Following two largely disappointing performances to open Jürgen Klopp’s tenure as German national team head coach, Thursday evening finally offered supporters something considerably more encouraging.
Germany’s 2-0 Nations League victory over Serbia represented Klopp’s first win in charge and, more importantly, the first time his team genuinely looked capable of producing the aggressive, collective football the new Bundestrainer has promised will emerge under his regime.
Florian Wirtz, Tom Bischof and Aleksandar Pavlovic understandably dominated much of the post-match discussion. This particular piece of Get German Football News reporting certainly won’t ignore their significant contributions, but will call attention to five players who were perhaps somewhat overlooked.
The “magnificent” midfield trio: Wirtz, Bischof and Pavlovic
Wirtz produced comfortably one of his finest performances in a Germany shirt and picked up man-of-the-match honors for his display The Liverpool playmaker was involved in both goals, first manipulating his way into space inside the penalty area before poking the ball against the post for Bischof to finish the rebound.
The second goal belonged to Wirtz himself. Maximilian Mittelstädt found him centrally and Wirtz’s first touch took him beyond the nearest defender before a calm finish supplied Germany with the 2-0. There could easily have been more. Wirtz released Serge Gnabry with an excellent early pass and later failed to convert a free header from close range. After Gnabry’s halftime withdrawal, the 23-year-old also inherited the captain’s armband.
Bischof enjoyed an equally significant evening. Back in the senior national team 16 months after his debut, the ultra-talented Germany U21 captain converted sharply after Wirtz struck the post, threatened the Serbian goal again from distance before halftime and consistently supplied movement between Serbia’s midfield and defensive lines. Fresh off another successful U21 assignment, the agile and spritely Bischof made an exceptionally strong case for himself.
Pavlovic supplied the platform. The 22-year-old operated as Germany’s sole “holding” No. 6 and accumulated an extraordinary 148 touches. He initiated the opening-goal sequence with the pass into Wirtz, nearly scored himself on multiple occasions and generally assumed responsibility for organizing Germany’s first phase.
Pavlovic brought structure, Bischof movement and Wirtz invention.
The headlines belong to them.
Now for some footballers who might not receive nearly as many.
The five underrated performers
Maximilian Mittelstädt, VfB Stuttgart
Minutes played = 90/90, Positions played = LB
This GGFN author awoke this morning to the surprise news that the German press shockingly didn’t align with his meticulous notes taken from last night’s game. Admittedly, this one of Klopp’s surprise starters (most assumed that Leipzig’s David Raum would receive his turn after two left-back starts from Bayern Munich’s Nene Brown) occasionally looked weak on ground challenges and sent in some wayward crosses.
In this case, however, statistics don’t tell the full story. Mittelstädt worked his socks off throughout, continuing to press forward despite the fact that constant hustling left him drenched in sweat near the end of the game. The now 16-times-capped international proved one of the most exciting and dangerous players to watch during the victory. If one wishes to fall back on stats, there’s evidence to support Mittelstädt as well.
106 touches. 92 percent completion on 72 passes. Three chances created. 0.37 xA. To this one must naturally add the assist that sealed the full deal. Mittelstädt recognized the acres of space afforded him on the left, drove toward the penalty area and picked out Wirtz centrally for the second goal. On Mittelstädt specifically, this author must disagree strongly with the prevailing German press assessment.
Philipp Treu, Freiburg
Minutes played = 90/90, Positions played = RB
This one is surely less discordant. Philipp Treu already emerged as one of the strongest performers from Klopp’s first group, and apparently the Freiburg fullback had little interest in allowing that assessment to age poorly. The fullback keen to permanently solidify his place as Germany’s new right back might just have done so, particularly after a poor performance from Stuttgart’s Josha Vagnoman in the second Nations League fixture.
Treu created four shooting opportunities worth 0.66 xA, completed 94 percent of 68 passes and won 75 percent of his eight duels. He accomplished all of that without committing a foul. The underlying creative numbers are particularly striking. Treu’s headed layoff set Pavlovic up for Germany’s first shot in the eighth minute. Later, his sharp delivery found Nick Woltemade virtually on top of the Serbian goal. Woltemade somehow contrived to put the ball over.
Treu looked composed against significantly stronger opposition in Amsterdam and followed that debut by providing another intelligent, disciplined and progressive performance here. One international window can manufacture mirages. Two strong appearances already begin to look like evidence. Treu should be back.
Malick Thiaw, Newcastle United
Minutes played = 90/90, Positions played = CB
Thiaw received generally good grades across the German press, but by far less praise than he deserved. Center backs often encounter this problem. Play poorly and everyone notices. Play very well against an opponent that creates almost nothing and everyone assumes there wasn’t much work to do. Malick Thiaw merits considerably more credit than that.
The Newcastle defender completed 96 percent of 96 passes, accumulated 108 touches, won 70 percent of his ten ground duels and prevailed in 75 percent of his eight aerial challenges. Thiaw defended aggressively toward the front, consistently won first contacts and recycled possession cleanly enough to ensure that German attacks simply began again whenever Serbia cleared.
Three shots worth 0.26 xG also demonstrate that he remained a factor at the other end. One late header nearly yielded the reward.
Derry Scherhant, Freiburg
Minutes played = 76/90, Positions played = LW, RW
This author has covered Derry Scherhant long enough to know that “subtle” isn’t generally the first adjective that comes to mind. His senior international debut proved no exception. The Freiburg attacker produced five shots worth 0.36 xG, generated 0.30 xA, attempted five crosses and completed 40 percent of them. His passing remained impressively clean at 92 percent.
Scherhant attacked the left aggressively, drove toward the penalty area and repeatedly searched for Woltemade. His influence faded during the middle portion of the first half before Klopp moved him to the opposite side after the interval. Up went the activity again. Scherhant narrowly failed to convert a Wirtz delivery at the far post and twice hit the side netting. The Berlin-born winger was never remotely anonymous.
Bambasé Conté, Hoffenheim
Minutes played = 14/90, Positions played = LW
A player the author considered highly underrated in the most recent round of grades delivered again. One doesn’t wish to lose one’s mind over 14 minutes of action, but those 14 minutes were undeniably entertaining. Conté touched the ball only 16 times and still managed two shots worth 0.24 xG. He attempted four dribbles and completed two of them.
Conté entered with Germany 2-0 ahead in a match that was essentially finished and immediately began trying to beat people. He drove toward the penalty area, shot twice and behaved generally like someone entirely uninterested in helping the final quarter-hour quietly disappear. His second cap ensures that he should remain on the radar.
Serbia victory gives Klopp something to build upon
Nobody should mistake one comfortable victory over a weakened Serbia side for proof that Germany’s problems have disappeared. Klopp certainly won’t. What makes Thursday evening encouraging is the breadth of the contributions. Pavlovic gave the midfield structure. Bischof supplied energy. Wirtz provided the decisive quality.
Treu quietly created chances from right-back. Thiaw barely put a foot wrong. Scherhant attacked his first senior start without fear. Mittelstädt went all in and manufactured the second goal. Conté spent 14 minutes trying to turn a finished match back into an event. All of this is considerably more useful than one or two isolated standout performances.
Klopp wanted competition.
After Germany’s first genuinely convincing display under his leadership, he suddenly has rather a lot of it.
