Less than seven months before its own Euro-2024, Germany concluded Tuesday evening a catastrophic year 2023 with a setback in Vienna against Austria (2-0), marking a sixth defeat in eleven matches for a Mannschaft that is becoming increasingly worrisome.
With only three victories against Peru (2-0), France (2-1), and the United States (3-1), the Germans experienced in 2023 their worst calendar year since 1964, with only 1.00 point per match, worse than the 1.15 points in 2018.
The two recent setbacks, Saturday in Berlin against Turkey (3-2) and Tuesday in Vienna, are cause for concern in Germany, especially considering that they might face these teams again next summer for Euro 2024 (June 14-July 14), with an opening match scheduled in Munich.
Certainly, coach Julian Nagelsmann was without his Bayern midfielder Jamal Musiala for this international window, but these two matches highlighted the difference between a German team in doubt and opponents who had an impressive qualification phase and confidence.
Before the start of the match, Nagelsmann admitted to German public television ZDF that his team faced both “result pressure” and “pressure in the way they played.” For the Germans on Tuesday evening, there was neither the result nor the manner.
With numerous ball losses against an intelligent Austrian pressing, and the first shot on target only after the first half-hour of play, Ilkay Gündogan’s teammates were under pressure during the first 45 minutes of the match.
Sané’s bad temper:
Although Kevin Trapp won his duel with Freiburg’s forward Michael Grigoritsch in the 17th minute, the Frankfurt goalkeeper could do nothing about Marcel Sabitzer’s shot in the 29th minute. The midfielder, who transferred from Bayern Munich to Borussia Dortmund this summer, took advantage of Jonathan Tah’s passivity, who was late in marking Sabitzer.
In the eleven matches of 2023, Germany concluded only one without conceding a goal, against Peru in March. The ten consecutive matches in which they conceded at least one goal illustrate the recurring defensive problems of the Mannschaft for several months, if not years.
German frustration erupted after the break with Leroy Sané’s bad temper towards Austrian left-back Philipp Mwene after a duel. The in-form Bayern forward logically received a direct red card, the first of his career in over 400 matches, at the age of 27.
Already in difficulty with eleven players, the second half in numerical inferiority was a torment for Nagelsmann’s men. Christoph Baumgartner, ideally served by Grigoritsch’s pivot pass, doubled Austria’s lead in the 73rd minute.
The change of coach (Hansi Flick was removed on September 10 and replaced by Nagelsmann on September 22) yielded only meager results during the October window (victory against the United States and a 2-2 draw against Mexico), and questions quickly resurfaced.
© Agence France-Presse
