Germany’s 1-2 loss to Ecuador on Thursday may signify many things, or maybe it means nothing.
Germany had already qualified for the Round of 32 before the Ecuador game. They took an early lead through a Leroy Sane goal, but then conceded two to lose their final group match.
Manager Julian Nagelsmann was stoic after the defeat. “We have to learn from (the loss) and improve, but we also have to look forward,” Nagelsmann told reporters.
Though not exactly title favourites, Germany were among the contenders after they began their campaign with a 7-1 thrashing of
Curacao. But thereafter, in the games against Ivory Coast and Ecuador, the Germans weren’t flawless in their execution. They escape the African challenge, but were pinned down by the Ecudoreans.
Their flaws? Quite a few. The midfield, though packed with talent with the presence of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, has not really produced jaw-dropping moves. Not just in attack, the midfield, which also has Aleksandar Pavlovic and Felix Nmecha, has not really been gutsy in their defensive roles too.
Nagelsmann substituted Pavlovic at halftime and midfielder Nmecha in the 64th minute. But he was not critical of either’s game. “That’s the problem as a coach — you bring one in, you let one go,” he said. “Felix and Pavlo
did very well, they gave us a good start for the match...
I did not plan to bench any one of them.”
Defence is perhaps Germany’s biggest headache. They have lost Nico Schlotterbeck to injury and Antonio Rudiger hasn’t looked at his best. If Ecuador can breach the German wall, sides
with more dangerous attacking game will surely cause them trouble.
Nagelsmann wants his team to “be more calm and more active”. But doing just that will not be enough.