Spain vs Germany: The evolution of 2 European powerhouses
Spain vs Germany is always a heavyweight clash, regardless of where the sides find themselves in the world rankings or what stage of a tournament they meet.
Growing pains will be visible, as 2 emerging teams forge fresh identities with new personnel in 2022 and beyond.
WC22 vs WC18: Tale of the Tape
Spain
Starting XI vs Costa Rica in 2022: Simón; Azpilicueta, Rodri, Laporte, Alba; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Torres, Asensio, Olmo
Spain thrashed Costa Rica 7-0 with 6 different goalscorers. The average age of that starting side was
26.1
and if you contrast that with the average age of the starting XI in their round of 16 defeat to Russia on penalties, it’s clear in which direction this Spain philosophy is moving.
Starting XI vs Russia in the 2018 round of 16: De Gea; Nacho, Pique, Ramos, Alba; Koke, Busquets; Asensio, Silva, Isco; Diego Costa
The average age of this side was
28.3
, which is a notable difference of more than 2 years per player.
Germany
Starting XI vs Japan in 2022: Neuer; Süle, Rüdiger, Schlotterbeck, Raum; Kimmich, Gündogan; Gnabry, Musiala, Havertz; Müller
The average age of this side is
27.1
, which is identical to the average age of their starting XI which lost to South Korea in the group stage in 2018. As defending champions, they were embarrassingly dumped out in the groups.
Starting XI vs South Korea in the 2018 group stage: Neuer; Kimmich, Süle, Hummels, Hector; Khedira, Kroos; Goretzka, Özil, Reus; Werner
Talking tactics and key personnel
Spain
Spain’s 4-3-3 is designed to give veteran holding midfielder Sergio Busquets protection flanked by young duo Pedri and Gavi. This all-Barcelona trio boasts plenty of cohesion and chemistry. Gavi in particular shone against Costa Rica, becoming the youngest goalscorer at a World Cup since Pelé in 1958, aged 18 years and 110 days. Pedri shuttled around the pitch and looked composed on the ball as ever, with Busquets directing traffic.
3 of Spain’s 4 full-backs in Qatar are the wrong side of 30 so they’ll be grateful for the youthful exuberance and lateral coverage of the pitch that Pedri so tirelessly brings. In the centre of defence, Man City’s Aymeric Laporte might not be as vocal as iconic Spanish defenders of yesteryear like Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué and Sergio Ramos, but he’s polished on the ball and aggressive in aerial duels.
In wide areas, manager Luis Enrique will be hoping that terrifically talented 20-year-old Ansu Fati can dust off a rough patch owing to injury and a loss of form to show the world what he’s capable of. You don’t get handed Lionel Messi’s old number 10 Barcelona jersey for nothing.
With regular out-and-out striker Álvaro Morata not quite as clinical as the most premium finishers on the planet, Spain will need goals from their wide attackers. Fati, Ferran Torres and the intriguing option of Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams need to step up in that regard.
As ever, Spain are a side that love to hog possession of the ball. This year, they are likely to be more direct in the final third, with the smart movement of Dani Olmo a BIG feature.
A 7-0 win in the opening game is a more than encouraging start, as the 2010 champs look to spread the goals around in the absence of a prolific, traditional number 9.
Germany
Hansi Flick’s 4-2-3-1 and its efficiency is wholly dependent on Joshua Kimmich as the more disciplined member of a double pivot in midfield. He knows Kimmich well from their days together at Bayern, and Kimmich knows how to play most positions on a football pitch.
Man City man Ilkay Gündogan will have licence to roam ahead of the ball as he does for his club, but that could see Spain attain a numerical superiority in the centre of the park in this key battle.
Germany can be susceptible to counter-attacking situations with neither Niklas Süle nor Nico Schlotterbeck blessed with electric pace in defence. That’s where Kimmich’s all-round brilliance as a converted holding midfielder will be key. Die Mannschaft’s lack of pace in transitions was savagely exposed by waves of second-half attacks from Japan.
Where they do possess electric pace, however, is in wide attacking areas with Leroy Sané (26) and Serge Gnabry (27) both producing numbers associated with elite strikers.
Gnabry in particular has started the 2022/23 club season in fiery fashion, already hitting double figures for both goals and assists across all competitions. Also recall that Sané achieved the same feat in consecutive Premier League seasons while at Man City. He wasn’t 100% ready for the Costa Rica game, but he should be back for this one.
In the “number 10” role, 19-year-old Jamal Musiala is their new Bastian Schweinsteiger with a sprinkling of Mesut Özil. There is almost nothing this guy cannot do in attacking midfield, and he’s the second-youngest scorer in both Germany and Bayern Munich history.
Like Spain, Germany prefer to operate without a conventional striker, but the ever-creative Thomas Müller often has a free role to facilitate behind the technically gifted false 9 Kai Havertz. Musiala can also get ahead of the ball and into scoring positions. Hansi Flick and his charges have work to do after the defeat to Japan, but German teams can never be ruled out.
Germany more vulnerable when they have the ball
With the Germans susceptible to pacey breaks, their best bet might be to let Spain have the ball for prolonged periods. With Gavi, Pedri and Busquets all supreme technicians, they might not have an option anyway.
Notable head-to-heads
The last meeting between these sides at a World Cup was the semi-final of 2010, where Spain triumphed 1-0 en route to winning the tournament. Spain also beat Germany in the Euro 2008 final by the same scoreline. When the clutch occasions arrived, La Roja had the edge. They also stunned Germany 6-0 in their most recent collision in the Nations League 2 years ago.
Exciting new rivalry on the cards
Right now these sides feel as evenly-matched as they’ve been for years, despite their contrasting fortunes on matchday 1, and that points to a thrilling Group E meeting on Sunday 27th November with so much on the line. The likes of Musiala and Pedri could be tussling for the BIGGEST prizes in years to come.
This is just the start of it.