know is the only real passing threat in front of the back four is going 101 for 102 and not going around traffic cones but from real professional footballers live, then something is wrong. Kroos is great, but he can only do that when something is seriously wrong with the opposition. And so the questions remain. Given the on-ball limitations of all six German defenders except Kroos and Kimmich, can this setup work if better opponents start putting pressure on Germany? We do not know it.

Musiala and Wirtz excel at creating space for themselves, but can they do so against opponents who are faster and more effective at stopping them one-on-one when dribbling inside? We do not know it. Can this midfielder actually protect the defense and win the ball back if the first pressing line is broken by opponents who can actually keep the ball in the opponents half and transition without hitting passes too much like the did Scotland? We do not know it. Can Kimmich defend effectively one-on-one against real wingers and not have to cover the entire flank by Andrew Robertson? We do not know it.

Can Rudiger and Jonathan Tah stop center forwards who might be a level or two above Adams (who has already gone 32 games without scoring in the Premier League)? We do not know it. Did he make the right choice in choosing Manuel Neuer rather than Marc-André ter Stegen? We don’t know, since he didn’t face a single shot: he could have put another Manuel, say Manuel Miranda, in goal and it wouldn’t have mattered.

These are all known unknowns for Nagelsmann, which is why he is putting on the brakes. He didn’t expect to see Scotland like this, no one expected it. But it is okay. Because while he may not have gotten meaningful data on whether his project will work, he does have plenty of “known data” when it comes to individuals. Wirtz took his Bayer Leverkusen form with him to the Euros, while Musiala left Bayern’s nightmare campaign behind him.

This Kroos-Kimmich diagonal seems to be a weapon even against better opponents. Gündoğan looked sharp and ready to lead and his replacements seemed happy to put their (metaphorical) foot on the neck of a prone opponent. More generally, German fans – both those at the Allianz Arena and the tens of millions watching on screens across the country – are ready to dream and love their team Again.

It’s going to get (much) harder than that. The doubts have not been dispelled. But the butterflies are gone. And that’s important.