International friendlies: Germany 2-1 Saudi Arabia, 5 Talking Points

Germany wrapped up their preparations for the World Cup with another disappointing performance that saw the world champions end a 5-game winless streak by a marginal 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia.

This should’ve been a walk in the park for Loew’s men, but once again, they didn’t appear to be in their element. The Green Falcons showed tremendous vim and vigor throughout the match to turn a potential mauling into just another defeat. And they also pulled one back after Mohammed Al-Sahlawi missed a penalty.

Die Mannschaft were in control for large spells, but lacked the flair that propelled them to a 4th world title 4 years ago, and manager Loew will not at all be convinced by the manner of the win. Plenty of concerns for the holders just a week before the opener against Mexico.

Here are the major talking points:

#1 Sluggish Germany are in for a long Russian summer

Germany's title defense would be put through the wringer in Russia

Germany are a hard nut to crack. You may probably need a sledgehammer for the task. For the reigning world champions play below-par in friendlies, only to turn up the heat at the majors. But even that’s in question now after a string of poor results.

Saudi Arabia were there for the taking, the second-lowest ranked side in the tournament and one of the weakest. But Germany’s listless display allowed them to stage a valiant fight. There were a few bright spots at the beginning, when they unleashed an avalanche of attacks. What they lacked was the cutting edge to kill the game off by half-time.

Germany avoided an embarrassing draw when Saudi grew into the match in the dying embers, but the eventual victory could hardly be less convincing. Even the defense lacked solidity and on another day and against another side, a defeat would’ve been unavoidable.

Loew’s men did little to convince people they are in shape to defend their title. And a repeat of such subpar showings would spell a long, treacherous journey in Russia.

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#2 Saudi Arabia can cause problems

Saudi Arabia didn't go down without a fight

The Green Falcons were one of the best attacking sides during the qualifiers in Asia. But most of the teams they played against aren’t even in the top 100! But there was a hint of a threat today everytime they forayed towards the final third. And Germany did wilt a few times.

Several promising counterattacks admittedly rattled the German backline, who then quickly tried to regain defensive shape, but poor man-marking and careless tracking of runs down the flanks meant the Saudis made merry going forward. They had 4 shots on target out of 12 attempts.

Salem Al-Dawsari and Yahya Al-Shehri in particular, posed huge threats from the wings, laying off crosses inside the box or cutting infield. But what Saudi lacked was the end product, as some cutting-edge finishing would’ve really put Germany to the sword.

They are touted to finish at the bottom of group A behind Uruguay, Egypt and Russia. But with the time and space afforded like today, they can put up a fair challenge in the fight for the second-place.

#3 Marco Reus shines on return to international fold

Reus was in good form

Reus will be participating in his first World Cup, in Russia next week, and he gave a good account of himself with a confident display today.

The Borussia Dortmund star started behind striker Timo Werner in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, and ran the show in the first-half. Reus was at the centre of most of the chances Germany created with his inviting crosses and buccaneering runs from the left flank. He also assisted Werner’s opener with a delightful hoick from near the byline.

On a day when creative chief Mesut Ozil sat out and Thomas Muller was quite subdued, Reus stepped up and made a strong case to start in the tournament proper. Having missed the last two international tournaments (FIFA 2014 and Euro 2016) with injuries, things are finally looking up for him on the international front.

Now some brilliant performances in Russia would propel him up the German ranks too.

#4 Al Sahlawi’s rotten touch is a worry for Falcons

A-Sahlawi missed a penalty

Saudi Arabia striker Mohammad Al-Sahlawi’s international career is quite chequered. Despite his prolific league record, he wasn’t a regular in the national set-up until 2015. But the 16 goals he scored in the qualifiers - joint-highest among all zones - helped him attain an important role in the side.

Against Germany, it was an opportunity to flex his scoring muscle once again before the World Cup begins, but he cut a frustrated figure after coming on from the bench. His first touches were poor and he lacked the flair with which he cut through the defenses in the qualifiers. Of course, this is Germany and you can’t expect him to plunder 3 or 4 goals like he did in those games, but he wasn’t without his chances here.

Two of his attempts missed the target and the penalty miss capped off his poor evening. His attempt was repelled by ter Stegen, although Saudi did score on the rebound. But that doesn’t mask his rotten touch. 24 of Al-Sahlawi’s 28 goals have come since January 2015, but to muster even an iota of that form and bag a goal or two in Russia, he needs to do better than this.

#5 Gundogan booed and jeered for his recent actions

Gundogan has become unpopular among the German fans these days

On May 21st this year, Ilkay Gundogan and Mesut Ozil caused a stir among the German fans when they were captured with Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan. The Manchester City star, who has Turkish roots from his parents who hail from Istanbul, also addressed the slain Turkish chief as “my president” while speaking; something that really didn’t go down well with the German fans.

So today when he was gearing up to step onto the field, there were boos and jeers audible from large swathes of the stadium. So much so that even Loew himself had to request the fans to stop. Except, they didn’t. Every time Gundogan was on the ball, he was hooted at by the thronging fans who made their angst clear.

His performance on the day, fair to middling, was shrouded amid all the controversy and he may need a blinder or two in Russia to win over the fans again.