Three Observations from Germany’s worrying 1-1 draw to the Netherlands

This is not a Jürgen Klopp team

When Germany announced that they had poached arguably the second best coach of the 21st century to replace Julian Nagelsmann, fans and pundits rejoiced. This was it. Jürgen Klopp revived Liverpool FC and put Borussia Dortmund on the map. If anyone could fix the German national team, it was him.

This game against the Netherlands provided a hefty dose of reality. Yes, Klopp is in charge, but Germany have not fundamentally changed their stripes. The football remains an issue. The talent at various positions needs sorting. Counterattacks are way too wasteful. Chances are not finished when they should be.

It doesn’t matter.

This is not really a question of tactics and talent. You can talk about pressing schemes and midfield passing lanes all you want, but what Germany lacks is character; the fundamental belief in the plan and in themselves to execute it. This is what sunk Hansi Flick, what tripped up Julian Nagelsmann, and what Klopp needs to solve before anything else can move forward.

A Jürgen Klopp team does not sit back and let the opponent attack unanswered. It is not meant to shrivel up and perish. It cannot just retreat into a shell. Yet in the second half, when the Netherlands came out roaring, that is exactly what Germany did.

There is no real gap in talent between these two sides. The tactics were adequate for the game at hand. It is the mental game where the Germans fell woefully short, which would have proved the difference if the Dutch did not have problems of their own. So for Klopp, it is a matter of getting these players to understand that, no matter what, they have to stick to the plan. If he can’t do that, then nothing he tries to change will last. Germany will have a good half, a good 30 minutes, but never a good game.

Good thing he has time. This was only the first game. There will be many more.

So, Hansi Flick is running a scam, right?

Anyone who watches the Bundesliga could tell you that Karim Adeyemi is just not very good. Borussia Dortmund fans regarded him the same way Bayern Munich fans looked at Leroy Sané at the end. He had the POTENTIAL to be amazing, because he COULD do a lot of things, but he never did them with any degree of consistency; just an incredibly frustrating kind of player to have.

The thing is, though, Adeyemi is absolutely FLYING at FC Barcelona. The guy has 3 goals and 3 assists in just 305 minutes, a better ratio than Harry Kane. He has not started many games, but when he has, he has lit La Liga on fire. People who’ve watched him can’t help but sing his praises.

So the question must be asked. What is the special sauce? Because against the Netherlands, Adeyemi looked every bit as clueless and incompetent as he did at BVB. So, there are two possibilities here:

Adeyemi can only perform on a Barcelona superteam with stars like Raphinha and Lamine Yamal around him.

Adeyemi only works in a specific sort of high-octane hyper-offensive system that only Hansi Flick would ever use.

Either way, Klopp has a choice to make. If Adeyemi can only perform in the conditions provided by his club team, should he remain a part of the setup? How many chances does he get? How do you evaluate his form?

Klopp will have to decide with limited information, because he needs to start building an XI and can’t keep experimenting for three years. Lennart Karl is waiting in the wings ready to take Adeyemi’s spot. On the other hand, if Adeyemi gets even more goals and assists at Barcelona, can he ignore him? Will it end with another Deniz Undav situation? Should Klopp change the system to be more like Barça?

This illustrates the core challenge of being the Bundestrainer. Klopp is balancing this decision for every player on the pitch, perhaps multiple times over. He needs players who fit the tactics, but he also needs tactics that suit the players. The classic Catch-22.

This is where his predecessors fell short. They could never figure out what exactly they wanted, leading to compromised lineups and difficult football. Germany cannot let it happen again.

Marc-André ter Stegen is such a frustrating keeper

On the one hand, you have this:

On the other, you have a long comedy of errors that the Dutch somehow did not capitalize on. You should never be passing the ball to your opponent as the goalkeeper. Ter Stegen did it more than once. Maybe he was trying to prove he could do it like 2014 Manuel Neuer, but watched the wrong highlights and ended up copying the 2026 version instead.

Jokes aside, Ter Stegen is a headache and a half. He is not very young, and is playing in the most competitive position on the squad. His seniority currently gives him trust and a lot of leeway, but performances like this will ring alarm bells. The number of saves looks nice, but a solid 50% of them were either pure luck or poor finishing by the Dutch. Meanwhile, his passing and general command of the box were deeply lacking.

Klopp clearly intends for Germany to build out from the back, so having a keeper good with the ball is non-negotiable. Ter Stegen can still manage the saves, but he needs to patch up his weakness quickly, or Klopp might look elsewhere.

Miscellaneous observations

So many injuries. Players were dropping like flies! This international break is going to mess up the season.

Nathaniel Brown had a mixed game, getting bullied far too easily on the defensive end. Not a strong showing for someone who was one of the few bright spots at the World Cup.

Joshua Kimmich looked at home in midfield. He had the German offense (almost) humming.

Kai Havertz is such a drag on the team. Things looked better when Younes Ebnoutalib came on. He looked like a proper striker.

The Netherlands had their fair share of problems, especially in the final third. Their fans will have mixed feelings about the performance.

That moment by Serge Gnabry was rough, but Germany brought this on themselves with the way they played that half. The Dutch deserved the win, not just a point.

Join the conversation!

Sign up for a user account and get:

Click here to read article