MY ACCOUNT
Germany coach Hansi Flick says his side lacked “intensity” and “precision” in their 1-1 Nations League draw with Italy on Saturday.
Die Mannschaft looked the brighter side in the first half, yet the best chance fell to the Azzurri, with Gianluca Scamacca striking the post from distance.
Roberto Mancini’s side were much improved after the break, though, and Lorenzo Pellegrini put them ahead in the 70th minute.
However, Germany recovered a point three minutes later courtesy of Joshua Kimmich’s neat finish after a scramble in the penalty area.
The result means Flick has not lost any of his first 10 matches in charge of the national team, becoming the third Germany coach to achieve that feat after Sepp Herberger and Josef Derwall.
Despite that, Flick was not impressed with his side’s display and has urged his players to improve swiftly.
“We started the game well then lost our way after 15, 20 minutes,” he told a media conference.
“Italy played very well, and we made too many mistakes in the build-up. We lacked intensity and defensive solidity.
“These are the areas we need to improve so we can do better on Tuesday. We did not apply what we had practised in training and that’s not the first time it has happened.
“Italy were far more cohesive and well-drilled than we expected, so it’s positive that we managed to get the equaliser straight away.
“It confirms the Nations League allows you to always face very strong opponents. Our performance was fairly negative in general today, we can and must do more. We lacked intensity and our usual precision.”
Italy shocked many by failing to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, but Flick has seen enough to suggest the Azzurri will not be away from the top table of world football for long.
“Italy is a nation that lives and breathes football,” he added. “They are solid defensively. I admire Mancini and the way his Italy played at Euro 2020. We all slowly became Italy fans watching the way they played in that tournament.
“The Azzurri have everything they need to reboot and reconstruct another important era.”
Germany are next in action on Tuesday when they welcome England to the Allianz Arena in Munich.
