Match Report
As the Tartan Army descended upon Munich, there was a sense that there could be a shock in store during the tournament’s opening game. After all, the Germans had been in mixed form in the past few years, while the Scots had managed to grab three points against Spain in their group-stage fixture.
However, it only took 10 minutes for the possibility to begin looking slim, and by halftime, it was beyond a prayer.
Embed from Getty ImagesNot picked up by his opposition, Florian Wirtz made his way to the edge of the box and fired in the opener in the bottom corner past Angus Gunn. The keeper might have done better, but that was now not the biggest issue.
Steve Clarke’s men would have least hoped to hold out a bit longer but had seemingly failed to heed any lessons as Jamal Musiala doubled Die Mannschaft’s lead 9 minutes later as Callum McGregor’s poor positioning allowed Ilkay Gundogan to advance into considerable space, handing it over to Musiala, whose brilliant footwork made a charging McGregor look as if he was running to the stands before putting away an excellent finish to make it 2-0.
With Toni Kroos running the game as part of the back three, Scotland’s change in formation from 5-4-1 to 5-3-2 did little to improve the attacking threat or put more pressure on the playmaker, and it was soon abandoned, exposing showing the limits of the manager’s plan in the face of German technical and tactical superiority.
As the match entered added time, Ryan Porteous attempted to clear a threat in the box by lunging in at Gundogan. Although he managed a successful clearance, the Watford defender also caught the German’s ankle studs up. A VAR check ended his involvement for the night and hopes of a comeback as Kai Havertz dispatched the penalty.
The game was well and truly over, and it was time to save face as Clarke rang the changes. Billy Gilmour replacing McGregor is perhaps a sign that he had made a mistake in his starting line-up.
If travelling fans were hoping Julian Nagelsmann’s players would be content with the points, the sight of Niclas Fullkrug warming up suggested quite the opposite. The Champions League finalist showed that there was far more to his game than being a lump up front as a sublime touch took the ball away from Grant Hanley before thumping it into the top corner. The striker was unlucky not to grab another later, found to be marginally offside by VAR check.
The Tartan Army, to their credit, were never permanently silenced by the humiliation, remaining in fine voice throughout. Their continued support was rewarded when Scott McKenna headed a ball from a set piece, which Antonio Rudiger had the misfortune to place into his net. Some pride was salvaged, and the small pleasure that the Germans had failed to keep a clean sheet.
Embed from Getty ImagesYet within 6 minutes, they were once again punished for a lack of concentration in a repeat of the first goal as an unmarked Emre Can fired in a shot from outside the box. Can, who was drafted into the squad as a replacement a few days ago, made sure his side left the field with the momentum on their side.
However, if Scotland’s performance does not improve, they will be lucky to match their previous points in the group stage, eins.
Key Takeaways
Midfield lapses cost Scots
When playing a side technically superior, especially through the middle of the pitch, there is nothing wrong with making yourself compact and preventing the opposition from playing through you.
The problem, however, is that Scotland’s narrow shape not only allowed the Germans to easily play down the wings, but the gap between the defence and midfield also allowed them to bypass the middle press.
In addition, lapses in concentration and poor positioning meant Germany could play through regardless, and on two occasions, nobody picked up the man outside the box, leading to goals from Wirtz and Can. Compactness in width was undermined by a lack of depth.
Poor ball progression
Angus Gunn urging his defenders to move up the pitch as he planned to punt it showed the little faith the keeper had in their ability to play out from the back. Hounded into giving up possession almost immediately, Jack Hendry and Porteous struggled to progress the ball up the park. Such was the inability to get anything into the final third, and the Germans were comfortably playing with two at the back, pinning the Scots further forward with the extra players.
However, Plan B proved no more effective. The defenders’ long balls up to Che Adams, who might have touched the ball less than Manuel Neuer, were inaccurate and just gave the opposition the chance to start the attack again.
John McGinn was largely absent on the night, often languid and ponderous on the ball. McGregor might have played himself onto the bench with his mistakes, so there isn’t much to say that getting the ball to their feet would have made a difference.
Embed from Getty ImagesPhysicality is not the answer
Another way to beat a team technically superior to yours is to be aggressive enough to put them off attempting anything clever. However, the Germans, namely Robert Andrich, showed that they could dish out just as much as they could take.
The defensive midfielder’s role was simple: sit in front of the back three, play easy passes, and impose yourself on any player attempting to start an attack. Three fouls and a yellow card later, Andrich had left the pitch, and the Scot’s desire to go toe to toe significantly diminished.
Photo by Mario Klassen on Unsplash
