Two months after ending their unfinished journey at EURO 2024 on home soil, Julian Nagelsmann's Germany team returned strongly with a 5-0 home win over Hungary on the opening day of the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League.
In Dusseldorf, the Merkur Spiel-Arena was sold out. The fans of the "Tank" still showed their enthusiasm for the team despite the current doubts about their form. In turn, Niclas Fullkrug, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz and Aleksandar Pavlovic repaid that enthusiasm with goals.
The German team is now without Ilkay Gundogan, Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos . The loss is palpable, but every game must come to an end, and now it is time to hand the baton to the new generation.
At EURO 2024, Toni Kroos had very good stats, becoming a pillar for the entire team to rely on. However, after the former Real Madrid midfielder announced his retirement, Nagelsmann had no choice but to find someone who could replace Kroos' role in the midfield. Fortunately, the new experiments were successful against Hungary, opening up a beautiful signal of a successful dynasty.
Against Hungary , Nagelsmann chose Pascal Gross to partner Robert Andrich in central midfield. Gross accepted to play the deepest position, taking on the role of the first receiver of the ball from the centre-back pair. Gross, unlike Kroos, did not progress the ball forward or pass to his teammates, the former Brighton midfielder (now at Dortmund) focused on coordinating with Andrich.
With the pair in the midfield playing well together, the German team has a clear rhythm. They become more decisive in the disputes thanks to the solidity of the Gross - Andrich pair. Meanwhile, in the front line, Kai Havertz is no longer the center forward. He is pushed down to play in the position left by Gundogan.
Havertz was once considered a difficult player to use despite his versatile skill set. It took many years, especially after leaving Chelsea, for the German star to be deciphered by Mikel Arteta and Julian Nagelsmann. Nagelsmann deployed Havertz between the midfield and the strikers and this arrangement was successful.
Having the responsibility of scoring goals and playing wide outside the box allows Havertz to be creative. Previously, playing in this position meant he had to pass more than he had the right to shoot. From now on, maybe the Arsenal star will be playing a fixed role, no longer having to worry about choosing a position.
The wing duo of Florian Wirtz - Jamal Musiala is still extremely impressive, as they made their debut at EURO 2024. This young energy of the "Tank" not only helps them attack like a storm, but Wirtz and Musiala are also the first to intercept, ensuring that the opponent cannot easily deploy the ball forward.
A young German team has made its debut and initially left many positive impressions. This will be the generation of Die Mannschaft in the journey to conquer the 2026 World Cup gold cup.
