Joachim Low faced the challenge of rebuilding the national team after their disappointing group-stage exit at the 2018 tournament. During this period of renewal, a young <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/jamal-musiala/">Jamal Musiala</a> emerged as a bright prospect. With Musiala weighing his options between representing England or <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/germany/">Germany</a>, Low admitted to making an unprecedented promise to secure the midfielder’s commitment to the German squad for UEFA Euro 2020.



Musiala had transitioned from Chelsea‘s academy to Bayern Munich at the age of 16 for a modest £170,000. His rapid development caught Low’s attention. Speaking with German outlet Kicker, the former coach revealed how he and then-German football director Oliver Bierhoff approached Musiala and his family to persuade him:



“Oliver Bierhoff and I went to Munich in the spring of 2021 and talked to him, including his mother of course. He grew up in England, had his friends there and spent his entire youth development there. He was already thinking about whether he wanted to play for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/england/">England</a> or Germany.



“It was the only time in my time as national team coach that I made a promise to a player: Even though he wasn’t a regular at Bayern, I told him that if he chose us, he would definitely be playing at Euro 2021 in the summer,” , the manager who guided Germany to the 2014 World Cup triumph stated.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/16023925/Jamal-Musiala-England-1200x675-1200x675.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-540347" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></div></figure>



Musiala accepted the offer and made his senior debut for Germany in March 2021, just a few months before the Euro’s. True to Low’s word, the Bayern starlet featured in the tournament, coming off the bench in two of Germany’s four matches. Ironically, his campaign ended in the Round of 16 with a 2-0 defeat to England, the country he had chosen not to represent.


 <div class="wp_fsn_relatedlinks" use="ALSO" link="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/germany-national-team-tv-schedule/" image="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.worldsoccertalk.com%2Fwebp%2Ffull%2FWST_20220519_CMS_384469_Header_Germany.webp&amp;width=200&amp;height=200" excerpt="Germany TV schedule and streaming links World Soccer Talk&apos;s Germany National Football Team TV schedule provides the information for all of Die Mannschaft&apos;s&nbsp;fixtures. Four World Cup wins highlight the successes of Germany&apos;s men&apos;s national side. Consistently boasting players throughout the best clubs in Europe, some of history&apos;s best players represented Germany, or formerly West Germany. […]
" title="Germany National Team TV Schedule" publication_id="WST#/nations/germany-national-team-tv-schedule/"></div>


<h2>Musiala’s tug-of-war between Germany and England</h2>



Born in Fulda, Germany, to a Nigerian-British father and a German mother, Musiala moved to England at the age of seven. There, he attended Whitgift School in Croydon and joined Chelsea’s academy, where he honed his skills before signing for Bayern Munich. Eligible to represent both England and Germany, he faced a difficult choice regarding his international future.



Musiala represented England at various youth levels, playing 23 games for the U-15, U-16, U-17, and U-21 teams. He also made two appearances for Germany’s U-16 squad. Despite spending most of his life in England, Low’s promise—and the opportunity to play in a major tournament—proved decisive.



<h2>Musiala cements his place in Germany’s national team</h2>



While Joachim Low stepped down as Germany’s coach after Euro 2020, Musiala quickly established himself as a mainstay in the national team. At just 21 years old, the Bayern Munich playmaker has already amassed 37 caps, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists. His performances in major tournaments, including the 2022 World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024, have solidified his role as a regular starter.

Former coach Joachim Low reveals promising Jamal Musiala a Germany role amid England decision

Former coach Joachim Low reveals promising Jamal Musiala a Germany role amid England decision - World Soccer Talk

main

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://www.spox.com/de/sport/fussball/dfb-team/0808/Bilder/tasci-514.jpg" alt="Tasci"></figure></div>
While controversy may surround the goals scored in Germany’s 2-0 defeat of Wales at the Millennium Stadium, one thing that has gone under the radar was the small tactical switch that Jogi Löw employed in the victory. Germany now sits atop of group 4 with 16 points, four clear of second place Russia. 
What was the small tactical change? It was a switch from two up front to a 4-3-3. And it was a very Dutch 4-3-3 with expansive attacking and possession (as compared to a Mourinho 4-3-3). I can’t say that I have watched every German game for umpteen years, so this may have happened before, but it seemed a very strange system for the Mannschaft. By using this system, quite successfully, Jogi proved himself to be an even better tactician than most of thought. He threw off the shackles of a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1 or god-forbid a 3-5-2 and used a most non-Teuetonic formation, a formation most associated with the Orange rivals to the northwest. 
It’s not that we haven’t seen it the 4-3-3 this year, however, it’s been at Schalke and early Gladbach, who both had Dutch coaches. And both used it in a very Mourinho style. This was using the attacking element of the 4-3-3 and it worked superbly. Now Löw has a new option going forward, which is always a good thing.
Yes, part of the decision was a response to Klose’s absence, but there are other options in a 4-4-2, where Helmes and Kiessling are good enough to produce the goods at Leverkusen as a pairing. There is also the options of putting Mesut Ozil in the hole or using the bumper crop of 21’s. I’m not saying these would be the right decisions, but a bad tactician builds around a set of rules, he doesn’t adjust the rules. Last night Löw did something remarkable by employing a new system to get the best out of his resources and, more importantly, get the win.
While Gomez failed to score again, and probably endured a lot of post-match bitch sessions, he did the other parts of the job as a target man. He was physically imposing and kept the two center-halves occupied. He also did a good job of distributing. It was his work on the by-line that led to the 2nd goal. The goals will come eventually, but it seems the fans and not the manager need to get their priorities straight when it comes to the Stuttgart forward.
Meanwhile, his partners at the top were Podolski and Schweinsteiger. Both did a superb job of expanding the field in the final third. Behind these three sat Ballack, Rofles and the Hammer. Rofles and Hitzelsperger were more defensive in nature allowing Ballack to play more box-to-box.
I’ve often been critical of Podolski at the national level, but it worked tonight. While typically incapable of defending, Hitzlesperger picked up the slack on the left. So whereas in Euro 2008, Janssen was hung out to dry because Podolski was wondering which night club he would go to in Koln, Hitzeslperger was there to provide cover for Lahm, who wasn’t defending the left alone and was allowed to get forward. And Rofles superb job of cleaning up in the middle and getting stuck in during a very physical match, gave Ballack the freedom to get forward when warranted, which led to his stunning opening goal from 35 yards.
So kudos to Löw for working around an injury and not getting bogged down in one fundamental system. This shows that he is much more ready for the pressures of 2010 than he was for 2008, and he barely lost that time.
Two other notes: 1) Andreas Beck may have looked nervous at times on Saturday, but was solid tonight. 2) I’ve often been a critic of Serdarr Tasci, but he sold me tonight. Not that Wales was Spain, but Tasci positioned himself properly and seemed to be the only head in the box when it became important. He had a superb two games, and I don’t say this lightly, but perhaps a season under the influence of a keeper like Jens (that hurt) has undone the one under a poor keeper. So Jens, you douche-monger…..good job. I need to go wash.

Tactical Analysis: Germany's Dutch Delight

Tactical Analysis: Germany's Dutch Delight - World Soccer Talk

Latest news from Joachim Löw. Find out about all the news related to Joachim Löw on worldsoccertalk.com

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Joachim Löw"

News

Former coach Joachim Low reveals promising Jamal Musiala a Germany role amid England decision

News

Tactical Analysis: Germany's Dutch Delight