Great start to a new era: As long as we have Musiala, Wirtz everything is fine

The European Championships in our own country have sparked a new euphoria. The German national team is finally playing beautiful, exciting football again. But will it continue like this after the tournament? Can the DFB eleven keep up the momentum? And all of this without the last remaining world champions and without captain Ilkay Gündogan? What will that look like?

Pretty good, actually! In party one of the post-Müller/Kroos/Neuer/Gündogan era, in party one of the Nations League edition, Germany dismantled our European Championship group opponents Hungary. 5:0! The national team can put on a spectacle again.

New era in the national team

The mini-restart was successful, we can breathe a sigh of relief. Even without the strong and world-class players who have shaped this team for over a decade, this team is ready for more.

To pin it on just two people would not be fair and does not reflect the strong overall performance of Nagelsmann’s team. But on this hot September evening in the wonderful (from the inside, not the outside) Düsseldorf Merkur Spiel Arena, two players transferred their joy of playing to the colorful seats. And they let you feel the optimism that is marked by certainty: With Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz in the ranks, everything will be fine!

The two footballers are simply fun. Nagelsmann lets them gamble, as they say on the football pitch. They can do magic, have freedom with the ball and are then capable of anything. The poor of Hungary are feeling this youthful chutzpah mercilessly.

Goal gala against Hungary: Musiala and Wirtz conjure up magic

They have their feet in play in almost every attack – and in the goals, of course.

1:0: Wirtz brings the ball beautifully to the far post, where David Raum passes it to Musiala. Musiala takes the ball beautifully and unselfishly sets up Niclas Füllkrug.

2:0: Corner for Hungary, Raum clears. Wirtz sends Musiala on his way, who remains ice-cold in front of goal.

3:0: Musiala returns the favor and sets up Wirtz in the penalty area. He is also ice cold.

4:0: Wirtz to Musiala, who volleys to Aleksandar Pavlovic, another promising German star, debut goal for the Bayern youngster.

When the score was 5-0, it was then up to others. Kai Havertz dribbled into the penalty area and won a penalty. He coolly converted it himself. This was a relief for the Arsenal star, as he had previously hit the crossbar twice.

“It’s a pleasure to see Musiala and Wirtz play”

Füllkrug spoke of a “pleasure to see Musiala and Wirtz play”. It was “a gift. All German spectators will have a lot of fun with it in the coming years,” said the striker enthusiastically. For Nagelsmann, too, “in addition to the potential to win the Ballon d’Or,” Musiala himself

Musiala himself blushed at all the praise and said very modestly: “Playing with Flo is always fun. If we are in rhythm and have self-confidence, we can play around all evening.”

Every attack is a work of art, and not just from the artists Musiala and Wirtz. Quick passes over several stations, shifts across the entire field, fast attacking football at its finest. Pascal Groß is convincing in the Kroos role as director and pacesetter.

DFB weaknesses are concealed

But not everything was perfect by any means. The utilization of opportunities was miserable (yes, really! At least in the first half), and the defense was sometimes very lucky that the Hungarians did not know how to better exploit the large gaps in the defense chain.

Despite several tricky situations, Marc-Andre ter Stegen never had to intervene – until his brilliant save just before the 5-0. So everything is fine between the posts too – but did anyone have any doubts?

It was a first game, a first taste of what this team is capable of even without the world champion generation. There will be more bumpy games to come, problems will become more visible, which other opponents will know how to exploit. But that doesn’t matter on this evening in Düsseldorf. Even after the European Championship, the DFB team conveys a positive feeling. “We hope that we will see many more games like today,” said captain Kimmich. The new era, it can be pretty awesome. Thanks to Musiala and Wirtz.