Lukas Weber will be covering Germany throughout the World Cup for Bet9ja, bringing previews, betting insight and tournament analysis.
Germany are trying to become Germany again
That probably sounds strange, but every Germany fan knows exactly what I mean.
For most of football history, Germany at tournaments meant certainty. You expected discipline, control, mentality, and deep runs. Then suddenly came 2018 and 2022. Back-to-back group stage exits that honestly felt impossible for a country with our history.
That aura disappeared.
Now, for the first time in years, it feels like Germany are slowly getting it back under Julian Nagelsmann.
How Germany Reached the World Cup
- Qualification record: 5W-1L-0D
- Goals for / against: 16 / 3
- Top scorer: Nick Woltemade (4)
- Top assists: Florian Wirtz, David Raum, Leroy Sané (2)
Qualification started badly with a shock defeat to Slovakia, and immediately the panic started again back home.
But after that, Germany settled down properly.
Five straight wins, lots of control in possession, and much more attacking fluency than we’ve seen in recent tournaments. The important thing was not just the results, but that the team actually started looking confident again.
Players looked like they enjoyed playing for Germany, which honestly had not always been the case recently.
Germany’s Group Fixtures
- Germany vs Curaçao – 14 June – Texas, USA
- Germany vs Côte d’Ivoire – 20 June – Toronto, Canada
- Ecuador vs Germany – 25 June – New Jersey, USA
The Ecuador game feels like the real test because they are athletic, aggressive, and dangerous in transition.
Those are exactly the types of matches Germany have struggled with in recent tournaments.
Why This Germany Team Feels Different
The biggest reason for optimism is the young attacking players.
For the first time since probably the Özil and Müller generation, Germany have attackers capable of creating genuine chaos for opponents. Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz especially feel like players who can define an entire era for Germany.
And under Nagelsmann, there is much more tactical flexibility than before.
Germany still want possession and control, but there is more movement, more unpredictability, and more willingness to attack space quickly instead of endlessly recycling the ball.
Players Who Will Define Our Tournament
Everything creatively revolves around Musiala and Wirtz.
When those two combine between the lines, Germany suddenly look like a completely different level of team. Musiala especially feels like the player opponents fear most because he can escape pressure in impossible situations.
I’m also fascinated by Nick Woltemade because Germany have desperately needed a proper goalscorer to emerge.
And quietly, I think Joshua Kimmich could end up being Germany’s most important player overall because of the leadership and balance he gives this side.
The Tactical Questions
The biggest concern is still the striker situation.
Germany create chances, but there are still doubts about whether someone can consistently finish them in the biggest moments. Kai Havertz links play brilliantly, but there are matches where Germany need a more ruthless penalty-box presence.
Defensively, there are concerns too.
The high line can become vulnerable against direct counter-attacking teams, and Germany still do not look fully convincing when matches become chaotic.
That said, tournament football is often about momentum, and Germany are starting to feel dangerous again.
What Germany Expects This Summer
The expectation in Germany is not necessarily to win the World Cup.
Honestly, most fans just want to feel proud of the national team again after the embarrassment of the last two tournaments.
Of course, if Germany reach the quarter-finals or semi-finals, belief will grow quickly because that is the history of this country. Once Germany smell momentum at a tournament, things can change very fast.
But the absolute minimum is getting out of the group and looking like a serious football team again.
Lukas’s Predicted Germany XI
Formation: 4-2-3-1
GK: Oliver Baumann (Or Manuel Neuer if he returns)
RB: Joshua Kimmich
CB: Jonathan Tah
CB: Nico Schlotterbeck
LB: David Raum
CM: Aleksandar Pavlovi?
CM: Leon Goretzka
RW: Serge Gnabry
AM: Jamal Musiala
LW: Florian Wirtz
FW: Kai Havertz
My Expectation for Germany
I don’t think Germany are favourites, but I do think they are dangerous.
There is too much talent in the attacking areas for bigger nations to completely ignore them, and Nagelsmann feels like the right coach for this new generation.
The biggest thing is mentality.
If Germany can rediscover that calmness and ruthlessness they always had at tournaments before 2018, then nobody will want to play them in the knockout rounds.
Quickfire
- Best group-stage fixture: Ecuador vs Germany
- Biggest concern: Lack of a clinical striker
- Player I’m most excited for: Jamal Musiala
- Potential breakout player: Nick Woltemade
- Team I least want Germany to face: France
