Julian Brandt hopes for more playing time and a system change against Northern Ireland

The German Nationalmannschaft had a very disappointing weekend after their 2-4 loss against a comparatively better Netherlands side. Germany’s unsteady backline paved way for the collapse in the second half, which ultimately led to an unnecessary concession of three points. It is imperative for head coach Joachim Löw to figure out how to steer clear of the problems that are haunting the team before he lines up the squad for the game against Northern Ireland on Monday.

Speaking to Sport1, Borussia Dortmund’s winger Julian Brandt discussed his desire for more playing time at the national team. Given Timo Werner’s lacklustre performance against the Dutch and Leroy Sané’s absence due to injury, the chances of playing time against Ireland have risen for the former Bayer Leverkusen star.

Brandt came on in the 84th minute against Netherlands, which is certainly not something the player is happy about. He hopes for a change in the starting formation that would let him spend less time on the bench. He said:

Of course I aspire to more than playing for ten minutes. That’s clear. I can well imagine that perhaps a system change will come against Northern Ireland and we will perhaps play with a back four rather than a back five — and someone or other will join the starting lineup off the bench. I hope so.

After how the team performed on Friday, it is obvious that Löw needs to come up with something different the next time, possibly granting Brandt’s wishes.