Comment on the DFB-ELF: a lot of work, but the direction is right

Even though Hansi Flick the importance of his impressive start series - the new national coach drove in the first eight games eight victories - before the game against the Netherlands a little sentenced: The 57-year-old would have liked to expand them in Amsterdam and with a success in prestigious Neighborhood duel with the Netherlands an exclamation mark set. However, Flick will also be able to live well with the 1: 1 draw, which his eleven on Tuesday evening in the first match against a top opponent, under his leadership.

• Newly appointed spirit is carried by Routinians
• Defensive weaknesses revealed

Proved two things: On the one hand, that the German team is again eight months before the World Cup is back to much more stable feet than in the European Championship year 2021. On the other hand, that until the tournament in Qatar, whose final round is being drawn on Friday, further improvements are necessary. Convenience will not hire so - Flick would not allow them. That was felt at his consistent tone of the past days.

Newly appointed spirit is carried by Routinians

In the full and mask-free Amsterdam Arena, in which the Corona pandemic seemed far away, the German eleven showed that she would like to recover lost credit with its own fans with commitment. That it was just the young Jamal Musiala, who acted in the central midfield Omnipräsent and put accents both with and against the ball, felt the basic feeling about the German selection that there is a group in the field, which draws on a strand and according to successes. Also Freiburg Nico Schlotterbeck - although this time is far from faultless - or Hoffenheim David Room stand for this newly certified spirit, which is carried by the Routinians around scorer Thomas Müller or Captain Manuel Neuer.

The substitute Lukas Nmecha awarded the chance to the winning goal shortly before the end. Imago / Matthias Koch

However, the test against the Netherlands, which is still under construction under the guidance of BondCoach Louis van Gaal, also proved that not all wheels have long been combined. Thus, the German Offensive Department revered on Tuesday, but also donated confusion in his own ranks. Mandatory attacks were too rare, the only consistently carried forward carried forward promptly to the lead shortly before the break. Thereafter, it took a long time before it became really dangerous and the substitute Lukas Nmecha missed two minute before the end of the regular playing time the possible 2: 1. With all the individual quality of the single players - at the processes, just against strongly occupied defensive chains, must be tangled up to the World Cup.

Defensive weaknesses revealed

The same applies to the defensive. For in the second half in Amsterdam, weaknesses were apparent, which were not revealed against high-quality opponents: especially if the Dutchman played the pace and played sharp passports into the interfaces, the German rear team got problems. The opportunity plus the hosts, who were closer to the victory after the deserved compensation by Steven Bergwijn to the 200play time, spoke for themselves.

At the end of the season, if the DFB-EC eleven meets for four Nations League lots again in June, it will be time for flick and his team to file exactly at these points. Last missing supports like the Munich Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich and Niklas Süle should be able to participate again and expand the most recently greater selection of the national trainer anyway. Still is a bit to go for him and his team on the way to the desired role of the World Cup atmosphere. But the direction taken, but it also testified the first right hardet test of the still young era flick.