Kai Havertz and Musiala scored as Germany beat Denmark to reach the quarter-finals of the European Championship on home soil. The game was halted midway through the first half due to lightning and VAR changed the course of the game twice in a short period of time, with a number of goals disallowed from both sides, and a steady stream of missed chances for the strikers, with Germany having the last laugh in a game full of surprises, and their first knockout win in eight years was hard-won.
The stress test obtains true knowledge and strengthens the "base" arch guard true nucleus
Jonatan Ta was suspended for accumulating yellow cards, Kroos and Gundogan were exhausted, Mittelstedt's confidence was shaken after consecutive mistakes, and Wirtz's main position was shaky...... After a "stress test" against Switzerland, Nagelsmann decided to make changes to Germany's starting line-up - Phil Krueger was still retained, Sane replaced Wirtz, and Raum was next to Strobek, all of which were signals that Kroos continued to improve the system at the back.
There was room for adjustment in all four positions, with Nagelsmann starting Raum and continuing to trust Kai Havertz, with the young boss taking control of the situation with precision.
Denmark made two changes to their starting line-up compared to the group finale, with Jurmand replaced by Delaney and Olsen coming in on the right flank of midfield.
Tearing off a striker and changing the aggressive 3412 formation to a more conservative 541 structure, Youleman's tactical adjustment was aimed at strengthening running and confrontation, and the responsibilities of the two wings in midfield were very different, and this asymmetrical formation design became the key to the trend of the game.
The main core sees the sun, and the fate of the two powerhouses is worrying
From being comfortable against Scotland, to being guarded by Hungary, to being surrounded by Swiss generals, Kroos's pressure gradually increased as the game progressed, and the pass success rate continued to decline inadvertently, which greatly affected Germany's attack and defense.
Youleman put Olsen on the full-time target of Kroos, Hojbjerg assisted Alexandre Ba to stifle Musiala's play, and Mailer and Eriksen on the left were in charge of driving the attack.
Cross was heavily guarded.
Mittelstedt made a lot of mistakes against Switzerland, and Raum had the better technical control when he was under pressure.
Building an attacking system around Kroos means that players on the left must have good passing ability, on the right side they need to have speed and attacking ability to open up space on the wings, and that the centre-forwards need to press the centre-backs to create space for their teammates in the back row. Mittelstätt and Jonatan Tower were unable to make quality passes under pressure, and Wirtz and could only catch the ball with a 'dodge-kick' situation, neither of them could help Kroos get out of trouble.
Nagelsmann is unlikely to change half of his starting line-up and can only make changes to key positions, with Phil Kruger's strength being the finishing prowess, and Raum and Leroy Sane being the ideal candidates to strengthen the 'foundation'.
Kroos and Eriksen are both "luxury" players, and it is difficult to build a system around them, and once the combination is successful, it can achieve twice the result with half the effort, and vice versa.
Since the last European Championship, the question of whether or not to continue to build around Eriksen has been the focus of Denmark's tactical blueprint. Eriksen remained central to the World Cup defeat in Qatar, with Ulemann continuing to build up a line around the passer, with the focus of Germany's defence being on limiting his possession. Unlike Kroos, who has a more fixed area of activity, Eriksen has a large range of movement, pulling the side to catch the ball to promote fast attacks when counterattacking, and cruising to the top of the formation to receive long passes in positional battles, so as to get rid of Andrich's marking.
After conceding goals in successive confrontations, Eriksen extended his range of motion and escaped Andrich's marking.
Unable to win Tunisia and Australia in the World Cup, they were drawn by Slovenia and Serbia after moving to the European Championship, and Denmark was plagued by the problem of lack of strikers in two consecutive tournaments. Thanks to the excellent performances of Christian Eriksen and Mellor, Denmark created a number of chances in this campaign, but they failed to find the back of the net, and Juleman's side went out with two clean sheets, and Hojlen still needs to accumulate more experience.
VAR is a strong stealer of the spotlight, and experience is worth a thousand dollars
In the 36th minute of the first half, the game was interrupted due to thunder and lightning. The Danish defence was under pressure during this period, with Kroos and Andrich also making mistakes due to their fitness drop, and both sides were able to take a breather from the timeout. Shortly after the start of the second half, there was another "surprise" in the game, VAR was strong and Josim Andersen experienced the ultimate experience from heaven to hell in a short period of time, and Germany took the lead thanks to Kai Havertz's penalty.
First by quickly organizing a fast attack after the opponent's goal was blown away, and then relying on possession to lure the snake out of the hole when they were ahead, Germany relied on a wealth of experience to instantly break the balance of the game. With a duo of midfield duo dominating the game, young players charging forward and a mix of old and new showing good on-the-spot adaptability, Nagelsmann should be happy with his performance.
Problem: The center proves himself, the squad upgrade "ends here"
Havertz was a mediocre participant in the group stage against Hungary and Switzerland's tough defence, failing to step up with a limited wing-forward combination, and there were plenty of calls for Nagelsmann to take him to the starting XI. Against the tall Danish defender, Havertz will run and play full of confrontations, constantly wear down opponents with lateral and counter-runs, and detour behind the defence to receive long balls, and the goal is the best reward for his tireless efforts, and the debate over the German centre-forward's position may end here.
Havertz's efforts put an end to the debate over the starting centre-forward.
The risks taken by Andrich are obvious, and Kroos's problems are "deep".
Nagelsmann had a plan to start Phil Kruger in accordance with the "public opinion", but in the end he insisted on the strategy of attrition first and then harvesting, and Havertz's excellent performance came just right. Phil Kruger was on the pitch at the same time as Kai Havertz, a routine that Germany had rehearsed before the game, and Emre Can replacing Andrich had already been fixed.
Andrich had to limit Eriksen's receiving while protecting the space behind his teammates, and a lot of confrontations and fouls were inevitable, and after being substituted early for the fourth game in a row, Nagelsmann had made it clear that he would rely on the iron waist relay to ensure Kroos's performance.
From insisting on Kai Havertz as the main striker, to moving Raum and Leroy Sane into the starting line-up, to arranging for Strobek to partner Rudiger, everything Nagelsmann does is an objective requirement for Kroos to build his team.
The only concern is that the 34-year-old has played three straight games and Nagelsmann doesn't seem to be prepared for the game without Kroos. After the expansion of the European Championship, the schedule is lengthened, and the cost of seven successful games can be imagined, Kroos is destined to become the absolute protagonist on the host's road to promotion.