Germany face Italy, still seeking first ever competitive win
by Martin Wohlfahrt
So far, so good for Germany. Aside from a few initial minor hick-ups in the group phase everything is going pretty well for the national team. Coach “Jogi” Loew did craft his team with a steady hand and a good eye for the strengths and weaknesses of his players. All his minor adjustments have paid off. No games were lost and no opponent was able to score even a single goal against them, but now they’ll meet an opponent of a different caliber. Italy has been one of the strongest looking teams in this tournament so far.
On top of this, the two teams have a little bit of a history with each other. They have met eight times outside friendlies, and Germany has not once left the playing field as the winner of the match. The last game was during the Euro 2012 when Mario Balotelli kicked Germany out of the tournament with a beautiful goal…instantly followed by a rather odd bodybuilder performance of him.
In a recent interview, Germany coach Loew said “I do not rate the past too much” when he was asked about the history of the two teams. And he is doing right by not dwelling on the past because the good news is, this is definitely not the Italy that Germany lost against back in 2012. The bad news is, this Italian soccer team is in many ways actually even better.
Italian coach Antonio Conte created more than the usual compact “concrete block” of a defense that European teams came to know and fear over the years. The Squadra Azzurra of 2016 features a strong defensive line behind a versatile midfield capable of dangerous counter-attacks with box-to-box wing midfielders. Their mobility allows to quickly pull the defense together when needed and then churn up an opponent’s backline during a fast counter.
In short, Italy plays with an incredibly flexible system that has no true weakness due to the skill level and experience of the players. The German Mannschaft will have to be on top of their game to compete against that. In this game they have no room for error whatsoever. Conceding their first goal, especially early in the game, could be devastating.
Manuel Neuer / Bundesliga
How will Loew adjust?
How is coach Joachim Loew going to adjust his team to this challenge?
Most likely by changing little to nothing compared to the last game against Slovakia which saw the German’s strongest performance so far.
On paper, the German national team looks pretty much evenly matched to its opponent. Italy has a strong three-man core backline (courtesy of Juventus) and an experienced world-class goalkeeper Buffon. Germany has an exquisite four-man defensive line and Manuel “sweeper keeper” Neuer in the goal.
Italy has a fast, flexible midfield for defensive work and counter-attacks over Emanuele Giaccherini. Germany has its dangerous midfield triangle with a superb Toni Kroos showing a constant impressive performance thus far. Fast strikers with killer touch? Yes, for both teams.
But there is a glimmer of hope for the Germans. Italy might have a chink in its armor.
Midfielder Thiago Motta is suspended for the game and Daniele De Rossi is likely to miss it due to a thigh injury he suffered in the game against Spain.
Germany could try to take advantage of that by playing with Gomez as single striker up front and a special focus on the midfield. Domination over the middle of the pitch might be the key to winning the game. From there, Germany might be able to create openings in the Italian defense while choking off any potential counter-attacks the Italian side will be launching.
Germany will have to out-hustle the Italian midfield and simultaneously out-think their defense with a quick, precise, box-oriented passing game if they want to score.
Not easy, but if anyone in this tournament can do it, then it’s this German team. And who knows, maybe during this game Thomas Mueller will finally get his sixth goal sense back. He has a lot of catching up to do if he wants to stay in the run for the Euro 16 top scorer competition. In any case, this game has the potential to be one of the most exciting ones we will see in this tournament. A true clash of soccer titans.
Italy coach Conte: “Nothing less than an extraordinary effort will suffice.”
