For the first time since 1982, Germany lost their opening game at a World Cup. Even more surprising if the fact they did not deserve anything more from their Moscow meeting with Mexico.
Juan Carlos Osorio’s side were thrashed 4-1 by what was essentially a Germany B team at last summer’s Confederations Cup, with die Mannschaft taking advantage of the ample space they were afforded in the centre of the park. The roles were almost reversed here, as Mexico came flying out of the traps and continually sliced through opposition who afforded them far too much room between midfield and defence.
Mexico were thrilling to watch, pressing aggressively in midfield and circulating the ball with speed whenever they were in possession. It was a shock to see Germany so disorganised, with both full-backs pushing on simultaneously and Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira also taking up relatively advanced positions, which left centre-halves Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng extremely vulnerable to Mexico’s rapid breaks. None of Kroos, Khedira or Joshua Kimmich had the legs to match the flying runs of Carlos Vela, Hirving Lozano, Miguel Layun and Hector Herrera, who overwhelmed the world champions in the centre of the park.
Joachim Low must now reflect on what went wrong on Sunday afternoon and put it right in time for Germany’s next game, which comes against Sweden on Saturday. Sebastian Rudy or Ilkay Gundogan could come into the side to bolster the midfield, but there is a good chance that Low will stick closely to the XI which began the loss to Mexico. If he does that, however, he must ensure Hummels and Boateng are afforded a great deal more protection, even if Sweden do not possess quite the same counter-attacking threat as Osorio’s charges.
Three of the last four World Cup holders have been eliminated at the group stage: France in 2002, Italy in 2010 and Spain in 2014. It would, of course, be a major upset if Germany did not bounce back and failed to qualify for the next round ahead of Sweden or South Korea, but France, Italy and Spain all previously felt they would recover after negative results in their opening game. None of them did, though, and that should serve as a warning against complacency in the Germany camp.
Yet even if die Mannschaft do follow this up with two convincing wins in their remaining group stage encounters, Sunday’s shock defeat showcased a vulnerability which many assumed did not exist. Germany suddenly looked laboured, one-paced and short of ideas in attack, with Mexico – an accomplished team but not one of the favourites to win the trophy this summer – able to cut through them time and time again. Low and co. must ensure they heed this warning.
