DFB team to Argentina: Serge Gnabry

Goals do not enjoy popularity in football. But maybe that will change in the case of the DFB-Elf retrospectively.

Lucas Ocampos met in Dortmund in the 85th minute to 2-2 final score for the Argentine football selection in the test against the German. And because of a German victory was still a draw after a 2-0 at half-time, it could contribute to the fact that the view of the reality is not wrong.

It turns out that Germany had defeated Argentina, and that with a team that had to compensate for a total of 14 injuries and illness-related failures. Even on Matchday even the center-back Niklas Stark because of a gastrointestinal infection. A team that could only train together once. And that in the end had four newbies in the field. There would have been a few hymns to the resistance forces, to the debutantes, too. And one might even have wondered if German football had already passed the bottom of the 2018 World Cup.

Federico Gambarini / DPA

The German national team is in the identification phase

But the fact is: The DFB-Elf is a team in puberty eight months before the European Championship. She does not know who she is yet. What she really can. And so she tends to feel too big for success and too small for defeat.

"We thought we were already ahead"

Such was the case after the late and somewhat lucky 3-2 victory against the Netherlands in Amsterdam in March, or the two European Championship qualifiers against Belarus and Estonia. Afterwards some players as well as DFB director Oliver Bierhoff gave the impression, as if one believed to be again in world football. Then followed the 2-4 in the second leg against Holland in September. And the just rebuilt self-confidence suffered. In the 2-0 against Northern Ireland shortly thereafter saw the DFB selection long.

"The last few months have not gone so well, we thought we were already ahead," Löw said before the match against Argentina. And this match against a team without his best, Lionel Messi, has actually only brought a certainty: Of the field players proves only attacker Serge Gnabry in this still looking for their identity German national team just constantly his class.

In the past five internationals Gnabry has scored six goals. Against Argentina he scored himself 1-0 and put on the 2-0 for Kai Havertz. Since the cruciate ligament tear of Leroy Sané Gnabry is almost exclusively responsible for the surprise effects - and just also responsible for the countable. In basketball, you call a player you give the ball when it comes to the crucial phase, "go-to-guy". Gnabry is right now for the Löw selection.

The one who always plays

"Over the past few months, Serge has been playing great games and taking an incredible step forward," Löw said. Against Argentina he had "confused the whole defense for a half-time". "Serge is just doing us good - with his momentum, his one-on-one and his degree," said Joshua Kimmich, captain this time. Kimmich was also there when Gnabry scored four goals in the 7-2 against Tottenham for Bayern.

How important Gnabry is now for the German team proved not only the statement before the Holland match, according to which he always plays for Löw. Also the fact that the coach replaced him against Argentina just in the phase, as the South Americans were getting stronger, in order to protect him for the European Championship qualifier against Estonia on Sunday (20.45 / Liveticker SPIEGEL, TV: RTL). "I did not want to let him play for over 90 minutes, because we need him for the next games," Löw said.

Friedemann Vogel / EPA-EFE / REX

Serge Gnabry is Germany's go-to-guy

At the moment he does not have many players for surprise effects. And those he has are dealing with himself:

• Marco Reus is involved in mentality debates with BVB, a latent coach discussion about Lucien Favre and even not in his best phase.
  

• At the age of 20, Havertz still has to grow into his enormous talent.

• Timo Werner, who can produce less effective with the ball, but by speed, has just lost his finishing strength in Leipzig. And when did he actually show a really good game in the national jersey?

Against Argentina were missing Reus (knee problems) and Werner (infection). Both against Estonia will probably be operational - and maybe again Ilkay Gundogans (muscle problems). Still would Julian Brandt, but he has not won a permanent place in the national team nor in his new Dortmund Elf.

No, at the moment it's Gnabry who lends the German game the sophistication and the worrying drive. And that's actually not enough to really be back to world football.