Four big takeaways from Germany’s EURO 2024 run

The German national team saw its run end in a dramatic, intense 2-1 loss at the hands of Spain in the EURO 2024 quarterfinals.

There was much to ponder about the squad’s performance, so let’s get to it with four big takeaways from Germany’s showing at the EUROs.

Germany has two bonafide superstars, but they need help

Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz are superstars in the making — and that is a hell of a place to start for the German national team.

However, they both prefer to play the same position (attacking midfield) and they need players to compliment them in both the attack and the buildup.

For all intents and purposes, Musiala should embrace a winger role for Germany, barring the use of a 3-4-2-1 or some other Frankenstein formation that Nagelsmann might concoct for the 2026 World Cup.

Now, Nagelsmann must find a way to build a team around the two attackers to get the best out of them — and he must also not have such a quick trigger on Wirtz like he did during this tourney. When he had a sliver of doubt about Wirtz, Nagelsmann opted for one of his favorites, Leroy Sané, who was still not 100% healthy and definitely not 100% in-form.

The Bayer Leverkusen ace has a knack for making clutch plays and looks far more comfortable now with Germany than he did just a few months ago. That said, he must find a way to be more impactful and limit the times he disappears from games for long stretches.

As for Musiala, the 21-year-old was one of the tourney’s bright spots, but fell back into the trap of forcing things offensive and making poor decisions in the final third during the loss to Spain. Musiala’s game needs to mature a bit, but Die Mannschaft is in an excellent place when it comes to star power because of both Musiala and Wirtz.

Germany needs a striker than can combine the best of Havertz and Füllkrug

At times, Kai Havertz successfully executed Nagelsmann’s game plan in making terrific runs to get behind the opposition’s backline. At other times, Niclas Füllkrug was the perfect target man, using his size and strength to wear down the opposing center-backs.

Unfortunately, there was no way to morph the best of each player together. Ultimately, both struggled with finishing and wasted too many chances, which played a major role in why Germany lost to Spain.

So…who can step up?

The obvious answer at this stage is Hoffenheim youngster Maximilian Beier. Beier is 21-years-old, 1.85m (just about 6 feet, 1 inch), extremely fast, and has shown a knack for finishing. What Beier needs to do is add more physical strength to his frame. At just 154 pounds (69.8 kg), Beier is extremely slight (far smaller than Füllkrug and Havertz) and needs muscle — but he must do it the right way and not bulk up so much that he loses his speed.

It is a tricky balance, but that is why Hoffenheim and the DFB employee sports nutrition experts. Beier could eventually man for the job…but will he be ready for the 2026 World Cup?

If Beier cannot start to transform his frame, he could play as a wing, where his speed and goal-scoring touch would be welcome.

There is hope for the next generation, but it won’t be a seamless transition

Germany does have a nice crop of young players, plus some entering the respective primes of their careers — however, there will be massive losses of experience and leadership.

Toni Kroos is gone, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, and İlkay Gündoğan could join him. Antonio Rüdiger and Pascal Groß are aging. There will be many roster changes…but who will step up?

Germany has not done a bang up job of developing talent in recent years, but players like Beier, Aleksandar Pavlović, Angelo Stiller, Brajan Gruda, Rocco Reitz, Assan Ouédraogo, Tom Bischof, Paris Brunner, Luca Netz, Paul Wanner (if he chooses Germany over Austria), Armel Bella-Kotchap, Malick Thiaw, and many others will likely be given long looks.

Over the years, many German prospects have been highly-touted before flaming out — can the group above make the jump to the senior team…and prove they are good enough stay there?

Aside of that, Germany needs new leaders to take the reins. Joshua Kimmich seems like the perfect man for the job. His intensity, ability to connect with many players, and performances show that he should be the next German player wearing the armband. Kimmich is 29-years-old, which means that he will not have a long reign as the team’s skipper, but he deserves it — even if Gündoğan decides to stay on.

Germany is back

It is not perfect, but the EURO 2024 tournament represented progress for the German national team. Moves need to be made, coaching needs to be better, and players need to develop, but for the first time since Hansi Flick’s first 10 games as manager, Germany looked like a top five team in the worlds…and that means something.

Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Germany’s crushing 2-1 loss to Spain? We have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. We have takes on Julian Nagelsmann’s controversial starting XI, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and ideas on how this all fell apart in front of an absolutely electric crowd. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: