Austria 2-0 Germany: Initial reactions and observations

Germany are cooked. The Nagelsmann comeback era lasted two games.

• By
  
  Ineednoname
  
• on November 22, 2023 9:45 am

Initial reactions and observations

• It’s so over for Germany. Julian Nagelsmann is not cooking at all. The formation was bananas, the tactics non-existent. It wasn’t until the second half when Thomas Müller 3was subbed on. Unfortunately, subbing off the only striker on the team maybe wasn’t the best idea.
• Leroy Sane will rightfully get a lot of flak for his red card, but to be honest Germany weren’t winning this either way. Austria were dominant and well-drilled, and it’s only poor finishing that kept this game from becoming a 6-1 rout.
• Is there anything left to be said about this Germany side that hasn’t been said already? Julian Nagelsmann is killing the team with his experimentation, but some of the non-negotiable players are just woeful. Why is Kai Havertz a starter at left-back? Why is İlkay Gündoğan the captain? So many questions and strange decisions when this was supposed to be a new start for the national team.

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Full time: Austria 2-0 Germany.

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72’ — Goal. Baumgartner makes it 2-0. It’s over.

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49’ — Red card! Leroy Sané has been given a red card. Absolutely mindless behavior by him. He pushed Mwene to the ground after fouling him as well.

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45’ — The second half is underway, and Thomas Müller is on. Niclas Füllkrug comes off.

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Halftime: This is dire. Germany are being outplayed by Austria. If it doesn’t get better, Julian Nagelsmann will be in trouble.

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29’ — Goal. Sabitzer makes it 1-0. It was coming, Austria have been dominant.

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Kickoff: We’re underway!

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One hour until kickoff: Looks like it happened. Joshua Kimmich has officially been benched by Julian Nagelsmann, despite the former being a mainstay when he was in charge of Bayern Munich. As far as changes from the Turkey game are concerned, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, and Mats Hummels have been added to the lineup. Oh, and Kai Havertz remains at left-back.

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After a dismal calendar year that saw the first ever sacking of a national team coach, Germany have the chance to end 2023 with a win. Unfortunately, Julian Nagelsmann has hit his first speed bump since taking over the national team, suffering a shock defeat to Turkey. The former Bayern Munich coach needs to rally his troops and make sure they come away with something positive in Vienna, or else the trajectory before Euro 2024 looks rather dismal for the Germans.

He still has the squad behind him, which means the services of top talent like Leroy Sané, İlkay Gündoğan, Florian Wirtz, and the rest. Now all that’s missing is the tactics, the quality, the luck, the drive, and the desire to win. Basically everything, really. How will he get his team back on track?

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While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out our newest podcast episode? We breakdown the madness of Nagelsmann’s lineups and why Germany lost to Turkey. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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Match Info

Location: Ernst Happel stadium, Vienna, Austria.

Time: 8:45 pm local time, 2:45 pm EST

TV/streaming: Find Your Country

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