Despite their clear superiority, this is the third time that the German national football team have faced a serious rival and ended the game with the same score. Four games in a row have ended 1-1 and there is not much the Germans can do about it so far. However, there is hope of breaking this trend in the upcoming match against Italy, who, by the way, have a good enough preparation to beat Germany.
Germany’s prospects
The first 50% of the group stage of the Nations League is behind us. The teams have had time to prove themselves (some in a good way, some the other way round), and so the list of favourites is gradually being compiled. That said, the intrigue still remains, despite the successes of some teams and the failures of others. Germany and Italy are among those ready to fight to the end. The football giants are scheduled to clash on 14th June at the Borussia-Park stadium in the German town of Mönchengladbach.
With Hans-Dieter Fliek in the German national coaching chair, the team have shown that they have been oblivious of defeats in official competitions. It defeated Liechtenstein, Armenia, Iceland, Romania and Northern Macedonia during their qualifying for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.
In addition, the national side have played matches in the League of Nations. Here, its results are not so impressive. Its opponents have been England, Hungary and Italy. All the games ended 1-1. Herewith, the German coach took risks and used new game schemes. He also experimented with the squad. All of his so-called explorations, although not ensuring victory for the team, avoided defeat as well.
Despite the successful experiments, there are still gaps in the schemes. Sharp attacks, frequent ball possession and the team’s clustered approach ensured beautiful football. But Neuer also had to work hard, as did his teammates. Moreover, the defence often made mistakes that could have cost the team dearly. There was a separate issue with the performance, which was minimal.
Italy’s preparation
The Italian national team, once famous for their unbeaten victories and beautiful game, is now going through a rather difficult time. Today they have a revitalised squad, made up of some young and talented players. However, the newcomers are totally uncoordinated and it’s hard for them to interact with each other. In the past generation, such problems were very rare.
Another problem for the Italians is that many of the youngsters are out of practice. One example is 23-year-old defender Federico Gatti and 21-year-old midfielder Salvatore Esposito. Although they have managed to shine in some matches, there is no sign of them on the international stage. The Italians were saved from a devastating defeat against England either by a miracle, or by the bad luck of their opponents.
Nevertheless, the young Italian generation are quite quick on the pitch. They are clearly motivated and want to show what they can do. If the coach can get the ambitious players into the right direction and make them into a complete team, then their chances of winning will improve significantly.