What Lessons Can Germany Learn From The UEFA Nations League Finals?

The UEFA Nations League finals in Munich and Stuttgart have ended in disappointment for hosts Germany. After losing the semifinal 2-1 to Portugal on Wednesday, Germany fell 2-0 to France in front of 51,313 spectators at the MHPArena in the third-place final thanks to goals by Kylian Mbappé (45’) and Michael Olise (84’).

It is the first time Germany has lost two games in a row in the Julian Nagelsmann era since November 2023, when his team were defeated by Türkiye (3-2) and Austria (2-0). Granted, the level of opponents was different this time around, but still, there is a risk this could be considered a setback.

Perhaps it is best to view the two games separately. The performance against Portugal was, without a doubt, the worst since November 2023. Germany had a few good moments, took the lead, and then, after Nagelsmann made the changes, stopped playing football.

Against France, it was a bit different. Germany completely dominated the guests in the first half, and it was only thanks to a brilliant moment by Mbappé that France took the lead into halftime.

“We talked a lot about the first game,” national team captain Joshua Kimmich said after the game. “I think we showed what we’re capable of in the first half today, that we’re able to react.” So, what was missing? “We simply weren’t good enough in front of the goal,” Kimmich said, but then he quickly urged the public not to overreact. “Overall, we simply can’t lose patience so quickly.”

Nick Woltemade, Pascal Groß (both 2’), then Niclas Füllkrug and Leon Goretzka (5’) tested Mike Maignan early on. Finally, in the sixth minute, Karim Adeyemi forced a fantastic save from Maignan as well. Adeyemi then had a penalty overturned in the 35th minute.

And France? In the 43rd minute, Mbappé had his first good moment in the box and scored with a fantastic, curled effort. It was a brilliant individual moment that highlighted the difference between the two teams.

Our attacking players like Karim Adeyemi and Nick Woltemade still need to mature at this level; unfortunately, our finishing quality wasn’t good today,” Nagelsmann said after the game. “We must create chances, but we also have to finish them.”

Still, Nagelsmann believed that more was possible on Sunday. “Given the chances and the course of the game, France’s win was undeserved,” Nagelsmann said. “We should have taken the lead based on our chances, but we have to put the ball over the line ourselves.”

Is Nagelsmann right? Germany certainly had long sequences in which they were better. Die Nationalmannschaft also had 56% possession, had an xG of 2.55 compared to France’s 2.33, and fired 20 to 15 shots on goal. Germany was also unlucky that Deniz Undav’s equalizer was called back—an argument can be made that Füllkrug, who was bleeding out of his mouth, was fouled by Adrien Rabiot and not the other way around.

All that doesn’t matter; unlike previous national team encounters between the two nations, it was France who was more efficient with its chances. An issue that already plagued Die Nationalmannschaft against Portugal on Wednesday.

So, what is the fix? “In the end, you have to win against a top team when you create so many chances,” Nagelsmann said. “We played very attractively and created many chances. But part of football is also taking advantage of those chances.”

The Nations League certainly has the potential to get there. Woltemade, especially, is a striker with enormous potential. But he also showed that he needs more experience at this level. The same can be said about Adeyemi.

There is also the good news that two of Germany’s most dangerous players weren’t available: Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz. Florian Wirtz, in particular, seemed ineffective at times without his congenial partner Musiala in the attack. Indeed, the Bayern forward might not be as impactful as Wirtz, but he is more chaotic, and that was lacking for Germany this week.