Florian Wirtz (l.) and Jamal Musiala (r) celebrate one of Germany's five goals against Hungary on ... [+]
Germany has caught a dream start in the post-Euro 2024 era. Julian Nagelsmann’s side beat Hungary on Saturday 5-0 thanks to goals by Niclas Füllkrug (27’), Jamal Musiala (58’), Florian Wirtz (66’), Aleksandar Pavlovic (77’) and Kai Havertz (81’ penalty).
It was a dream start to a new era. Just after the Euros, Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gündogan, Thomas Müller, and Manuel Neuer announced their retirements from the national team. The big question heading into the game was how the team would compensate for the departure of Kroos and Gündogan, who were both crucial for Germany at the European Championships last summer.
"I thought the start of the game, first 5-10 minutes, we were a bit sloppy and had some misplaced passes,” Nagelsmann said after the game. “After that, we were very dominant, had good control, and created many chances. Perhaps we should have scored more goals in the first half.”
Indeed, the national team coach’s only major concern was the lack of scoring in the first half. “We should develop a killer instinct to decide games earlier,” Nagelsmann said. The chemistry in the team is there, and as long as that's the case, we can always improve.”
The lack of efficiency has been an issue since before the Euros. Although Germany did score aplenty at the home tournament last summer, the sense was still there that Die Nationalmannschaft needed too many chances to finish off an opponent.
Ultimately, the final score, however, did reflect Germany’s dominance over Hungary. The Germans bossed the game with an xG of 3.59 vs 0.93, had 56% possession, 23 vs 6 total shots and 9 vs 1 shots on target.
Most importantly, the two players who were supposed to take over the mantle from the retired stars stood out the most: Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. Musiala, in fact, not only scored the game’s all-important second goal but also had three assists and was voted the man of the match.
Jamal Musiala (l.) and Aleksandar Pavlovic (r.) are two of the faces that will lead Germany going ... [+]
"It's important we keep the joy we had at the Euros,” Musiala said. “We have 20 games until the World Cup. We must use every game. We lost four players playing a big role, so we have to build up chemistry."
Although Joshua Kimmich is the new captain, this team now belongs to Musiala and Wirtz. And you can tell that the two enjoy playing with one another. "It was great fun,” Musiala said after the game. “It's always fun to play with Flo. We found our rhythm after 1-2 goals, and with that confidence, we can keep playing the whole evening.”
Germany striker Niclas Füllkrug agrees. "It's a joy to see what Flo and Jamal are doing,” Füllkrug said. “We're really lucky to have them in our team. It's a gift.”
The night wasn’t just about Musiala and Wirtz, however. Aleksandar Pavlovic came on for Pascal Groß (60’) in the second half and scored Germany’s fourth goal. Also, Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller was brought on for Robert Andrich (82’).
It now only feels like a question of time for Pavlovic and Stiller to join Musiala and Wirtz in the realm of Germany’s most important players. Indeed, the two Munich-born midfielders have the potential to fill the gap left behind by Kroos and Gündogan and give structure to Wirtz’s and Musiala’s unbound creativity.
Either way, the night against Hungary was a glorious start to a new era—a new era with new faces. However, to grow fully together, this team will still have to withstand some serious challenges. In fact, the next challenge is just around the corner. On Tuesday, Germany will face old rivals Netherlands, who will be a much sterner test than this Hungary side.
