In what was Germany’s biggest challenge of the tournament so far, the U-21s came up big with a statement performance over tournament favorites, England. It is looking now as though Germany has a real chance to prove to the world, they are a serious football nation. While this is not a senior level, fans can expect to see a lot of these players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and in the future.
No Woltemade, no problem
There was an outcry from fans when manager Antonio Di Salvo did not name Nick Woltemade in the starting XI. Clearly for rotation purposes and not performance-related, but still some fans were disappointed with the decision. However, Di Salvo’s squad has made it clear there is not one man in this offense. Germany has now scored more goals than anyone in this tournament in the group stage.
Paul Wanner’s woes continue
Despite such an arsenal of offensive options and contributions for virtually anyone in attack, Paul Wanner has yet to make his mark once more. The coveted Bayern Munich talent is starting to raise concerns as maybe Heidenheim was not the problem, and perhaps Wanner still has lots of work to do.
Antonio Di Salvo is the real deal
The next Hansi Flick or Julian Nagelsmann? Di Salvo has been excellent with the U21 squad in recent months and has turned this team into tournament favorites. The former Bayern Munich youth manager has been serving with the DFB since 2013 and will surely be looking for his big break soon.
Germany should feel optimistic heading into knockouts
Germany have succeeded in each test so far this tournament. While there have been issues such as successfully clearing the box of aerial balls, Di Salvo’s squad should feel confident heading into the knockout stage. Three wins from the title now, Italy await them on Sunday to reignite an iconic matchup. Italy appear to be strong, but lack the firepower Germany has, scoring just one goal in each of their three matchups.
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