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Germany European Championship Record
Winners: 1972, 1988, 1996
Runners-up: 1976, 1992, 2008
3rd place: 1988, 2012
Group stage: 1984, 2000, 2004
Did not qualify: 1968
Did not enter: 1960, 1964
Total: W23 D10 L10 65:45
Germany Euro 2021 Qualifying Record
W7 D1 L2 24:9
Germany Euro 2021 Group Fixtures
12th June @21:00 – Germany vs Ukraine (Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)
16th June @21:00 – Germany vs Poland (Stade de France, Paris)
21st June @18:00 – Northern Ireland vs Germany (Parc des Princes, Paris)
Road to Euro 2021
The World Cup holders needed a while to rebuild the squad after several star players decided to retire from international football, as the hard-fought win over Scotland was followed by 2-0 defeat in Poland and 1-1 home draw against Republic of Ireland. But, just as people started thinking that Die Mannschaft might not be able to progress from the group, they started playing to their potential and quickly climbed the overall standings.
Joachim Low’s side went on to win six of last seven group games to secure the first place in the group, although the narrow defeat in Ireland hinted they still had work to do ahead of the Euro 2021 finals. Usual suspect Thomas Muller was team’s best player in the qualifying campaign, notching nine goals in as many games, whereas max Kruse and Mario Gotze contributed with three each. Matthias Ginter, Erik Durm, Karim Bellarabi and Sebastian Rudy all got a chance to shine, and some of them could be on the plane to France.
Style of Play
Germany’s preferred style of play is 4-2-3-1, with double pivot in central midfield and four attack-minded footballers in front of them, who are given freedom to roam around the pitch, thus creating headaches for opposition defenders. Rather than using an out-an-out striker like revived Mario Gomez, Joachim Low is widely expected to utilise either Mario Gotze or Thomas Muller as a false nine, for the sole reason of wanting his most advanced player to be very mobile and make short runs in all directions to draw opposition defenders out of their usual positions and their comfort zones.
This creates plenty of space for the likes of Julian Draxler, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller, when he is on the right wing, to make forward runs and finish off what are usually well worked team moves. Said formation tends to switch to 4-4-2 when defending, as Germany like to press high, often causing the opponents to make mistakes in their own half and subsequently launch swift counter-attacks that often prove lethal.
When attacking, Die Mannschaft can at times move the ball around quickly, taking full advantage of one-touch football, but also pass it patiently when the opposition defends deep, waiting for the perfect opportunity to create goalscoring chances. It is this versatility in the attacking phase that makes Germany virtually impossible to contain, while their never say die attitude gives them an extra edge at these kinds of tournaments.
Joachim Low will have the courtesy of introducing traditional centre forward Mario Gomez as his plan B, while the 3-6-1 experiment in the 4-1 hammering of Italy in March is enough to suggest that one of world’s most talented coaches has got few more tricks up his sleeve.
When it comes to potential weaknesses, full-back positions can certainly fall into this category, while risky passes to and from Manuel Neuer are something that their opponents will definitely be looking to exploit, as pouncing on one such mistake could just be the easiest way to score against Germany.
Strong Points
- Rarely disappoint at major tournaments
- Plenty of attacking outlets
- Never say die attitude
- Good strength in depth
- Lethal on the counter-attack
- Utilise multiple tactical systems
- The Thomas Muller effect
- Wealth of international experience
Weak Spots
- Full-back positions
- Lack of cover for Hummels & Boateng
- Risky passes to Neuer
Germany Euro 2021 Starting Line-Up
Missing: Ilkay Gundogan (injury), Marco Reus (injury)
Prediction
The 2014 World Cup triumph took a lot off pressure of Joachim Low and his men, but also created some problems as key members Lahm, Klose and Mertesacker retired from international football. Die Mannschaft head coach has since worked hard to rebuild the squad and while there is still room for improvement, he has done enough to ensure that Germany can mount a serious title challenge at the Euro 2021 finals.
Arriving in France with the team at least as strong as the one that went all the way in Brazil, Germany are almost certain to reach the final stages, but some defensive issues may prevent them from winning the coveted trophy. Nevertheless, boasting such an impressive midfield department and having perfected the false nine system, we are backing Die Mannschaft to finish as runners-up behind hosts France.
IST Tip: Germany to reach the final
Odds: 3.00 (2/1) @Betfair
Interesting Markets
*Germany to win Euro 2021 is 4.33 (10/3) @888sport
*Thomas Muller to be Euro 2021 top goalscorer is 9.00 (8/1) @Betfair
*Germany to win Group C is 1.40 (2/5) @bet365
*Germany to be highest scoring team is 4.75 (15/4) @Unibet
Special Offers
*Germany to win Euro 2021 is 16/1 (17.0)
*Muller to be Euro 2021 top goalscorer is 30/1 (31.0)
Germany Euro 2021 Squad:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen);
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Emre Can (Liverpool), Jonas Hector (FC Koln), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia), Antonio Rudiger (Roma), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke);
Midfielders: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Andre Schurrle (Wolfsburg), Julian Draxler (Wolfsburg), Leroy Sane (Schalke), Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund);
Forwards: Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez (Besiktas), Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray).
Last updated: 5th June 2016
