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Germany were eliminated from Euro 2020 on Tuesday night after a dull display in their Round of 16 tie against England.
It has just not worked out for Germany on the international stage since their World Cup triumph in 2014. After a strong performance against Portugal in their second game of Euro 2020, it looked like this team could go on to facilitate a shift from that trend. But from there, it was all downhill for them.
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Germany let down by their players at Euro 2020
It simply wasn't to be. It is emphatically difficult for any team to navigate a tournament as competitive as Euro 2020 without the majority of their players firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately for Die Mannschaft, several individuals turned in underwhelming performances which eventually resulted in their early exit.
There are not many takeaways for Joachim Low's side from Euro 2020. But one thing is for certain and it is that they need to revamp their side ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Without further ado, let's take a look at five German players who flopped at Euro 2020.
#5 Serge Gnabry
Serge Gnabry's 2020-21 season with Bayern Munich came nowhere close to the one he had in 2019-20 at an individual level. But big things were still expected of him as a guaranteed starter for Germany at Euro 2020.
However, Gnabry hardly offered anything of note despite starting all three of Germany's group stage games. The game against Portugal was the only one in which he was a threat in attack. It's best to not make much of it since Portugal's defenders were at sixes and sevens throughout the course of the 90 minutes.
He was uninspiring in attack and failed to provide a creative spark for the Germans in the final third.
#4 Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger is yet another player who was expected to shine at Euro 2020. He signed off on the 2020-21 season by winning the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea. Rudiger revived his Chelsea career under Thomas Tuchel and was one of their best players in the closing stages of the season.
However, he failed to replicate that form while playing a familiar role in a back-three for Germany. He was outclassed in the Round of 16 by the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish. Rudiger failed to put his best foot forward and allowed England to continually mount the pressure on his side.
He played the length of all four of Germany's matches at Euro 2020 and conceded a total of seven goals.
#3 Timo Werner
Timo Werner has a lot of qualities but finishing isn't one of them. The Chelsea striker is pacy, aggressive and good at link-up play but he leaves his shooting boots at home far too often. Demoted to the bench for Germany's group stage games, Werner failed to make his cameos count.
He was finally given a start in the Round of 16 tie against England but he was unable to produced a good performance.
Werner squandered a great chance against England as he failed to apply the finishing touch after being played through brilliantly by Kai Havertz. His hold-up play was poor. Werner also kept taking on John Stones in one-on-ones but failed to come out on top. He was eventually subbed off in the 68th minute.
Werner needs to start firing soon as his place in the German national side is in jeopardy and he has not helped his case with recent performances.
#2 Ilkay Gundogan
Gundogan had one of his best individual seasons in 2020-21 with Manchester City. The midfielder was tipped to have a good outing at Euro 2020 as well. However, he was nowhere near his best and failed to impose himself in the group stage games.
His performances were so underwhelming that he was dropped to the bench in the Round of 16 game against England and he was an unused substitute. He kept things ticking in midfield alongside Kroos in Germany's games against France and Portugal but lacked creativity.
It was a forgettable tournament for 30-year-old and it will be filed as a wasted opportunity as we are all well aware of what Gundogan is capable of.
#1 Thomas Muller
Thomas Muller is known for showing up on the big stage and grabbing the opportunities presented to him with open arms. However, the Bayern Munich man failed to leave a mark at Euro 2020 and was arguably the biggest disappointment for Germany at the tournament.
Having been recalled to the side by Low, after two year Muller failed to impress. He had Germany's best chance in the game against England but he rushed into a shot. He beat Pickford but he also beat the post after being played through into a one-on-one situation. He also wasted a good chance in Germany's loss to France in their Euro 2020 opener.
Muller failed to score a goal or provide an assist in any of his four appearances and it was rather surprising how poor he was at Euro 2020.
