On a Saturday evening in Berlin, England took on reigning world champions (and Euro 2016 favorite), Germany. The Germans made it 2-0 with half an hour remaining before the English men rallied to come back and claim a 3-2 victory. After an impressive display of football, a few observations can be made.
Fresh Blood Pays Off:
With Rooney out injured, Roy Hodgson called up Jamie Vardy and a fit-again Danny Welbeck whilst handing Harry Kane his third England cap this season. He also gave Danny Rose his debut at left-back. There was another debut for Eric Dier in central midfield. With Adam Lallana on the wing, this was a very new-look England side. And they played like it as they pressed high up the pitch and dispossessed the German midfield frequently. Although an unfortunate error from Jack Butland allowed Kroos’ speculative effort in and Mario Gomez converted a quality cross with a pure striker’s header, England stayed true to their tactics. Eventually, Harry Kane’s clever finish gave England hope, followed by Vardy’s equalizing deft flick. Eric Dier headed in from a corner in stoppage time to snatch victory.
Despite the fact it was only a friendly, England can take great positives back home with them. The energy was palpable as Roy Hodgson’s men ran themselves into the ground trying to break up Germany’s possession play. Tottenham boys, Eric Dier and Danny Rose were disciplined in defense. Kane and Alli combined dangerously in the final third, the latter wasting an open goal while it was still 2-2. Danny Welbeck is regaining match sharpness while Jamie Vardy remains in red-hot form. The next question for Hodgson beckons, will he persist with Wayne Rooney once the captain is fit again? More than likely. However, the media backlash will be swift if he does not perform. Where Daniel Sturridge will be in the pecking order also remains to be seen.
Lapses In Concentration Cost World Champions:
The German camp is obviously less cheerful about the result. Joachim Low expressed his dissatisfaction by calling the loss, “absolutely annoying.” Stand-in captain Sami Khedira called the defeat, “unnecessary and stupid” while goalscorer Toni Kroos attributed the defeat to leaving far too much room and defending poorly. The defensive focus is vital if Germany looks to add the Euro 2016 crown to their collection. Switching to zonal marking on set pieces cost them twice, once with failure to clear the ball in their own box for the Kane opener and secondly, nobody committed to picking up the onrushing Dier for the third goal. Despite the fact that it is only a friendly, it is the perfect stage where Low has the chance to implement new tactics. The notion that a historically unimaginative England side picked them apart so easily will be cause for concern. There will be tougher tests in France.
An untimely injury to Bastian Schweinsteiger means Low would have to fall back on the Khedira/Can combination. As assured as those two are on the defensive front, Schweinsteiger offers a calm approach which is vital to Low’s game plan to retain possession. Not to mention the experience he brings as he is one of the few veterans in the squad following the retirements of Philipp Lahm and Per Mertesacker. All in all, Germany will not wallow in misery. Historically a strong tournament team, their chances still look good heading into summer.
