England vs. Germany: 6 Things We Learned
Classic rivals England and Germany met at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday night and it was the visiting team who came away with the spoils.
Per Mertesacker's headed goal in the 39th minute was enough to secure a 1-0 win for Germany, as England fell to their second straight defeat at home.
Here are six things we learned from the game.
England Can't Win the World Cup
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Twice in a week England have been outplayed in their magnificent Wembley fortress.
Against both Chile and Germany, the hosts enjoyed spells of dominance, but in both cases they ended up on the losing side as the opposition were able to up the tempo at critical moments and ensure they capitalised on the scoreboard.
Chile are an excellent side at the moment, but in terms of South American teams, Colombia and Uruguay are arguably on a similar level, while Argentina and Brazil could be considered more formidable opponents.
Germany are without doubt one of the strongest—if not the strongest—teams in Europe, but their starting 11 on Tuesday night was missing a host of key players. The likes of Spain and Italy are in the same postcode as far as competitiveness is concerned, and there are several other European sides pushing up from behind.
England would have to beat at least two such teams to win the World Cup and they have shown in this pair of friendlies that they are simply not good enough to do so.
Germany Have Depth
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Players who were not in Germany's squad at Wembley included Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil, Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez, Lukas Podolski, Thomas Muller, Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer, while such talents as Julian Draxler, Mats Hummels and Andre Schurrle started on the bench.
Brazil and Spain are perhaps the only other international teams that can boast such depth.
Townsend Is Genuine Class
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Tottenham's exciting young midfielder Andros Townsend has been in fine form for his club side and impressed in his first few outings in international football.
Against Germany, he showed that his early England displays were no flash in the pan by providing some genuine spark going forward.
While many of his teammates seemed to attack aimlessly at times, Townsend—with head raised so he was aware of his surroundings—regularly sucked German defenders towards him with elusive and incisive runs.
As he polishes his game, he should become a real star for the national team.
Hart Is Still Making Bad Decisions
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The struggling 'keeper pulled off a couple of fine saves in this match, but one moment in the second half will ensure that doubts about his mindset will continue.
Joe Hart inexplicably rushed out of his area to retrieve a ball, crashing into Chris Smalling in the process.
The incident did not cost his side a goal on this occasion, but it does show he is probably still not in the right headspace.
Germany's Defence Is Looking Good
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Under Joachim Low, Germany have played some gorgeous, attacking football.
At times during his tenure, though, the side appeared somewhat vulnerable at the back, conceding more goals than would normally be expected from a German national team.
At present, the back four look well-organised and solid, however, and they did well to snuff out England's attacks in this game, especially when left exposed by their midfield as the game opened up in the second half.
Age Hasn't Curbed Gerrard's Penchant for Taking Risks
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The Liverpool talisman conceded possession on numerous occasions throughout the match when he attempted optimistic long-range passes or shots from distance.
The hard-running midfielder has the ability to win matches on his own, courtesy of such high-risk plays, but with 108 caps to his name, he should have learned by now that, in most situations, a simple pass is the more sensible option.
In a tight game against a top team such as Germany, possession is a valuable commodity that should be cherished.
