Germany was riding high after its big win over Hungary last week, but the competition was much more tough this time around.
In a match played at Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, the Germans had some moments — just not enough to put away the Dutch. Costly mistakes for both teams played a role in what will surely be a game that both think about ahead of the next international break. Here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always let’s take a look at Julian Nagelsmann’s starting XI:
- When word dropped that Niclas Füllkrug was going to miss the game, the speculation immediately went to who would fill his shoes. Would it be Borussia Dortmund’s Maximilian Beier or would it be one of the VfB Stuttgart duo — Chris Fuhrich and Deniz Undav. Nagelsmann went with Undav and it paid off. Otherwise, the choices went as expected.
- Undav scored the go-ahead goal in the first half and was a threat for Germany. Underutilized so far under Nagelsmann, Undav is a versatile, crafty player who can make a positive impact off the bench — or as part of the XI. Undav also had an assist.
- After falling behind on a goal from Tijjani Reijnders, Germany looked unorganized defensively. The center-back duo of Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah struggled to get on the same page. Tah was downright reckless and needed to be pulled at halftime before he pick up a red card.
- The defense — particularly at center-back — is an area of concern. Outside-backs Joshua Kimmich and David Raum were good at least.
- Despite the early hole, Germany did show resilience and claw back with goals from Kimmich and Undav. The Netherlands did knot the match with a goal from Denzel Dumfries in the 50th minute.
- Everyone loves Jamal Musiala, but this was a game where he forced things too much. The youngster admitted that he wants to improve his decision-making in the final third, which is a must for him to get to the level of where he wants to be. While he only lost possession 13 times (not bad considering his role and minutes played), he did have six shots blocked. This will be a good film for Musiala to review and learn from.
- Florian Wirtz turned in another well-rounded, solid effort. The Bayer Leverkusen man did really well for himself over these two games.
- The midfield of Robert Andrich and Pascal Groß had some up-and-down moments. It will be interesting to see if Nagelsmann opts to give Aleksandar Pavlović a chance to start with Groß during the next international break.
- Overall, this was a very good set of matches for Germany — even with the draw result. Nagelsmann is learning a lot about this team and clearly developing new ways to utilize the talent. Sure, the draw felt like a lost opportunity, but this is a marathon to the 2026 World Cup, not a sprint. There will be a lot of ups-and-downs and also a lot of learning along the way.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
Real Madrid was very closely linked to Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, but without securing a deal over the summer, Los Blancos might now have to compete with Arsenal FC, Manchester United, and Liverpool FC to get the Canadian:
Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are eyeing a move to sign Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies next year, as per the transfer journalist Graeme Bailey.
After joining the Bavarian club from Vancouver Whitecaps back in 2019, the 23-year-old has enjoyed a successful spell at the Allianz Arena over the last few years, winning a Champions League trophy and several Bundesliga titles. However, with the Canadian entering the final year of his current contract, speculation surrounding his future continues to emerge in recent times.
On HITC, Bailey has reported that although Bayern Munich have submitted multiple proposals to the defender to sign an extension, he hasn’t committed his future with the German giants yet. Arsenal have registered their interest in signing him and along with the Gunners, Liverpool and Man Utd are also in the race and they could make a concrete approach to secure his signature next year if he decides to leave for free.
Moreover, the journalist says Chelsea and Manchester City are also eyeing a swoop for the defender by taking advantage of his current situation. However, Real Madrid are currently leading the race and they are looking to sign Davies on a pre-contract agreement in the upcoming winter window, so the English giants face a battle to land the full-back.
It is weird that it feels like Bayern Munich has absolutely no chance to ink Davies to a new deal — and that might really be the case. Whoever ends up with him will be paying a premium for his salary. That much we do know.
Once again, a Bayern Munich star has been snubbed from a major award shortlist. Yes, that’s right — Jamal Musiala hasn’t made it onto France Football’s top Ballon d’Or Top 30. The longstanding agenda against Bayern Munich continues. Ribéry 2013, Neuer 2014, Lewandowski 2020, 2021 … and now this.
Paul Wanner has been incredible for Heidenheim this season so far, and is starting to turn heads. The player might even receive a call up to the German National team soon. This could bode really well for Bayern Munich, who would be looking to replace the footballing legend that is one Thomas Müller.
Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz has also been tearing it up for Germany alongside teammate Jamal Musiala. This leaves Bayern with a lot to ruminate on for the coming transfer windows. And gives us a lot to talk about in this flagship episode.
In this episode, Schnitzel and Ineednoname discuss the following topics:
- Jamal Musiala’s snub from the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
- How much these awards matter for the club’s standing and attracting top players.
- Musiala’s stellar form for Germany.
- Florian Wirtz’s performances for Germany.
- Florian Wirtz or Paul Wanner?
- Would Wanner be the perfect Müller replacement?
- INNN and Schnitzel agree on multiple things (WHAT?!!!)
This will likely never happen, but if it does not work out for Michael Olise at Bayern Munich, Manchester United will be waiting to make him an offer:
Palace were powerless, however, in preventing Michael Olise from leaving for Bayern Munich, who activated a complex release clause, worth around £60million, in his contract.
Chelsea signalled their intention to meet the buyout and believed they were in pole position to land the talented winger. Little did they know that at least three other clubs had expressed their intention to do the same.
United, for example, enquired. They were so smitten with the idea of signing Olise that they were ready to enlist the help of Sir Alex Ferguson in trying to persuade the winger to join.
But United were too late. Olise was set on Bayern – although United would be at front of the queue if the France international decides to leave in the future.
While Victor Osimhen toils away for Galatasaray, Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain are plotting to make a move for the Nigerian striker:
Chelsea and PSG may reignite their interest in Victor Osimhen when his loan ends at Galatasaray and he returns to Napoli next year.
Former Bayern Munich manager and current Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann led his team to a comprehensive victory over Hungary in the UEFA Nations League. In this episode, we discuss the following:
- The lineup and the stability it offered.
- Some mouthwatering combinations across the pitch, mainly Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.
- Aleksandar Pavlović and the wonderful things he can do on the pitch.
- Appreciation for Niklas Füllkrug.
- Appreciation of fullbacks who like to go forward!
- What this performance shows about Bayern Munich and former Bayern Munich managers.
- The joy of watching Joshua Kimmich and thoughts on his captaincy.
- Why entertaining football is not just good for the fans.
Liverpool FC will reportedly make a strong play for Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sané during the summer:
Liverpool have set their sights on Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane as their preferred replacement for Mohamed Salah if they lose the Egyptian on a free transfer next summer.
Sadio Mané’s poor decision since leaving Liverpool might be guiding the way for Mo Salah to decide what he wants to do next:
Five years ago, Salah shared the Golden Boot with his Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and it speaks to the ceaseless dedication, professionalism and enduring brilliance of the Egyptian that he is still operating at that same level while so many others have left English football and have dropped down the pecking order considerably.
The declining reputation of his former colleague Mane, since his move to the Middle East, has been cited as one reason for why Salah is seemingly against a move to the Saudi Pro League, in fact. “Salah doesn’t want to be like Sadio in Saudi Arabia,” says one source. “Even if it means more money.”
The low crowds, a lack of worldwide attention and the overall standard of the game in Saudi Arabia has been, by all accounts, weighed up by Salah against the financial benefits over the last year to reach a decision that he would like to stay a Liverpool player beyond the current deal, which is worth around £350,000 a week.
