Germany vs. Slovakia at home, not as simple as it seems

Sports Weekly Special Correspondent Qin Youxia

Tomorrow morning, in the final round of the European preliminaries of the World Cup, the German team will face Slovakia at home in Leipzig. Although they have a three-goal difference advantage and can qualify as long as they tie, but after seeing the German team’s previous performance in Luxembourg, ranked 97th in the world, it is difficult for anyone to regard this game against the 46th in the world as an overnight success.

In fact, Nagelsmann's team's performance in the previous five World Cup preliminaries was not convincing. It can be said that it is completely different from "playing dominant football" he said before the World Cup preliminaries. When German players face Luxembourg's high press, they will panic and make frequent mistakes. In the last round, goalkeeper Baumann touched the ball 61 times in the whole game, while forward Walter Mader only touched the ball 33 times, which is very telling.

Nagelsmann revisited his hometown and returned to the Red Bull Arena, which he had called home for two years. Nico Schloterback, who had previously injured his foot, participated in yesterday's final practice and is expected to replace Anton in the starting lineup. The problem with Jonathan Tower is that if he doesn't have a strong partner around him, he will become uneasy. This is undoubtedly good news. Captain Kimmich missed the last round due to an ankle problem and participated in part of the last practice yesterday. According to Nagelsmann, whether he can play will be decided on the match day, but "Chicken" is expected to grit his teeth and persevere. Especially in the first round, the German team's right-side defense was the hardest hit area and was beaten by Slovakia's fast Marshall. Baku's offense was strong and its defense was weak. Luxembourg's left-side attack in the last round was also vigorous.

This German team is weak against pressure. The most discussed topic in the German media recently is that this is a team full of "good weather players". Although they have won against Northern Ireland and Luxembourg at home before, they have always stumbled and have nothing to do with being strong. A draw in this game will lead to promotion, and the whole team needs to be unified in thinking. Although the personal abilities of Slovak players are not as good as those of Germany, under the guidance of Italian coach Calzona, the overall chemical reaction and tacit understanding are significantly better. This month also welcomed the return of midfielder Lobotka from injury. Duda will also return from the ban in this game, and the lineup is in a completely intact state. Based on Slovakia's experience, it is expected that they will not attack rashly, but wait for the Germans to make mistakes. This will test the mentality of the German players. If it is the performance of Luxembourg in the first half, I am afraid it will be hanging.

"Kicker" stated that this is an extremely important game for Nagelsmann, even more important than the quarter-finals of last year's European Cup against Spain. The implication is that the battle for World Cup tickets also determines Nagelsmann's fate. If something goes wrong, this may be his last game for the German team. Nagelsmann's problem is that repeated experiments have made it impossible for players with limited technical abilities and psychological qualities to control them. With many core players absent for a long time, he has not established an effective leadership framework.

Mintal, a famous Slovak player who once won the Bundesliga Golden Boot, said: "The problem with the German team is that when results are poor, too many people discuss it." Germany is a big football country, and celebrities and public discussions are inevitable. But the problem is that Nagelsmann himself has to participate in, refute, and whitewash all discussions, which adds unnecessary pressure to himself and the team.

In short, even if it is only against Slovakia at home, although a draw can ensure qualification for the World Cup, everything looks full of unknowns.