France 2-1 Germany: Hits and Flops, UEFA Nations League 2018/19

Flop: Germany's attack

Sane's inclusion failed to inspire the sordid German attack

One of the biggest problems with this German side is the painfully powerless attack. There's no structure, no plan, no organisation. Absolutely nothing. Just hook the ball upfront and hope someone magically buries it into the back of the net - that's how you can sum up their attacking play these days.

For the opening 45 minutes of this match, the visitors were on course to prove us wrong. Some beautiful counter-attacking moments had France on the ropes as goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had to intervene regularly. Sane especially, looked charged up for the clash and was the outlet of a majority of crosses in the final third. However, he lacked accuracy. He sometimes hit it too hard, while on other occasions, hit straight at a French frame.

Serge Gnabry offered little as this side's focal point in the attack while the less we speak about Timo Werner the better. The only goal they could muster was by the virtue of a penalty, and Kroos got really fortuitous with his feeble effort there. But that is still a reflection of how much this team currently lacks in confidence and also, more importantly, an attacking flair.