Netherlands 1-1 Germany: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Jamal Musiala ... what a player! Sorry if this is getting repetitive, but we cannot stop signing praises about this kid. He gets better with every game. Bayern Munich and Germany have a true jewel on their hands. He might be close to making that CM spot into his own.
• Germany have the worst substitutes. Brandt, Neuhaus, Draxler, and co. all came on and offered nothing. Maybe Flick should stop calling them up.
• Germany’s defense still looked shaky at times but it was still a more or less controlled performance for the first 70 minutes. Hansi Flick’s system seems to be shaping up just fine, no need to ring alarm bells yet.
• Leroy Sane and Kai Havertz both had frustrating games. They weren’t really involved and struggled to get chances on goal. Need to gel more with their teammates.
• David Raum didn’t look half as threatening as he did against Israel. Back to the drawing board for Hansi — it looks like no one will supplant Gosens for the LB spot for the time being.

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Full time: Germany draw 1-1 with the Netherlands.

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73’ — VAR in a friendly? Anyway, the ref overturns the pen after looking at it again. It was actually a good tackle by Kehrer.

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71’ — Netherlands have a penalty. Dammit Kehrer.

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67’ — Goal. Steven Bergwijn gets one back for the Netherlands.

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45’ — Second half kicks off!

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Halftime: Germany lead 1-0.

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45’ — GOAL! Thomas Muller makes it 1-0 at the stroke of HT!

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30’ — This ref is awful. Timo Werner was clearly knocked over inside the box and he waved play on.

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Kickoff: We are underway!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! So in terms of Bayern Munich players, we’ve got Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, and Leroy Sane on the pitch. Chelsea have the next most representation with Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, and Antonio Rudiger. Can this team beat the Netherlands? Only time will tell.

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Only a few more days left until the international break is over, but we have one final big Germany game before the business end of the club season can kick off. Two former Bayern Munich coaches clash as Hansi Flick faces off against Louis van Gaal at the Amsterdam Arena in, well ... Amsterdam.

Flick is set to feature many more of his usual starters in this game, with Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, and Manuel Neuer all set to return to the squad while Jamal Musiala retains a starting spot in midfield. They’ll likely join the Chelsea trio of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Antonio Rudiger to round out the core of the squad, around which players like David Raum and Nico Schlotterbeck will be expected to slot in. Games between Germans and the Dutch are always exciting, so this promises to be a tasty affair.

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While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out our podcast? We did a full preview of the game there. Listen to it below or at this link.

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Match Info

Location: Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Time: 8:45 pm CEST

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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