Nearly four months after their embarrassing elimination from the World Cup, Germany could be on the brink of another football humiliation. DW explains how the Germans can avoid relegation in the Nations League.
Image: Reuters/M. Dalder
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With one point after two Nations League matches, Joachim Löw's men are in the endgame once again.
Should they lose their next fixture against France in Paris' Stade de France on Tuesday, Germany would become the leading candidate for relegation from Group 1 of League A.
For a country that is only four months removed from one of their worst World Cup showings ever, being a tier removed from Europe's international elite would be another humiliation — even if some don't put much credence into the continent's newly formed competition.
However, a Germany win or a draw in Paris will keep their Nations League survival alive and force the Netherlands, who beat their European neighbors 3-0 on Saturday in Amsterdam, to do well in their last two Nations League fixtures.
Leroy Sane in Germany's draw with France in SeptemberImage: Reuters/A. Gebert
Give young guys a chance
Löw has stuck with his experienced players through thick and thin, largely ignoring calls from his critics to go with younger players in his squad.
The Germany coach will already be forced to make some changes — Jerome Boateng has left the team after picking up an injury against the Netherlands. Niklas Süle, who started for Boateng when the 30-year-old defender was serving a red card suspension at the World Cup, is likely to get the start next to Bayern Munich teammate Mats Hummels.
But why stop there? Leroy Sane had flashes of brilliance when he came off the bench on Saturday, nearly scoring an equalizer for Germany before the wheels came off. Julian Brandt, who scored against Peru in September, also impressed as a substitute against the Netherlands.
Both of those players have the speed and the skill to make the game uncomfortable for France's defense. Given Thomas Müller's poor run of form — he has two goals in 14 appearances since the start of 2017 — one or both should get a chance to start in Paris.
Creating scoring opportunities has not been a problem for Germany in 2018. They averaged 24 shots-per-game in their three World Cup games, unleashed 13 shots against France in September and 21 shots against the Netherlands over the weekend.
Löw's men have just been terrible at converting scoring chances they create. They scored just twice at the World Cup and they have yet to score in the Nations League. What's more, less than a third of their shots in both competitions have been on target — by contrast, France have put more than half of their shots on target in Nations League play.
Müller, Sane and Timo Werner had golden scoring opportunities for Germany against the Netherlands, but none of their efforts tested Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillissen. Getting those shots on target will make Germany's attack more potent and may finally give them a lead with which to work.
Ballack 'surprised Löw kept his job'
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No mistakes
Turnovers in bad positions caused Germany to completely unravel on Saturday, quickly turning a one-goal deficit into a three-goal shellacking. But even before the Dutch increased their lead, Löw's side was carelessly giving the ball away, even in their own half.
That kind of sloppy play will not fly against the defending champions. Didier Deschamp's men feasted on their opponents' mistakes at the World Cup, using their athleticism to move quickly up the field and score.
France have happily allowed their adversaries to hold the ball while waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It is therefore paramount that Germany remained disciplined, make quicker decisions and avoid turning the ball over when they are in possession.
A good disciplined performance can do a lot of good for a team in turmoil. With one point in their first two Nations League games, Germany does not have much room for error, and mishaps could cost them a place in League A in two years time.
German national team: Winners and losers post-Russia 2018
Joachim Löw has named his first squad since the World Cup. DW looks at the winners and losers of the disaster that was Russia 2018, as well as the fresh start that the Germany coach is now attempting to embark upon.
His absence through anything but injury would have been unthinkable during Germany's run to the 2014 World Cup title. However, in recent months he has been out of form both for Juventus and Germany. Joachim Löw was right to leave him out of Germany's second group-stage game against Sweden. Now he's been left out of the squad for the latest international break.
Having been ommitted from Joachim Löw's final World Cup squad at the last minute, Leroy Sane has ironically ended up being one of the only German players to come out of the tournament looking good. The Manchester City winger is in Löw's squad for France and Peru and could be a key part of the rebuild.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Hassenstein
Winner: Julian Brandt
After hitting the post twice after coming off the bench in Russia, Julian Brandt is one of the few German players who can look back positively at his World Cup performances. The 22-year-old has become an essential part of Heiko Herrlich's Bayer Leverkusen side and now, with his eye for a decisive pass, he should be just as important for Joachim Löw and Germany.
Unlike his namesake in Leverkusen, Julian Draxler's progress in recent seasons has been less impressive. Having struggled to nail down a starting position with both Paris Saint Germain and Germany, the former Schalke forward has even been linked with a move to La Liga side Sevilla. Could a leading role in Joachim Löw's Germany rebuild help Draxler reignite his career?
Image: picture-alliance/GES/M. I. Güngör
Winner: Marco Reus
Marco Reus, on the other hand, is predestined to be a big part of the rebuild. Having missed both the World Cup in Brazil and Euro 2016 in France, the tournament in Russia was just the second major one of his career. The Dortmund captain still has time to win titles with Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/I. Fassbender
Loser: Sandro Wagner
After failing to make the 23-man squad for Russia, Sandro Wagner burned a lot of bridges as he retired from the national team, meaning a return is all but out of the question. That's too bad for Joachim Löw, as following the retirement of Mario Gomez, Germany could do with an out-and-out striker.
Image: picture-alliance/sampics/C. Pahnke
Winner: Thilo Kehrer
Joachim Löw has given the 21-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender his first call-up to the national team for the current international break, and he could play a key role going forward. Last season, he was Schalke's second-best in terms of tackles won - behind the veteran central defender Naldo. Now Thomas Tuchel is aiming to turn this diamond-in-the-rough into a star.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Woitas
Winner: Nils Petersen
With Sandro Wagner and Mario Gomez no longer available for selection, Nils Petersen has been given another chance to take the No. 9 role. He may not be a candidate to start regularly for Germany, but at Freiburg he has also proved his effectiveness coming on as a sub.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Klamar
Loser: Sebastian Rudy
For the moment at least, Sebastian Rudy has to go down as one of the losers following Germany's disastrous World Cup. In the recent past he had been one of Joachim Löw's favorites, in part due to his versatility. However, the coach wants his team to be faster in the future, which may have been a factor that led to him leaving the newly signed Schalke midfielder out for France and Peru.
Image: picture-alliance/Bild-Pressehaus
Loser: Mario Götze
What a difference four years makes! Having scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final in Rio, it's been pretty much all downhill for his career ever since, particularly when it comes to the national team. At 26, there is still time for him to make a national team comeback - Joachim Löw has said as much - if he can rediscover his form of old for Dortmund.