Germany U21 Squad | Tactical Analysis and six “winners” from the October break

With the travails of the German national team (begrudgingly) covered yesterday, this evening’s Get German Footballnews feature returns us to (what Germans hope) shall be a peek into a much brighter future. Antonio Di Salvo’s Germany U21 squad actually delivered a mixed October international break. A loss against the Greek U21s in Jena stung somewhat as it constituted the first defeat for the U21s in a qualifying match in nearly four years. 

There nonetheless remained plenty of positive takeaways from what was still a narrow loss. An exceedingly hard-fought victory over the Northern Irish U21s at the Oval in Belfast also provided some productive talking points. In general, a team fragmented by injuries put together two encouraging performances. The results still mean that there’s one less “winner” than in our September coverage.

Formatting remains the same as we take a look at both qualifying fixtures, list the six “winners” from the games, and take a look at how things are shaping up tactically for Germany at the highest youth level. This time around, short staffed when it came to defenders and overstocked in the attack, Di Salvo delivered some more interesting constellations. 

The loss in Jena

Greece 3, Germany 2

A whole slew of injuries forced Di Salvo to make six personnel changes to the starting XI from the September qualifying win over Latvia. As confirmed by the U21 Bundestrainer earlier in the week, Tom Bischof took over in midfielder for the injured Aljoscha Kemlein in midfield while Dennis Seimen took up Mio Backhaus’ spot in-between the posts. Leandro Morgalla and Hendry Blank also had to serve in place of injured defenders Elias Baum and Joshua Quarshie. Tom Rothe deputized for unavailable captain Finn Jeltsch in central defender. Returnee Paul Wanner replaced the departed Brajan Gruda.

This motley crew got off to a terrible start. A poor challenge from Hendry in the box should have led to the Greeks receiving a penalty in the 9th. The fierce guests were nevertheless rewarded for their active start and took a 2-0 lead before the quarter-of-an-hour-mark was reached. Konstantinos Kostoulas scored the opening goal with a beautiful free kick variation in the 13th. A total blackout from keeper Seimen led to Stefanos Tzimas netting the 2-0 less than a minute later.

It took a full 15 minutes for the Germans to settle themselves and fight their way back past the Greek line. Wanner produced the first half-chance for the DFB Juniors in the 31st. Lead striker Nicolo Tresoldi got a few looks in before Nelson Weiper hit the post with a header just before it was time to head into the tunnel. Di Salvo opted for two changes at the break, bringing in Köln’s Said El Mala and RB Leipzig’s Assan Ouédraogo in place of Wanner and Morgalla at the break.

The two new additions immediately created chances. Starter Muhammed Damar capitalized on one of El Mala’s efforts in the 54th, slamming a rebound parried in front of him for the 1-2 in the 54th. The Germans managed to score their own set of goals in relatively quick succession. Rothe headed home Bischof’s corner (past three markers no less) for the 59th-minute equalizer.

Tresoldi and El Mala had excellent cracks at taking the lead, with the former coming closest via a strike off the post in the 65th. A total collective lapse in marking from the entire German back line (and the midfield) led to Greece reclaiming the lead in the 81st. El Mala and Weiper had decent chances to equalize again before it was all over.

The win in Belfast

Germany 2, Northern Ireland 1

Three personnel changes in the second fixture saw Ouédraogo and El Mala start over Wanner and Morgalla. Noël Aseko Nkili moved to Morgalla’s right back position so as to facilitate Ouédraogo’s start in midfield. Late call up Tim Drexler took over for Blank in central defense. The underdog hosts put Di Salvo’s crew under pressure early with a 4th-minute 1-0. To their credit, the DFB Juniors maintained an aggressive posture and fought hard to find their way back into the game. The Northern Irish were simply too committed to allow any real chances to materialize.

As deep seated as the hosts were, they still looked dangerous on the counterattack. Keeper Seimen – much more alert than in the first match – made several quality saves to keep the Germans from falling further behind. Aseko Nikili also bailed his team out by clearing an effort off the line near the end of the first half. Di Salvo’s charges remained strong in the midfield duels throughout much of the second half, yet unfortunately couldn’t get the ball into the final third until very late in the match.

It finally came together in the 78th-minute when Ouédraogo headed home an excellent Bischof cross to equalize. Union Berlin’s Ilyas Ansah – on for El Mala in the 64th – drew a handball penalty in the 83rd. Wolfsburg’s Dzenan Pejcinovic – just on himself – took quick responsibility for the spot kick. Di Salvo immediately ordered everyone back to protect the slender lead. The German youths successfully absorbed several waves of pressure from the hosts to just barely hang on.

Winners from the break

Said El Mala, 1. FC Köln

Given the scintillating form the 19-year-old is in for club, it almost seemed a forgone conclusion that El Mala would dazzle on international duty. The Krefeld-native literally breathed new life into the U21s in the first match. Without him, the second half of the Greece match wouldn’t have even been competitive. Absent El Mala, one can even make the case that the entire international break would have gone awry. The assist on Damar’s goal easily counts as the most worthy assist of any German international this month. 

The future senior team call-up (and that can be treated as a forgone conclusion at this point) was unlucky not to score himself in the first match. Several excellent long dribbles simply didn’t have enough space at the end of them. El Mala routinely causes a ruckus whenever on the ball on the left flank. He did so again against Northern Ireland, this time trying less long carries and more passes into the final third. Those often didn’t turn out so terribly well, but much of that had to do with the fact that the hosts were simply disciplined as well.

Assan Ouédraogo, RB Leipzig

A player very much worth rooting for made the most of his opportunity. Ouédraogo put in stellar work on both sides of the ball, looking surprisingly comfortable in a left-slant deep midfield position. In a sense, one shouldn’t be surprised to see this 19-year-old operating like a true box-to-midfielder. It’s been so long since we’ve witnessed what his natural pace and technique leaves him capable of. In point of fact, it’s never really been observed on the Bundesliga level. Leipzig trainer Ole Werner has been deploying him much higher up on the right. 

Werner clearly aims to help Ouédraogo gain confidence in his attacking prowess. Hence, he’s not serving in midfield as he did with Schalke. Werner might let him settle in a bit lower now after this particular tour of international duty. Of course, as has been the case from the beginning this year – the RB midfield remains a mite crowded. One can hope in any case. German football fanatics want to see the son of one of their favorite Burkinabés (Alassane Ouédraogo) work as many positions as possible. 

Dzenan Pejcinovic, VfL Wolfsburg

One of two carry overs from the September international break surely heads back to the club that doesn’t seem to know how to utilize him in an ecstatic mood. Pejcinovic, after converting the winning penalty, earns “hero status”. Impressively enough for the team in general, no one argued with the 20-year-old when he opted to claim the spot kick. Nicolo Tresoldi deserves serious props for immediately forfeiting his privilege. 

Pejcinovic has now scored two U21 goals off the bench, not to mention that impressive hat trick in Wolfsburg’s opening round Pokal victory. Unfortunately, we’re still awaiting the Munich-native’s first Bundesliga goal. His last league start, against Augsburg, only lasted 45 minutes. The author will reiterate that Wolfsburg consistently fail to let any talent-laden footballer get into any sort of rhythm. So maddening!

Ilyas Ansah, 1. FC Union Berlin

An attacker who continues to enjoy fine form for his club can head back from international duty with his head held high. Ansah proved most spritely in both his relief shifts, even the one in the first match that lasted all of 14 minutes. As the player who drew the late handball penalty against Northern Ireland, Ansah shares “hero status” with Pejcinovic. This 20-year-old also happens to be a big winner of the latest October transfermarkt market value updates. 

Ansah is now a €10m-valued player!

Muhammed Damar, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Two starts and one goal for the Hoffenheim riser. Damar definitely served as the most consistently hard working lad on the pitch against Greece. He nearly scored a set-piece stunner against Northern Ireland and could have pocketed an assist in the second match as well had Tom Rothe supplied the finish off a set-piece. The 21-year-old – like Pejcinovic – could benefit from more consistent playing time at his Bundesliga club. 

Noel Aseko Nkili, Hannover 96

The 2. Bundesliga man committed more than his fair share of errors from his unnatural deployment at right back, yet still deserves credit for some excellent ad-hoc work in service of the injury-plagued team. Along with Pejcinovic, the Berlin native deserves the “winner label” coming out of both international breaks. Bayern’s Lower Saxon loanee earns his stripes once again.  

Tactical Documentation

This set of tactics features plenty of more tinkering from Di Salvo. It obviously didn’t take long for the U21 Bundestrainer to learn that his newly minted 4-4-2 wasn’t going to work with so many new actors in place. Pretty much everyone new to the constellation turned in a disastrous first half against Greece. Hendry Blank, Leandro Morgalla, and Tom Rothe simply weren’t able to get set in their “cold starts”.

Lineup—DFB (Friday, first-half)

Poor performances all around – plus the total howler from Seimen – left observers wishing Di Salvo could swap out the entire XI. The entire right-hand-side constituted a total disaster. Paul Wanner, looking timid and off with most his chances, exited at halftime along with Morgalla. Ouédraogo and El Mala checked in while Di Salvo re-formatted to a split-stagger 4-4-2. At least, that’s how the author saw it. As initiated above, Ouédraogo may not have had a straightforward positional assignment.

Lineup—DFB (Friday, second half)

Damar performed much better on the right. Bischof seemed comfortable covering a large patch and tracking back to help out defensively. Aseko Akili benefitted from Bischof’s help. Rothe managed a few desperate clearances whenever Aseko Nkili lost the ball and Blank (still shaky) had difficulty recovering. Di Salvo appeared to possess the “midas touch” when Damar scored from precisely the right position. The 2-2 came off a fairly standard set piece that at least allowed Bischof and Rothe to get their names on the scoresheet. 

Despite all the positive accolades above, Ouédraogo and Aseko Nkili were both culpable on what would prove Greece’s winning goal in the 81st. Blank – who just had a plain terrible match – blew his mark as well. Three minutes after Greece took the lead, Di Salvo pulled the trigger on his final substitution. Pejcinovic and Mert Kömür had already replaced Tresoldi and Damar. Ansah came on for Aseko Nkili in the 84th. The team re-formatted for one last push at another equalizer.

Lineup—DFB (Friday, 86th minute)

El Mala very nearly scored the 3-3 after Kömür set him up with a nice run. El Mala himself almost set up Nelson Weiper perfectly as the match headed into injury time. The full frontal press produced a couple more quality chances before the full-time whistle blew. It proved quite the frustrating defeat and El Mala and Ansah weren’t off by much near the end. 

Nürnberg’s Tim Drexler took Blank’s spot in the second match whilst El Mala replaced the ineffective Wanner. Ouédraogo started over Morgalla, which meant that Aseko Nkili once again had to work at right back. The formation looked largely the same with the potential exception that Tresoldi and Weiper might have been instructed to work closer together. 

Lineup—DFB (Tuesday, first-half)

The opening goal from the Nord Iron came off a corner. There didn’t seem to be any gross negligence on the DFB front. Norwich City’s Ruari McConville simply supplied an unstoppable header. One could tell that, possession-wise, Di Salvo prepped everyone well. The game-plan looked well rehearsed and executed. Props to the hosts for breaking up the German build-up play via good old-school grit. They threw themselves passionately into every last midfield tackle. 

Di Salvo wisely decided to not employ any changes at the break. Gradually, the DFB Juniors got into the game better while the Northern Irish tired out. Watching the second match, one could see the momentum tip ever-so-slightly in favor of the Germans. Crucially, Di Salvo’s charges ensured that the impetus kept going in their direction. The second half wasn’t especially pretty to watch, but one could sense that an equalizer would come. 

The 64th-minute saw Kömur, Ansah, and Morgalla enter on behalf of Damar, El Mala, and Aseko Nkili. This actually had the effect of bogging play down a tad as the new actors continued to struggle against the Northern Irish in midfield. Di Salvo eventually pulled Lukas Ullrich in favor of Pejcinovic. For the second consecutive match, a 3-2-3-2 worked the late push. This time, everyone was definitely bunched together.

Lineup—DFB (Tuesday, 75th minute)

Bischof sent in a slick cross in the 78th-minute. Ouédraogo happened to be one of the players waiting at the far post. 1-1. Ansah’s incursion into the penalty area from the left in the 83rd led to the shot that drew the handball penalty. After Pejcinovic’s quick conversion from the spot, Di Salvo took absolutely no chances. One wasn’t terribly frustrated to see a ridiculous 7-2-1 re-format. The win needed to be secured. 

If there is anything resembling a conclusion here, it remains the case that one can be grateful to the U21s for furnishing something of interest during what will actually be the final October international break Bundesliga lovers have to endure. News of a partial reform next year was most welcome. From this point forward, FIFA aims to test out a two-week September international break whilst retaining the November “Landerspielpause”. 

Cool. 

We’ll take it. 

Perhaps one year we’ll get a single three-week break.

Change must nevertheless start somewhere. 

GGFN | Peter Weis