Germany took on Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday, with the Swiss coming to Cologne for the match. A back and forth match saw Switzerland continue to edge ahead, only to have the Germans come clawing back with some excellent attacking on display. Ultimately, the two teams settled on a deserved 3-3 draw.
This tactical analysis will examine the tactics used by both the Germans and the Swiss. The analysis will examine how Switzerland transitioned to attack, where Germany struggled to shut them down in their transitions, and what Germany attempted to accomplish in possession.
Lineups
Joachim Löw sent Germany out in a 4-2-3-1 formation, moving away from the much-maligned back three that the Germans had been playing in. Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer started in goal with Chelsea’s Antonio Rüdiger and Gladbachs Matthias Ginter as his centre-backs. Lukas Klostermann started as the right-back while Robin Gosens started as the left-back. The two holding midfielders were Joshua Kimmich and Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos. Leon Goretzka was in front of them centrally with Serge Gnabry on the left flank and Kai Havertz on the right while Timo Werner started as Germany’s single striker.
Vladimir Petković sent Switzerland out in a 3-4-1-2 with Yann Sommer in goal. The back three consisted of Nico Elvedi, Fabian Schär, and Ricardo Rodríguez. The two central midfielders were Remo Freuler and Granit Xhaka with Steven Zuber on the left flank and Silvan Widmer on the right. Xherdan Shaqiri played as the attacking midfielder, supporting his two strikers, Haris Seferović and Mario Gavranović.
