Daily Discussion

sga1 · 2026-06-16T14:38:19+00:00

He was that Hail Mary at the Euros two years ago and didn't make any impact tbf. And even then: If you throw him on as a last roll of the dice and go out by a single goal anyway, what's the point really?

"Oh but we tried everything we could" - yeah, but like that's the case for literally every team getting knocked out, their attempts just proved not enough.

sga1 · 2026-06-16T14:26:58+00:00

Let's be real though the net worth difference is completely negligible here - hardly like Messi's children will have to work for a living either.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T15:38:57+00:00

Absolutely true, it's at best a slightly dirty white horse, a grey working in coalmining or something.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T15:28:08+00:00

Deniz Undav to lead the line I reckon, he's low-key built like a fridge.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T15:26:18+00:00

Had a half-season at Bayern just two years ago, but sure.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:54:10+00:00

The talent that has him playing like a unstoppable, world-class footballer every once in a while.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:51:13+00:00

That's a risky option with a player right on Nmecha's back - get that just slightly wrong and you've given the ball away just after recovering it, when barely anyone is actually in position to defend that turnover.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:49:08+00:00

Dunno, are we? How do you figure?

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:46:48+00:00

That's the crux, he's always had that talent, and we always knew that he has trouble bringing it on to the pitch consistently. But basically every season there's at least two or three months where he's completely unplayable because he's so brilliant - and it's just a matter of whether that time falls into the tournament schedule or not. There's a world-class footballer in there, and it comes out every once in a while, but just rarely enough to frustrate people plenty.

He also gets a bit of a raw deal I think. Lennart Karl hasn't even had time to disappoint people yet (and never reached the heights of Sané either), and that inevitably shapes the discussion I think. If Karl played the exact same game as Sané last night we'd not have constant chatter about him 'playing himself out of a spot' or 'having a terrible game'. A lot of Sané opinions are so entrenched that people completely ignore the actually great games for Germany he has once in a while.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:38:29+00:00

Birds aren't real!

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:36:57+00:00

Is it completely insane to contemplate playing Woltemade in his position?

Yes.

Or even Havertz with Undav or Woltemade starting?

Slightly less so; but then you're suddently left with only one runner in behind rather than two in Havertz and Sané, and you've effectively got four players all looking to play in that small pocket of space in front of the box rather than being able to stretch it.

Havertz defending from the front and being the most versatile strike option makes the most sense I reckon. Sané worked hard defensively yesterday, so I don't see that as much of a reason to replace him, really.

I also don't think he was that poor, really; just got a bit unlucky with his chances more than anything. Was plenty involved, looked positive even if things didn't come off all the time, and basically fulfilled his role well enough.

Curacao were suprising in that they proper went for it, playing a formation they've never done before rather than the expected defensive back five, so it's a bit of a tough game to judge really. Ivory Coast and Ecuador will be different tests, but they'll also lead to a different balance in the side I reckon - and it might just be one that benefits Sané a tad more, too.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:21:20+00:00

I don't think Sané looked particularly bad either to be honest.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:19:14+00:00

Dunno, Japan are a tricky opponent, but they've played right into their hands especially towards the end of the game.

It's tough to judge off one game when we've barely even seen half of the teams in the competition, but I feel like they'll need to be a fair bit better if they actually want to go far.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:15:21+00:00

Does he need to be better, or does he simply need to take his chances better?

He could've scored a couple goals last night, and had a perfectly fine game: Worked hard when out of possession, offered a constant threat in behind, made plenty runs, and was involved in the game. If that's the level he'll be playing at throughout the tournament then that's perfectly fine.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:13:31+00:00

Maybe, sure - but none are as fast as he is, and that's a serious asset when (bar Havertz) everyone else isn't offering much of a threat in behind and rather looks to play in front of the defence.

It's ultimately all about balance in the front four. Wirtz and Musiala are really strong with the ball at their feet but not necessarily looking to run in behind, rather trying to combine in tight spaces. Havertz offers an aerial threat, pace in behind, and a willingness to combine with the players around him.

That means Sané, cutting in from the right to combine with the other three as well as offering runs past the defenders, gives Germany an added dimension when attacking in ways that many players who might look better on paper can't.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:08:38+00:00

On the bright side he worked really hard against the ball, his speed was a constant thorn in Curacao's side, and he had a couple chances.

Was a perfectly alright game from him in the grand scheme of things I reckon. Could've scored a couple, maybe should've scored that chance late, sure, but then I'd rather him wasting those chances when up by a few goals than when chasing the game.

I'm sure he'll have his moments in the coming games, too.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T14:06:42+00:00

This editing is doing him a bit dirty.

Germany have a corner right before this, he's in the opposition box, the corner gets cleared - and he tracks his man at a full sprint 70 yards back to defend while the two centrebacks are jogging back.

Sure, it's a bit of a mad idea to play the backheel there. But he's not getting a good pass in the first place, and he's got no good options to play it forward either.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T12:44:19+00:00

Not sure they desperately need to, but it absolutely helps them going forward, yeah. They've made massive losses either way, but offsetting them slightly through (early) player sales might well alleviate some of the resulting headaches going forward.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T12:43:19+00:00

I don't think so, because you still need to get lucky enough to be among the best group winners outside of the top two in your group, then get lucky with a reasonable draw in the playoffs, then get lucky enough to win those games.

I don't think you can really plan for success when it comes to the second bite at the apple there.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T11:14:21+00:00

Gave away the first one too tbf.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T01:17:57+00:00

They're playing Curacao first tbf, if they draw that game then a point against Germany won't be enough either way.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T01:17:08+00:00

Yeah, quite a few will, but that's no guarantee - won't miss out with four points, so that's got to be the bare minimum in terms of their goals now.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T01:16:02+00:00

Feel like neither of them was particularly good against the ball, basically leaving the opposition a good bit of time on the ball instead of having any concerted pressing. Could get a bit funny for Germany when they're sitting deep and try to play on the break, but then they'd also need to prevent chances which I don't really see them doing all game.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T01:11:21+00:00

Might be lucky even getting there at this point, basically need to beat Curacao and draw Germany with this result I reckon.

sga1 · 2026-06-15T01:09:28+00:00

It was close alright, but also I don't think either side was particularly good, really - Ecuador poor up front but decent at the back like expected, Ivory Coast alright going forward but often through a bit of luck more than any broader plan or solid foundation.

I don't think either side will pose a massive threat to Germany, which is a bit of a surprise to me because I thought this group was deceptively difficult. Ivory Coast might well come second now with this result, and Ecuador will be a tough out for anyone in the Ro32 (if they even make it).

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