Germany 7-1 Latvia: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Germany pulled off a dominant win, but the expectations are tempered by Latvia’s awfulness. Who knows if a performance like this will be enough against France? You have to wonder if the DFB deliberately scheduled this friendly as confidence builder, because it has little value as a test for the tactics.
• Almost ever German forward scored, even ones in a rut like Timo Werner and Leroy Sane. Let’s hope it boosts their confidence as intended.
• Toni Kroos and Joshua Kimmich were the main players controlling the midfield. Despite his goal, Gundogan wasn’t that great. Low should have subbed him off for Neuhaus at some point.
• Germany’s passing and team chemistry are still lacking. They’ll need to work on it on the training pitch, because there’s no more friendlies left.
• Can this lineup win the Euros? It was solid and dynamic, but we need to see how it performs against France before we draw any conclusions.

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FT: Germany pull a Brazil on Latvia, winning 7-1.

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76’ — GOAL! And literally second later, Sane makes it 7-1. Muller gets the assist.

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75’ — Goal. A clean sheet was too much to ask for, huh? Latvia make it 6-1

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50’ — GOAL! Timo Werner makes it 6-0.

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45’ — The second half is underway! Leroy Sane and Timo Werner are on for Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz. How many more goals will we see?

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Halftime observations and analysis

• Great game by Germany so far. The forward line is showing great chemistry and movement, and shifting Kimmich to RB has worked wonders on the buildup play. This is the best performance Germany have had in years.
• Of course, Latvia are hardly good opposition, so we’ll have to see if the performance holds up in the Euros. Of particular concern is the passing, which has been far from crisp.
• The ball from Hummels to assist Gnabry was unreal. The 25-year-old has been in a funk for some time now, so it was nice of Mats to give him a boost with such an incredible assist.

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HT: Germany lead Latvia 5-0 at halftime.

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45’ — GOAL! What a pass by Hummels! What a finish by Serge Gnabry!

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38’ — GOAL! Kai Havertz makes it 4-0! Though it may go down as an own goal.

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26’ — GOAL! Thomas Muller is back! He makes it 3-0.

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21’ — GOAL! It hasn’t even been a minute, but Gundogan fires a rocket into the net.

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19’ — GOAL! Robin Gosens makes it 1-0 from a great run and pass from kai Havertz.

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Kickoff! We’re underway!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! It’s as we expected. Havertz and Rudiger come into the lineup, while Kimmich moves to RB. Kroos and Gundogan from the pivot.

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Will the pain ever end? Probably not, but Joachim Low could make it subside somewhat. As Germany coach, he is solely responsible for the dire state of the national team at the moment, but he could also be its savior.

The last two Champions League finals and yesterday’s U-21 Euro final proves that the demise of Germany’s talent pool has been much exaggerated. In his squad, Low has starter quality players from both Bayern Munich and Chelsea, plus guys like Kroos, Gundogan, and Hummels — all of whom are near the peak of their respective positions. This is a team that could easily go head to head with France as far as the starting XI is concerned — they just need the right tactics to make use of the talent on the pitch.

Reports in Germany indicate that Low will try another XI tonight. Will it finally change Germany’s fortunes?

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Match Info

Location: Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany

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

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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