Analysis: Germany pays for 2nd half bad habits in World Cup loss to Japan 

MANILA, Philippines – For the second straight playdate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, we saw a top side lose after posting a first half lead. Granted Japan is a top side as well, but the Germans looked almost imperious in their first half of play that saw them post a 1-0 lead thanks to a well-taken penalty by Ilkay Gundogan.

They should have had a few others but like Argentina the night before them, they will rue those offside calls that denied them a precious second or even third goal that could have made a massive difference in the final outcome. 

So Japan won Wednesday evening, 2-1 — a huge victory magnified by Spain’s later 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica. 

If you heard the television analyst during the Germany-Japan match, he did say that Die Mannschaft had concerns in their play leading up to the World Cup.

Let me illustrate.

The Germans went 3-5-1 in the lead up to Qatar.

That doesn’t sound so bad given there is only one loss, right?

Not really.

Here’s the rub.

In those matches, they conceded eight goals in the second half. Now, you can make it 10 goals conceded in the second half after the stinging loss to Japan.

During the lead-up to the World Cup, Germany allowed only three first half goals. So the difference between the first and second halves is a world of difference. 

Yes, coaches adjust but still… 

That bad habit reared its ugly head once more against Japan. Hansi Flick’s boys played superb in the first, and poorly defensively in the second. Yes, they also did score eight goals but they still got hurt.

Yes, it is a young lineup that Flick has brought on with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Muller, Antonio Rudiger, Ilkay Gundogan and the other veterans (well, there is Marc-Andre ter Stegen but he hardly plays because Neuer is the top keeper).

Germany qualified in the second round of the UEFA qualifications when they topped Group J. Hardly noteworthy since it included North Macedonia, Romania, Armenia, Iceland and Liechtenstein. 

They were hardly troubled except for that one loss to North Macedonia where they conceded a later second half goal. Does that sound familiar? 

Japan likewise brought in a young squad so it is no excuse for Germany, young or veteran squad.

They simply got outplayed with a lot of energy and daring. And in my opinion, taking out Ilkay Gundogan was a mistake. It was Gundogan who marshalled the team and got them going with his superb field vision and leadership. And both Japan goals came within minutes after Gundogan went out.

Think of it this way, if you take out Luka Modric from Croatia, the losing finalists of the last World Cup would have gone down in defeat to Morocco. Croatia had nothing creatively moving forward as they also lacked pace. 

Now, Leon Goretzka who came in for Gundogan was supposed to bring the same qualities as the Man City captain… except he didn’t.

In sharp contrast, the substituting in of Takuma Asano and Ritsu Doan were impact subs and they did score the goals.

I wonder as well about Germany’s 4-5-1 formation. 

Yes, it was meant to counter Japan’s midfield but I wasn’t sure if having Kai Havertz up front was a good idea. Why not Thomas Muller? What a waste.

Now there is huge cause for concern because Spain is next for Germany (Monday, November 28 at 3 a.m. Manila time) while Japan could cement their place in the next round with a win over Costa Rica on Sunday, November 27, at 6 p.m.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup can be watched on World Cup TV on Skycable and on the TapGo streaming app.