Germany flash quality against Spain, but questions remain for Low

Germany drew with Spain and lost to Brazil as they continue to prepare for the World Cup, leaving Joachim Low with a few selection headaches.

Joachim Low took different approaches to Germany’s friendlies against Spain and Brazil over the past week. Against Spain, he opted to start many of the regulars that have featured since Germany won the World Cup in 2014, but sent the like of Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller back to their clubs after the match. He made five additional changes to the starting XI for the game against Brazil.

Friday, March 23 vs. Spain

Germany’s 1-1 draw against Spain was a preview of what fans can expect in Russia. Low reverted back to a 4-5-1 formation after experimenting with a 3-4-3 last summer at the Confederations Cup. Nine of the starters against Spain will likely start in Russia. With Manuel Neuer and Marco Reus both injured, Low opted to start Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Julian Draxler.

Germany got off to a poor start, as Spain were able to apply pressure to the back four. After forcing right-back Joshua Kimmich to play the ball out-of-bounds. Spain threw the ball into Andres Iniesta, who delivered a perfect ball into the box for Rodrigo to run onto. Mats Hummels was slow to react to Rodrigo’s run, allowing him too much space inside the box, which he used to beat ter Stegen and give the Spaniards the lead in only the sixth minute.

Offensively, Die Mannschaft were able to build up play in midfield but struggled most of the game to break through the Spanish defense and get inside the box. Mesut Ozil led the attack early in the first half with some well-placed balls, but struggled with his touch as Germany got closer to goal. Thomas Muller scored an excellent goal from just outside of the box, delivering a beautiful ball into the top left corner to tie the game. Draxler had his moments for Germany but squandered a scoring opportunity by taking one too many touches instead of passing the ball. Timo Werner made some dangerous runs to create scoring opportunities but failed to score, and often failed to hit the target.

While a draw against one of the world’s best teams is an acceptable result in a friendly, Germany’s performance could have been better. Spain took advantage of an overly aggressive German attack and had success counter-attacking. With as many as eight Germans pushed forward, when Spain won possession they had time and space to run forward before Hummels or Jerome Boateng slowed down the counter-attack.

Tuesday, March 27 vs. Brazil

Jerome Boateng, Kimmich, Draxler and Toni Kroos were the only players to start both games for Germany. After coming off of the bench against Spain, Leroy Sane, Gomez, Ilkay Gundogan and Leon Goretzka were inserted into the starting lineup. Germany again got off to a slow start, as Brazil were faster and picked them apart with their passing.

Brazil’s midfield shut down Germany. Gundogan looked rusty playing with the national team and rocketed a scoring chance well over the net. Goretzka was arguably Germany’s worst outfield player against Brazil, disappearing and failing to make an impact. Despite the poor performance, Goretzka is a lock to go to Russia.

The German attack picked up late in the second half, when Julian Brandt was subbed on. The 21-year-old brought energy and creativity to the German side who were pushing for a late equalizer. Traditionally, Low has brought a couple young players to every major tournament to give them experience training with the senior team. Brandt’s performance against Brazil might be enough for him to claim one of the final roster spots.

One of the biggest surprises was Low’s decision to feature Gomez in both games. Entering the international break, Gomez appeared to be on the roster bubble after a terrible first half of the season with Wolfsburg, where he scored only once. However, since rejoining Stuttgart, Gomez has scored six goals. While Gomez struggled, neither Lars Stindl nor Sandro Wagner were any better when they came on in the second half.

Chelsea center-back Antonio Rudiger replaced Mats Hummels in the starting XI, while Niklas Sule came off of the bench. Both players performed well and have the edge over Mattias Ginter, Shkodran Mustafi and Benedikt Howedes for the reserve center-back spots. However, one of the three players who didn’t play during the break could make the trip to Russia if Low decides he wants a fifth center-back. Ginter and Howedes are both capable of playing full-back and that could help them make the team. Hertha’s Marvin Plattenhardt started at left-back against Brazil and played a mistake-free but unspectacular game. Given Germany’s lack of full-backs, Plattenhardt will likely make the final 23-man roster.

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With the news breaking that Neuer is resuming training with Bayern this week, the likelihood that the three keepers called up this week all go to Russia took a major hit. After ter Stegen played against Spain, many assumed Bernd Leno would play against Brazil. Leno had been Low’s second choice, starting games at the Confederations Cup and having a strong season with Bayer Leverkusen. However, Low surprisingly decided to start Paris Saint-Germain’s, Kevin Trapp, who struggled against Brazil. The lone goal was a header right at Trapp, that he blocked back into his own goal. Given Trapp’s poor performance and lack of international experience, he will likely be left off the final roster.