Match Awards from Germany’s extremely disappointing friendly against Ukraine

With no Bayern Munich on tap for a while, the German national team is in focus, so let’s take a look at how they did in their friendly vs Ukraine…

Jersey Swap: Oleksandr Zinchenko

Ukraine put in their best today, and Zinchenko was all for it. He put in the most work on the pitch. Defending the back line as best as he could, and also pushing Ukraine into the final third, Zinchenko played this game with full steam and it was clear the whole time. While he may not have been at his best form, he was clearly the better Ukrainian on the pitch. Viktor Tsigankov and Taras Stepanenko deserve a mention too, though, the captain and the Girona midfielder put in some great shifts.

Der Kaiser: Maximilian Mittelstaedt

The left-back had a pretty decent game today, considering he created the most chances in the game. He seemed to be more focused on the attack, but was always there if the back line needed him. His clearances and recoveries made sure Ukraine didn’t score, but he also was there to push Germany to a goal (unfortunately, we need players that can actually finish those chances, looking at you Gundo). Joshua Kimmich was very close too, but overall, Mittelstaedt’s performances were better.

Fußballgott: Robert Andrich

Andrich didn’t have as much of a sloppy game as some of the other German players, and he seemed to be laser focused on the attack. His long balls into the final third, shots at goal, and all his touches in Ukraine’s half more than proved that. He put in a good shift at the midfield and had his foot on the gas the whole time. It was clear to see he really really wanted to score, but perhaps he isn’t the man for the job.

Der Bomber: Nobody

The front line struggled the whole game and failed to convert multiple chances that really should have been immediate goals. Jamal Musiala and Maximilian Beier looked like Germany’s only hopes to score a goal, but even they failed to net the ball. It wasn’t for the lack of chances that nothing was scored, the German attackers simply lacked the ability to finish all of those chances. Mittelstaedt alone created 5 big chances for the team, but no one could finish them. İlkay Gündoğan had perhaps the worst time on the pitch, and couldn’t seem to convert any of the chances that came his way. Giving him the captain’s armband and playing him in the number 10 position is probably one of the biggest mistakes Nags made this game. Overall, the attacking line up needs to train harder and practice actually scoring before the Euros.

Meister of the Match: Pascal Groß

Groß carried Germany’s game today and it was more than clear he deserved to win Man of the Match from the get go. The Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder was the best player on the pitch by far. If his teammates played the football that he did, today’s game would not have ended in a goalless draw. Groß had the most passes on the pitch, created big chances, took some big shots, and made a big impact in Germany’s defensive half. Groß seemed to be everywhere on the pitch, and he no doubt deserves to be Julian Nagelsmann’s first choice midfielder.

What did you think of our award selection? Who else deserves a shout? Let us know in the comments below!

Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Germany’s 0-0 draw with Ukraine? Then Bavarian Football Works has you covered! Get all of Cyler’s takes on Germany’s tune-up friendly ahead of what could be a very interesting EURO 2024 competition on Spotify or below: