Werner has been outstanding for Leipzig in the league but tried too hard to make an impact against England, rushing his passes and making bad decisions. Luckily for Low, he's set to become Lahm's dedicated successor at the Allianz Arena next season once the 33-year-old retires.Īnother concern that's set to linger after the game was Germany's dearth of central strikers. ![]() The Bayern Munich defender has seen limited action under Carlo Ancelotti this season and it showed. To make matters worse, Joshua Kimmich looked extremely rusty on the opposite flank. Low would do well to actively scout alternatives to Hector over the course of the next 15 months because Germany's left-back weakness, a long-established problem going back to Philipp Lahm's switch to the right side of defence in 2010, was never more pronounced than on Wednesday night's evidence. Or to put it differently, Hector has not significantly progressed during regular outings for Koln, a team that defends reasonably well and boasts an outstanding goal-scorer in Anthony Modeste but offers little by way of creative football under coach Peter Stoger. The gulf between the 26-year-old, the only player without experience of European club football in Low's line-up, and his peers seems to have widened since Euro 2016. Yes, it was only a friendly, but Hector's horror show will have nevertheless have given Low food for thought. ![]() Low cried out in anger a couple of times as the 1.FC Koln left-back kept missing clearances and giving the ball away. Jonas Hector, in particular, was all over the place in the early stages: out of position, out of ideas and out of his depth. With the possible exception of Toni Kroos, whose class on the ball is pretty much unassailable, no German player was able to reach anywhere near their usual level. Low made no effort to hide his frustration with the first 45 minutes which were a catalogue of defensive errors, technical mistakes and half-baked attacking moves. Only some wayward finishing and a fine performance from Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the Germany goal stopped the away team being 2-0 or 3-0 up at half-time. Why the introduction of one debutant - Timo Werner of RB Leipzig - alongside young prospects like Leroy Sane (Man City) and Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen) should have such a negative effect wasn't entirely clear, however.Įngland, by contrast, seemed entirely untroubled by the new, not well-rehearsed system and less experienced players in the starting XI. Low conceded that Gareth Southgate's tidy, organised side had played "with more intensity," whereas his own team had struggled to combine effectively in an unfamiliar line-up. Podolski's picture-perfect farewell provided a great cover for disappointing performance. Nobody, Germany coach Joachim Low included, said much about the poor showing from the home side, and almost nobody asked questions about it afterwards either. His strike won the friendly 1-0 for Germany, but more importantly, its dramatic, emotionally stirring qualities shattered the last remaining bits of sporting relevance the occasion might have otherwise exuded. ![]() "As a film director, I would have thought it's too kitsch a script, too unbelievable."įor one last time, Podolski did wonders for German football on Wednesday night as the 31-year-old bade farewell to the international scene ahead of a move to Japanese club Vissel Kobe this summer. "I'm not sure how much he paid to let that one go in," joked Germany forward Thomas Muller about his teammate's perfect finish, in both senses of the word. England as "An Evening with Lukas Podolski," complete with a winning wonder goal by the outgoing folk hero. DORTMUND - Wednesday's match at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park wasn't so much Germany vs.
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