Germany participated in their second and ultimate match of the US Tour, facing Mexico in Philadelphia. The contest concluded with a 2-2 draw, with Antonio Rüdiger and Niclas Füllkrug notching goals for the 2014 World Cup champions. While Uriel Antuna and Érick Sánchez found the net for El Tricolor. After the game, they made their way back to Germany.
Germany faced a formidable challenge on the pitch against El Tri, as they struggled to make significant headway. While they did manage occasional breakthroughs, Die Mannschaft encountered consistent difficulty breaking through Mexico’s well-organized defensive structure. Players like Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sané, and Florian Wirtz from Bayern Munich found it challenging to outmaneuver their markers, who frequently employed double-teams against the German attackers. Thomas Müller, who usually excels as a Raumdeuter, couldn’t influence the game as much as he had anticipated. In the closing minutes of the match, Mexico’s reputation for physical play became evident.
Germany made some critical plays in their match against Mexico
One noteworthy observation from the match was the propensity of Germany’s defensive players to venture into more advanced attacking positions. It’s an expectation for players like Robin Gosens and Niklas Süle to push forward. However, it was surprising to see Antonio Rüdiger and Jonathan Tah being so far up the field.
This decision proved costly for Germany in the 37th minute when Mexico swiftly launched a counter-attack toward Marc-André ter Stegen’s goal. This occurred right after Germany had a goal disallowed due to an offside call. Niklas Süle’s unfortunate touch played a role in the sequence leading up to that crucial goal.
Julian Nagelsmann is famous for implementing strikerless systems in his football teams, and he continued this approach in the starting lineup. The use of four attacking midfielders (Musiala, Wirtz, Sané, and Müller), all rotating positions, may have caused confusion, possibly contributing to the team’s difficulty in creating numerous opportunities after their initial goal. At halftime, Füllkrug was brought in, and although he managed to score, Germany still appeared somewhat disorganized. Nagelsmann is steering Germany in a positive direction, but some aspects of their play require further refinement.
The German defense remains an area with potential for improvement, as there are various issues that need to be addressed. Players being utilized out of their natural positions and the inclusion of subpar personnel were factors. That left them lamenting their inability to secure a victory on this occasion.
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