Scherhant dazzles on the wing, Pavlovic takes over Kimmich's duties

In the Nations League duel between Germany and Greece the match ended goalless after 90 minutes. On the left wing Germany's best man Derry Scherhant displayed his versatility, while Aleksander Pavlovic took over the duties of captain Joshua Kimmich. Jonas Urbig also started and made a strong save after one minute.

Scherhant's Wing Action

After an impressive debut against Serbia Scherhant again earned the trust to operate the left flank. He dribbled free repeatedly, set up the disallowed goal and shot several times himself, being considered the best German in the first half. He remained dangerous after the break as well, but missed a good scoring chance.

Tom Bischof, who was on the pitch until the 83rd minute, searched together with Florian Wirtz for gaps in the deep‑set Greek defence. After half an hour he released Scherhant to the left, but passed the ball awkwardly with his forearm. In the second half Scherhant attracted less attention.

Pavlovic's Leadership Role

Aleksander Pavlovic received praise from national team coach Jürgen Klopp after the win against Serbia for his enormous leadership qualities. In the number six role he acted as the sole midfielder, impressed as a ball‑winner and playmaker and made the absence of captain Joshua Kimmich forgotten. Once he tried, in Kimmich style, to play a chipped ball into the penalty area, but the ball did not arrive.

Urbig's Playing Experience

Jonas Urbig, Bayern's number two, was supposed to gather playing experience in the national team according to Jürgen Klopp – the odd justification for his inclusion in the starting eleven from the beginning. He already made a strong save after one minute, had to intervene again after a corner, but overall he lacked the desired experience. Klopp's decision to start Urbig was unusual. Urbig plays for Bayern and is expected to receive regular playing time there.

Defensive Stability

Philipp Treu, the only player who started in three of four Nations League matches, played on the right side of the defence, solidified the back line and received a yellow card after an hour. Malick Thiaw, captain of Newcastle United, appeared calm and confident, fought hard against Greek attacks and also received a yellow card shortly before the end. Waldemar Anton added to the duo with a hard foul that resulted in a justified yellow card, forming a robust defensive pair.

David Raum replaced Maximilian Mittelstädt on the left side of the defence, scored a fine finish after a short free‑kick variation and delivered clever passes, while his forward driver Scherhant often took over the crossing. Florian Wirtz, captain for the first time from the start, showed fine deliveries and dribbles before the first shot, but occasionally made the wrong decision on the final pass. Jonathan Burkardt, who was in the attacking centre until the 63rd minute, scored a lightning‑clean but disallowed goal and otherwise rarely featured in the defensive block, while Nick Woltemade from the 63rd minute provided a nice ball for Scherhant. In the final phase Mika Baur and Bambasé Conté earned the trust but found no decisive lever anymore.