Germany aim to build against Ghana on hard-fought win in Switzerland
· Yahoo Sports
Germany players got a breather on Saturday ahead of their next World Cup tune-up match against Ghana, where Florian Wirtz and company want to build on a 4-3 victory in Switzerland.
Liverpool's Wirtz was the star on Friday night in Basel with two stunning goals after a pair of assists as Germany overcame some individual mistakes at the back.
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Coach Julian Nagelsmann saw the positives which apart from Wirtz' gala included his men coming from behind twice and were also undeterred by a 3-3 equalizer, plus the fact that the Swiss goals were not the result of a structural problem in his team.
He will hope for a similar team effort on Monday in Stuttgart against Ghana which is effectively the last match before he has to decide on his squad for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, for which Germany depart on June 2.
"A clean sheet would be nice. But first and foremost I wish that we win the match," Nagelsmann said.
Attacking power
Four-time champions Germany are not rated among the top contenders but with the likes of Wirtz and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala, if he gets back to 100% in a return from injury. they have a lot of creativity up front.
That also includes Arsenal's Kai Havertz, who returned from a long absence due to injuries, as well as potentially Bayern teenager Lennart Karl, who was more effective than Leroy Sané on the right wing in his maiden cap over the last half hour.
"He had six, seven very dangerous situations," Nagelsmann said of Havertz, adding in view of the World Cup: "He needs to remain healthy and fit. Then he will be for us on the same level as Wirtz."
The Wirtz factor
Wirtz naturally stood out and received plenty of praise from Nagelsmann.
"He already made a name for himself in world football. And if he keeps it up, he'll be at the top of every club's wish list for a very, very long time. Because he's just incredibly good, dedicated, and always brings the necessary energy," Nagelsmann said.
Wirtz had a difficult start at Liverpool, who as Premier League chaampions continue to struggle but Nagelsmann suggested that Wirtz "will get a lot out of this and be stronger than ever before."
No blame on Schlotterbeck alone
Wirtz' 86th minute winner was the culmination of attacking power, after Germany fell behind twice in the first half because centre back Nico Schlotterbeck gave away the ball on both occasions.
"Yes, we didn't defend quite as well in some situations," Nagelsmann admitted but he named the overall mentality "very, very good" and did not want to single out Schlotterbeck.
"He won't be reprimanded now. I think he found his feet in the game. That's the important sign for me," Nagelsmann said.
Schlotterbeck and Bayern's Jonathan Tah, who headed Germany's first goal, are set to remain the preferred centre back pairing, leaving no place in the starting 11 for Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger.
Wirtz confident
Wirtz meanwhile expressed confidence that the team will further grow before starting its World Cup campaign against Debutants Curacao, with Ivory Coast and Ecuador the other group stage opponents.
"You can tell we haven’t played together for a while. We definitely need to work on that, because all three goals today could probably have been avoided," he said.
"But at the end of the day, it’s all about winning the games, and if we always score one more goal than the opposition, that’s fine too."
Germany's Florian Wirtz (R) celebrates his side's third goal of the game during the International Friendly soccer match between Switzerland and Germany at St. Jakob Park. Christian Charisius/dpa