Germany beat Ghana to complete confidence-boosting March

In a major interview with German sports magazine kicker at the start of March, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann had said a team’s belief can emerge in the space of just two games. Those two games this month were against Switzerland and Ghana — and they won both, delivering plenty of evidence that confidence is not something this group is short of.

Against Switzerland on Friday, Germany proved that, if nothing else, they are an entertaining side that can win a high-scoring game. The defensive issues are familiar, but with players like Florian Wirtz in attack, conceding a couple appears something this team is capable of overcoming. 

In Stuttgart on Monday, Germany faced a different test. Against a disjointed Ghana who looked very much like the 72nd best-ranked side in the world, it was the patience not the resilience of Nagelsmann’s side which was tested.

It took until the final minutes of both halves for that patience to be rewarded. After two unsuccessful powerplays, it took Kai Havertz’s coolly-taken penalty in first-half injury time to break the deadlock. And after Abdul Fatawu scored Ghana’s only chance of the game, it took Deniz Undav’s late winner to seal victory.

“It was important to win the game, there was no point in drawing or losing,” Undav told ARD afterwards.

“If we are tactically disciplined, as in the first half, then you can see how tight we keep it. Then we were impatient because we didn’t score,” Nagelsmann said afterwards. “We didn’t have the right players in the right positions anymore, and we were playing a lot of freestyle again, just like in Switzerland. That makes us very vulnerable to counterattacks. I did think we played better here than in Switzerland, though.”

The combination of rain, a raft of substitutions and an out-of-sorts opponent made for an attritional, disjointed game. Germany were never really in danger of losing, but proving they can win these types of games is also valuable experience for this team so close to the World Cup.

Nagelsmann’s team building

Both coach Nagelsmann and captain Joshua Kimmich have made a lot of effort to focus on the strength of the team rather than the combined skill of the individuals. Indeed, as the months turn to weeks before the World Cup, the team building rhetoric has grown stronger.

Both Undav and Nagelsmann voiced their displeasure about the boos Leroy Sané received as he took to the field. That Sané responded by assisting the winner with a brave header was a fitting response. Clearly, this group is growing tighter. A core is clear and competition for spots is heating up.

Left back Nathaniel Brown impressed, but it’s unclear if one good hour is enough to force the question, even in a position that has long been a conundrum for Germany. The same is true for Lennart Karl. The Bayern Munich teenager played just 72 minutes across the two games, but showed flashes of a player that can change momentum.

Perhaps the most intriguing choice will come in attack, where Kai Havertz’s return from injury means Nagelsmann has to decide between the Arsenal man, the out-of-form Nick Woltemade and the in-form and fan-favorite Undav.

Deniz Undav: Germany’s in-form striker

Woltemade missed a chance he probably should have taken in the first half, and in the second, he hit the bar with another good opportunity. Perhaps inevitably, Undav came off the bench and ended up scoring the winner. The man whose name rung around the stadium in Stuttgart even before he came on reminded Woltemade and Nagelsmann of what a striker in form looks like.

His goal was a combination of a perfectly timed run and fantastic instinct in the box. 

“I know my role for the team but with goals like that perhaps my role will change,” said Undav.

Nagelsmann was unmoved by the Stuttgart striker’s comments, with it appearing increasingly likely that Undav will be used as an impact player off the bench.

Ultimately, for all the positives in March the real answer will come this summer, once Germany’s 26-man squad are picked and they head out to the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

But the signs two and a half months out are encouraging. Does this team really believe it can win the World Cup? Who knows, but they probably feel better about their chances now than last year and if ever there was a time to boost your confidence and find your belief, it’s April of a World Cup year.

Edited by: Matt Ford