Well I don’t think France or Portugal will park the bus against Germany ??? And if they come out of the group stage they will meet some quality teams as well
France and Portugal may also park the bus, specially Portugal since they have technically inferior midfielders compared to Germany
I always have this strange confidence against Portugal. It will be 40-60 against the French but the Hungarian team have this underdog vibe around them.
Quite sure playing with RB Leipzig is the main reason. Which is pathetic. It's not Werner fault that RB Leipzig appreciate his talent and he flourished while playing there. People being petty is something that we need to face in this era
Yes - that was the criticism of them. They played Pogba at pivot with 2 drones in midfield, and then hit teams on the break - but conservative football tends to work in tournaments
In these kind of tournaments it is fairly usual to want to play in a mid/low block and counter Of course the latest trends are in favour of aggressive high pressing for elite sides, but those kinds of complex systems are hard in the international context e.g. Previously germany could rely on an established style of play that they could take into a tournament but here it feels like they are starting from zero. France is more able to build, but they also have issues - especially in that Griezmann and M'Bappe were so key to everything in '18 but they have been rubbish lately
I worry that Werner looks so bad in front of goal. He is getting into scoring opportunities, but just not converting which is likely to be a huge problem in defensively oriented tournament games. So much will depend on Gnabry
While I understand the hatred towards RB Leipzig for being the antithesis of everything German football stands for, they have so far proven themselves to be a necessary evil, after all they've helped the Bundesliga coefficient with their recent performances in the CL, and unlike plastic clubs like PSG and M. City who have spent the last decade or so essentially buying their way to success, RB Leipzig have resorted to a more organic approach by nurturing young talent. I would advise other Bundesliga clubs to step up their game and start generating real impact on European tournaments.
My antipathy towards werner relates entirely to '18 and since You just can't rely on him. With no natural 9, I think Germany need to look for goals all along the lines - so that means Havertz needs to play, and let's hope Gnabry, Sane and Mueller can find top form.
After Mario Götze scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, Löw fell in love with the idea of a false 9, and the false 9 experiment has been an abject failure, yet Löw insists on it. Sigh.
He fell in love with it in qualifying long before the final! If anything the move back to Klose during the tournament was an admission that the false 9 experiment hadn't worked.
I remember him playing around with it in qualifying because Pep had Goetze at Bayern, and Germany had a lot of good forwards like Reus and Mueller, but only old Klose at 9 Didn't Schurrle play false 9 at one point?
Timo Werner's agent Karlheinz Förster on the player's failed move to Bayern: "Some top European clubs wanted him. FC Bayern were also in for him. But in the end Timo decided to join Chelsea" [Podcast Meine Bayern-Woche, @Plettigoal] pic.twitter.com/F3bG5nLN0c— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) June 24, 2021 Förster: "Julian and Timo appreciate each other. Of course, I don't know yet what will happen in three or four years. Football is a fast paced business" [@Plettigoal] pic.twitter.com/0TGZHEGmiq— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) June 24, 2021
With Chelsea signing Lakaku, I presume he will be the focal point in the Chelsea attack, the question is how will this effect the likes of Werner and Havertz who will have to battle for limited starting spots.
Werner almost never played as a 9 there. He was mostly used as a winger to open up the defense and create spaces. I really can't see a good spot for Havertz unfortunately if Tuchel continues to play last season's system but with Lukaku upfront. On the other hand, it would be madness to not use Havertz..
That's what I was wondering as well. The arrival of Lukaku suits Werner who can then play as the hybrid 2nd striker which is his best position. But then where does Havertz play considering Mount will be in central midfield and also they have Pulisic?
ziyech Is there to. Though i think a combination of Lukaku, Werner and Havertz could work. But Mount is hard to place out where his actual best position is. Feels like he is Chelseas Müller in a way and a fan-favorite
I watched a great deal of Chelsea matches last season thanks to Timo, Kai, Rudiger and especially since arrival of Tuchel there. Mason Mount played more central. I'm quite fond of Mount, he really ran his sock off every game and it appears he also had good attitude and work ethic. I believe Chelsea could play with Lukaku up top and Werner as left forward and Kai as right forward. I don't think Tuchel really rate Hakim Ziyech and Ziyech look a bit unfit with 3-4-3 formation. The biggest hurdle for Timo and Kai to had the starting XI guarantee indeed is Pulisic. Nevertheless, having 6 forward (with Tammy Abraham as well) is not a bad thing considering Chelsea play with 3 forward formation.