Why Leverkusen's Robert Andrich is crucial for Germany’s rebuild
Why is Robert Andrich crucial for Germany? Gegenpressing spoke to Leverkusen boss Simon Rolfes to find out.
It was the 48th minute of the first half between the Netherlands and Germany when Robert Andrich played a brilliant pass from the right half-field to the left corner of the penalty box to David Raum. Raum then took on the ball and spotted Deniz Undav, who in turn played the ball across the goalmouth to allow Joshua Kimmich to tap the ball home.
That goal made it 2-1 as Germany overturned a third-minute goal by Tijjani Reijnders to go into halftime with a lead. Ultimately, Germany wouldn’t win as Denzel Dumfries equalized six minutes into the second half. But on balance, Die Nationalmannschaft managed to secure a crucial point away at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam.
This was a significant result that further helped carry the momentum Germany started building ahead of the Euros and then throughout the tournament. Indeed, the post-European Championship results against Hungary and the Dutch highlighted emphasized the one mistake Nagelsmann made at the Euros.
In the quarterfinals against Spain, Nagelsmann surprised the world by leaving out Andrich and replacing him with Dortmund midfielder Emre Can. Indeed, the continued reliance on Can perhaps will warrant an article in itself one day, especially with the emergence of Aleksandar Pavlovic and Angelo Stiller as significant midfield pieces for Germany.
The games against Hungary and the Netherlands emphasized what Germany were missing without Andrich against Spain. There is no doubt that, like Dortmund’s Can, Andrich brings significant physical elements. But unlike Can, Andrich is also a much more well-rounded player who is tidier on the ball, has excellent technical skill, and has the vision to make the sort of plays that led to Germany’s equalizer in Amsterdam.
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