Three games. A draw snatched away in the 92nd minute, a shock home defeat, and a hot seat growing hotter. On the night of 1 October in Munich, Jürgen Klopp had no way back — and he answered by betting everything on youth. A near-brand-new starting XI, five debutants, 32 shots (per the live ticker), and finally a first win: Germany 2–0 Serbia. Discipline, pressing and Mentalität — the Panzer is rolling again.
Key Moments
Fast start & feeling out: pressing from the first whistle (0’–35′)
Gone was the timid Germany of the Greece game. With a “second XI” almost entirely new, Germany flew out of the blocks, their high press strangling every Serbian attempt to play out. On 8 minutes, Aleksandar Pavlović — facing his father’s homeland Serbia — curled one from the edge of the box, inches wide of the post. The chances kept coming thick and fast: Woltemade (11′), Anton (16′), Gnabry (18′), Bischof off target (24′). On 30 minutes, Đorđe Petrović was called into action for the first time, denying Gnabry one-on-one. Serbia had just one moment that made the stands hold their breath: Kostić on the counter, Nedeljković unable to reach the low cross (32′).
The breakthrough: relief at last (36’–45′)
The pressure finally told in the 39th minute. Florian Wirtz twisted and turned neatly inside the box and cracked a shot against the post — and Tom Bischof was there to smash the rebound into the roof of the net. A first senior international goal, and only his second cap for the 21-year-old midfielder. The Allianz Arena, as Bischof put it after the game, “was on fire tonight”.
Half-time adjustments: the armband changes hands (46’–60′)
Klopp withdrew Gnabry straight after the restart (seemingly for load management) and threw on Saïd El Mala — the 999th debutant in DFB history. The captain’s armband went to Wirtz, aged just 23. It remained one-way traffic: El Mala curled inches wide (57′), then the miss of the night — Treu laid it on a plate, Woltemade stood unmarked a few yards out and blazed over the bar (59′).
Killing it off & seeing it out (61’–90’+2)
On 61 minutes, Maximilian Mittelstädt surged forward and fed Wirtz; the Liverpool man turned past a Serbian defender and drilled a low shot into the far corner — 2–0, and the end of all Serbian hope. The rest was a debutants’ parade: on 77 minutes, Burkardt and Conté came on alongside Mika Baur — the DFB’s 1000th debutant; on 88 minutes, Vitaly Janelt (No. 1001) replaced Pavlović. Jonas Urbig kept a clean sheet on his debut — Germany’s first shutout since the end of May. At full time, Klopp wrapped Wirtz in a bear hug on the pitch — a hug for the man of the match, and a hug for his own first win.
Tactical Breakdown
Gegenpressing “durch die Decke”
Serbia barely managed a single coherent attack: Germany’s high press suffocated them in their own half, and the visitors’ attack was toothless all night (SPOX). About 73% possession, 32 shots, xG 3.82 (per the fussballnationalmannschaft.net live ticker) — the numbers of total domination.
The Pavlović–Bischof axis: a startling understanding
The central-midfield pairing — both Bayern Munich men — set the tempo all night. Pavlović dictated play with crisp passing; Bischof covered every blade of grass, box to box, tireless. The prime example came around the 56th minute: Urbig’s dangerous misplaced pass, and it was Bischof who raced back to make a last-ditch sliding tackle, then immediately launched the counter. The pair dovetailed superbly in the centre, to the point that captain Kimmich’s absence barely registered.
The flanks: Treu and Mittelstädt relentless
Out wide, Philipp Treu (right) and Maximilian Mittelstädt (left) kept bombing on to provide the width. Treu supplied the cut-back Woltemade should have buried; Mittelstädt directly assisted the 2–0 with a deft piece of skill on the edge of the box. The left flank — Scherhant tormenting it in the first half, Mittelstädt overlapping relentlessly, Wirtz drifting across — was Germany’s main avenue of attack all night.
Wirtz: a free role, fingerprints all over the pitch
Starting for the first time under Klopp, Wirtz was free to drift left and tuck inside — and he left his mark on every key moment: the classy second goal, then the captain’s armband at 23. “It was incredibly fun out there. It’s something special with the captain’s armband,” Wirtz said afterwards.
A new back line: first clean sheet in 7 games
The Anton–Thiaw centre-back pairing, with Schlotterbeck out for at least two matches (the DFB has not given a specific timeframe) and Tah absent, were rock solid — Jović and the Serbian attackers were not given a single clear-cut chance. A first clean sheet after seven straight games conceding is the most emphatic statement of all.
Player ratings (out of 10)
- Jonas Urbig — 7: A complete senior debut with a clean sheet. One dangerous misplaced pass early in the second half; otherwise assured.
- Philipp Treu — 7: Tireless up and down the flank; the cut-back for Woltemade deserved an assist.
- Waldemar Anton — 7.5: A composed leader of the new back line, nearly scored on 16 minutes.
- Malick Thiaw — 7.5: In perfect sync with Anton, kept Jović quiet all night.
- Maximilian Mittelstädt — 8: A classy assist for the 2–0, a constant threat down the left.
- Serge Gnabry (C) — 6.5: Full of running and endeavour with the armband, but missed two good chances — including the one-on-one Petrović saved. Taken off at half-time, seemingly for load management.
- Aleksandar Pavlović — 7.5: An emotional night against his father’s homeland, curled inches wide on 8 minutes, kept the midfield ticking.
- Tom Bischof — 8.5: A first senior goal on his second cap, covered every blade of grass, and the sliding tackle that bailed out Urbig. MOTM contender.
- Derry Scherhant — 7: A confident debut, constantly tormenting the left flank — only a goal missing (one wide of the post, twice into the side netting).
- Nick Woltemade — 6.5: Lively movement, good hold-up play, but blazing over from close range was the only blemish — the weak link in front of goal.
- Florian Wirtz — 9 (MOTM): The shot off the post that made it 1–0, the 2–0 all by himself, the armband in the second half. A world-class performance.
Substitutes: Saïd El Mala (debutant No. 999) — 7, came on full of confidence, nearly scored; Jonathan Burkardt — 6.5; Bambasé Conté — 6.5; Mika Baur (debutant No. 1000) — 6.5; Vitaly Janelt (debutant No. 1001) — not rated (on too late).
3 takeaways
- A first win — and a sorry record avoided: After the 92nd-minute Netherlands draw and the Greece shock, Klopp stood on the brink of becoming the first Germany coach to go winless in his first three games. The Munich night swept that pressure away — and the way he did it (betting on youth) matters even more than the scoreline.
- “Jungen Wilden” — the young wild ones: Five debutants in one match: Urbig, Scherhant, El Mala, Baur and Janelt, Bischof’s first goal on his second cap, Wirtz wearing the armband at 23. Bundesliga.com called them “young wild ones you just want to see more of” — the energy Germany have been missing for so long.
- The one question mark: finishing. 32 shots, xG 3.82 (per the fussballnationalmannschaft.net live ticker), about 73% possession — but only 2 goals. Against a table-topping Greece side who just drew 2–2 with the Netherlands, that kind of profligacy could prove costly.
“The Gegenpressing went through the roof today. We saw the game out very well — everything pleased me: the start, the middle and the end. The back line defended superbly high up the pitch; without the ball we were dominant, with the ball we played wonderful football.”
— Jürgen Klopp, post-match (source: Bundesliga.com)
“It’s an indescribable feeling. The stadium was on fire tonight. The support was fully there, it was really fun. We created a lot of chances and played a good game. I was over the moon with my goal.”
— Tom Bischof, after his first senior international goal (source: Bundesliga.com)
Looking to Thessaloniki
On Sunday 4/10, 20:45 CEST (01:45 ICT on Monday), Germany travel to Greece at the Toumba — the group leaders on 7 points, who just let a 2–0 lead slip to a 2–2 draw with the Netherlands in the 89th minute. With 4 points from 3 games, Klopp’s men must win to keep their hopes of topping Nations League A2 alive. The real test for the “second XI” starts now: a red-hot away ground, an opponent full of confidence, and an attack that must prove Munich was no one-off. What do you think — should Klopp stick with the “second XI” for the trip to Thessaloniki, or bring the senior men back into the starting XI?
Related: Philipp Treu: Another Philipp on Germany’s right flank — the right-back who started this match.