New trend or end of an era: 3️⃣ winners and losers for Germany | OneFootball

There were only two games in four days, but football Germany feels like it has aged 10 years. First the embarrassment in Slovakia, then the hard-fought victory against Northern Ireland. Lots of shadows, a little light. These three winners and losers emerged from the two DFB international matches.

🥇 Winners

Oliver Baumann: Probably the only DFB star who didn't have to listen to criticism after the Slovakia game. He saved what he could, even playing Neuer-like twice in the second half. Powerless against the goal conceded against Northern Ireland. There are still voices calling for the Bayern keeper to return to the German goal if Marc-André ter Stegen isn't fit in time for the 2026 World Cup. Notably, no one is demanding an immediate replacement; the Hoffenheim goalkeeper has established himself.

📸 INA FASSBENDER - AFP or licensors

Nadiem Amiri: Although not as aged as colleague Baumann (34), the 28-year-old was finally regularly invited to the national team. The Mainz player has noticeably matured, explaining after the Northern Ireland game on the 'RTL' microphone that he was "really excited" before his substitution and had "actively imagined" the goal. Then, with a lot of game intelligence, he was in the right place at the right time and led Germany to victory. He also drew the Wirtz free-kick before the 3-1.

Jamie Leweling: Embodied against the Northern Irish what was so lacking on the German side against Slovakia. Commitment, will, readiness to run. Not everything went right for him, but he still used his starting eleven chance impressively.

🚩 Losers

Antonio Rüdiger: Have we witnessed the end of an era in the German defense? The 81-time national player made an unusually high number of misplaced passes, errors, and inattentiveness in defense in Bratislava and Cologne. The Real defense boss is always capable of a turnaround, and his presence alone changes opposing attacks. But the 32-year-old has fewer rather than more opportunities to justify his regular spot in the national team.

Nnamdi Collins: The young Frankfurt player surely imagined his debut very differently. After 45 minutes against Slovakia, it was over because opponent Leo Sauer had a truly outstanding day. Then not used at all against Northern Ireland. If he draws the right conclusions from the false start in the national jersey, it won't remain just a brief appearance.

The back four: Julian Nagelsmann has decided before the current international phase that captain Joshua Kimmich should play in midfield again. There are good reasons for this (position at the club, communication possibilities as captain), but without the Bayern star as a right-back, the back four concept in the German team currently doesn't work.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

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