2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship: Tuesday's Day 7 Takeaways

Group A of the European Under-21 Championship is done and dusted. Close the books, file the ledgers. Denmark have qualified in top spot after beating Serbia 2-0, while Germany edged a draw out of hosts Czech Republic to qualify in second, simultaneously knocking Jakub Dovalil's men out.

Here, B/R runs through its top takeaways from the evening. 

1. Would the real Germany please stand up?

On Day 4 of the championship, just after Germany had finished making mincemeat of eventual Group A winners Denmark, we declared: This is the Deutsche side we all fear.

The performance had followed a pretty drab showing against Serbia, ending in a 1-1 draw, and the remarkable upturn visible on the pitch led many to believe Horst Hrubesch's men were simply working out the demons in the opener; that they'd come alive and would kick on.

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

But another iffy showing to close the group stage, this time against the Czech Republic, leaves us wholly unable to gauge or judge the Germans. What we do know is they should have walked Group A—they're by far the strongest side in it on paper—but only managed to finish second, unbeaten, but with just a single win to their names.

There's something to be said for the circumstances in which they played on Tuesday night, as the Czechs were fighting tooth and nail for a victory that would see them qualify, and the 16,000-plus home crowd certainly made a difference. But we saw a third side to die Deutsche in as many games; if the first performance was poor and the second was amazing, perhaps this one was best described, quite simply, as "meh."

Would the real Germany please stand up? Will Max Meyer spark into form? Will Hrubesch please simply start Leonardo Bittencourt from now on?

2. Picking meat from the bones: Czech Republic edition

The Czech Republic bowed out of this tournament, predictably, at the group stage, but they offered far more fight and flutter than many expected. Deemed the worst team in the competition on paper before kick-off by yours truly, they've excited, entertained and enthralled at times.

The 4-0 victory over Serbia was one of the finest, most overwhelmingly dominant performances the European Under-21 Championship has ever seen, but the game was sandwiched between lesser performances that have ultimately cost Dovalil and company.

Thoughts will turn toward who in this Czech team is worth picking up, and we're here to reliably pick the meat from the bones in this respect. Divvying up the players is easy but may cause some controversy: While Pavel Kaderabek and Ondrej Petrak undoubtedly shone, Jan Kliment's performances must be viewed with a sense of guardedness and skepticism.

Matej Divizna/Getty Images

It's the much-feared "small sample size" and "tournament setting" that will work in the striker's favour; he scored three goals, all in a magnificent display against Serbia, and flashed potential in the other two.

But the Serbia game was not a normal game. The flow was different, the opposition gave up, and it can be marked a genuine anomaly; the sort of game an international tournament might throw up. If you remove the anomaly from the equation, you have a player who made some good runs in the first half against Denmark and managed two nice dribbles against Germany. Don't get carried away.

On the other hand, Kaderabek, signed by Hoffenheim on the eve of the tournament, has show consistent brilliance from right-back and has a good future ahead of him. Petrak was an absolute demon in the middle, picking up two assists and getting through good, commanding tackles.

Those are the two Czech Republic players who deserve most acclaim from this tournament; beware the inflated Kliment hype.

3. If Fischer sparks, the Danes are dangerous

Following on neatly from our German concerns, Denmark have hardly been a beacon of consistency either. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is not his usual dominant self because of fatigue, injuries have disrupted the midfield and defence, and no one is doing the damage up front on a reliable basis.

Despite qualifying top of Group A with six points and two wins, it feels as though Jess Thorup's men have yet to truly find their way in an attacking sense. But on Tuesday night a Danish striker scored for the first time this tournament, as Viktor Fischer neatly controlled Hojbjerg's free-kick and finished with ease.

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

Thorup started with Fischer up front and dropped him for Nicolai Brock-Madsen in the second game but has reverted back to him after the latter did precisely nothing positive against Germany. This Danish side seem built to play in a free-flowing, attacking manner, and Brock-Madsen is a bad, bad fit for the team dynamic.

But if Fischer is sparking into life, then the Danes truly do become the dark-horse tip some have offered. The Ajax man plays almost like a false nine when lining up centrally, and if the interchanges start flowing everyone will benefit.

It's a huge surprise Yussuf Poulsen has not yet netted—although he has missed two golden chances, both created by himself, for himself—but he's burdened by disjointed attacking play. With the buildup game failing, the Danish have been too quick to punt longer balls at Yurary's big frame in hope that his athleticism can spark a chance. If things take a more controlled, measured turn, perhaps we'll finally see the best of the lanky faux-wide man.

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