Nations League: Germany vs. Switzerland

+++ Guten Tag, Grüezi, hello and welcome to DW’s coverage of Germany’s UEFA Nations League tie against Switzerland. Kick-off in Cologne on Tuesday is at 20:45 CET +++

Germany are preparing for their third game in seven days and their second Nations League fixture in four days as they welcome Switzerland to Cologne.

The two sides drew 1-1 in Basel last month in the second of what would turn out to be three consecutive draws for Joachim Löw’s team, who had to wait until Saturday night in Kiev to register their first ever Nations League win.

Cause for celebration and a degree of relaxation for the Bundestrainer? Not at all. After the 2-1 win over Ukraine, Löw responded to criticism of his team by launching into a four-minute monologue which he concluded by saying that he was able to “rise above the criticism.” Ok, Jogi.

One of the main points of discussion is Löw’s current preference for a back three, which has drawn criticism from World Cup winners Lothar Matthäus and Bastian Schweinsteiger, as well as DW’s Jonathan Harding:

Löw’s chopping and changing of his personnel (partly due to the busy coronavirus calendar, admittedly) and Germany’s habit of conceding equalizers (five altogether against Spain, Switzerland and Turkey) have also caused consternation. 

But the World Cup winning coach insists that he wants to remain flexible. “I want us to be prepared for everything at Euro 2021,” he said on Monday. 

As for the criticism from Matthäus and Schweinsteiger? “I understand Basti’s analysis. There are different opinions in football. If everyone was of the same opinion, it would be boring.”

Possible line-ups:

Germany (3-4-3): Neuer – Ginter, Süle, Rüdiger – Klostermann, Kimmich, Kroos, Halstenberg – Goretzka, Gnabry, Werner

Switzerland (5-3-2): Sommer – Widmer, Elvedi, Schär, Rodriguez, Benito – Sow, Xhaka, Freuler – Shaqiri, Seferovic

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/nations-league-germany-vs-switzerland-live-buildup/a-55247309?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf