Germans abroad: Weekend round-up
German talent is featured around the footballing globe. So we look at the best performances of the weekend from Deutschland's exported talent.
Kai Havertz and Timo Werner joined a long list of German players plying their trade abroad with their moves to Chelsea this summer. With 25 players across the top 4 leagues abroad in Europe as well as hundreds more plying their trade all across the globe, Germany’s footballing talent can be found in almost every corner of professional football worldwide.
In this weekly series, we take a look at the weekend performances of Germans around the globe.
Premier League
Timo Werner (Chelsea)
Result: 4:1 W vs Sheffield United
Minutes played: 87’ Subbed off
After two goals midweek against Stade Rennais, it was no surprise that Timo Werner maintained his place in the lineup against Sheffield United on Saturday. Besides a shock early lead by The Blades, Chelsea dominated the affair, with Werner getting his first sniff in front of goal in the 32’ minute when he smashed a shot against the post. Finally in the 80’ minute Werner was able to get himself on the scoresheet, latching on to a loose ball and comfortably putting it past Aaron Ramsdale in Sheffield’s goal. Chelsea sit in 5th place after 8 matchdays, unbeaten in the league since their matchday 2 defeat to Liverpool.
*Havertz missed both the midweek and weekend fixture due to a positive COVID-19 test.
İlkay Gündoğan (Man. City)
Result: 1:1 D vs Liverpool
Minutes played: 90’
In a huge game in the race for the Premier League title, points were shared between Liverpool and City. İlkay Gündoğan retained his spot from midweek, pulling another 90 minutes in Guardiola’s midfield. Gündoğan provided an important figure once more, with numerous passes and touches on the ball to keep possession ticking over for The Citizens. Overall though Gündoğan never really threatened Liverpool going forward, particularly in a second half where the two title contenders played out a dull affair, with neither looking likely to risk their defensive structure to go for all three points.
Bernd Leno (Arsenal)
Result: 0:3 L vs Aston Villa
Minutes played: 90’
After a monumental away victory versus United last weekend, Arteta would have been hoping his side could kick on and go within touching distance of the top 4 after 8 matchdays by beating an inform Villa. Unfortunately, Arsenal showed nothing of the sort, capitulating to an Aston Villa side 3:0, seeing them sit in 11th at the end of the weekend. Leno retained his place between the posts, with his night coming to a miserable end when Ollie Watkins placed the ball through his legs for Villa’s third of the night.
Robin Koch (Leeds United)
Result: 4:1 L vs Crystal Palace
Minutes played: 90’
Leeds United once again lost 4:1, the same scoreline that Bielsa’s side succumbed to Leicester City with last weekend. Although the 4 goals flattered Crystal Palace, Robin Koch nevertheless had a subpar evening at centerhalf. His 4 aerial duels won where the most on the pitch, however that will be small condolence for Bielsa who saw his German center back crucially lose out to Scott Dann in the 12’ minute who headed Palace in front. After a dazzling start in their first Premier League season since 2004, Leeds now sit in 15th, dangerously close to getting dragged into a relegation fight.
Pascal Groß (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Result: 0:0 vs Burnley
Minutes Played: 90’
Pascal Groß made his second start in the Premier League on Friday vs Burnley, in a match that ended in a drab 0:0 affair. Groß did have a few bright sparks, most notably a header on target in the first half, however was unable to pick apart a tightly organized Burnley defense. Brighton have picked up just 6 points in 8 matches, with worries of relegation on the mind of Seagull’s fans.
La Liga
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
Result: 4:1 L vs Valencia
Minutes played: 76’ Subbed on
Real Madrid picked up a crucial three points midweek versus Inter Milan, and travelled to relegation threatened Valencia with the aim of doing the same domestically. Things started well, with Benzema putting the Madrista’s in front after 23’ minutes, however things quickly soured, with Valencia netting 4 goals unanswered.
Madrid continue to prove a shadow of themselves, and Toni Kroos' substition in the 76' minute did little to change the tide of the match in which Valencia where already three goals to the good. Madrid have slowly started to slip down the table, nestled in 4th place going into the international break, having been 1st as recent as 3 weeks ago.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (F.C. Barcelona)
Result: 5:2 W vs Real Betis
Minutes played: 90’
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen celebrated his comeback from a knee injury in Barcelona’s midweek fixture in the Champions League On Saturday, the German keeper made his La Liga return, helping Barcelona to a 5:2 victory over Real Betis. Although Ter Stegen will be frustrated having conceded two goals, there was not much he could have done for either one, both simple finishes from meters out. 4 saves and 31 of 33 completed passes will help the German keepers' confidence, coming back from his long injury setback.
Ligue 1
Thilo Kehrer (PSG)
Result: 3:0 W vs Stade Rennes
Minutes played: 35’ subbed off
PSG’s comfortable victory over Rennes will be small condolences for Tuchel, who lost two more key players to injury early on in Saturday's fixture. Along with Senegalese midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye, Thilo Kehrer was forced off in the first half, not a good sight with the German defender just recently returning from injury. Tuchel has a real headache going into must win champions league fixtures, and is seemingly the only person who can be happy that an international break is around the corner.
*Julian Draxler was not featured in the roster, with the German international suffering with his own injury setback right now.
Kevin Volland (AS Monaco)
Result: 1:2 W vs OGC Nice
Minutes played: 79’ Subbed off
Kevin Volland retained his spot in the Monaco lineup after dazzling with his 2 goals to secure victory over Bordeaux last matchday. The former Leverkusen striker looked like he was starting again right where he had left off, stinging the palms of Walter Benitez who narrowly tipped the strike onto the bar. Volland provided one more shot as well as 2 key passes in the remainder of his time on the pitch, but ultimately wasn’t able to add to his goals or assist tally this season.
Nevertheless, a strong performance from Volland gives Monaco their second consecutive win, shooting the club up to 6th in the standings, level on points with Lyon in the final Europa League spot.
Serie A
Julian Chabot (Spezia Calcio)
Result: 0:3 W vs Benevento
Minutes Played: 45’ Subbed off
Julian Chabot and Spezia traveled to Benevento on Saturday, in what was a match between 1st and 3rd in last season's Serie B. Ultimately, the third place finishers Spezia came out on top, winning 3:0. Chabot looked convincing, with a 90% pass completion and 100% tackle success rate. However, Chabot was subbed off in the 45th minute, with an injury the likely cause of his early omission. Spezia will be hoping that he will be fully fit when Italy returns to action on the 21st of November.
Other
Lukas Podolski, Sidney Sam, Nuri Sahin (Antalyaspor- Turkish Super Lig)
Result: 2:2 D vs Kasimpasa
Minutes Played: Podolski 90’, Sam 90’, Sahin Subbed off 90+7’
Lukas Podolski:
Antalyaspor captain Lukas Podolski led the line for the Turkish outfit on Saturday, providing a world cup winning presence uptop. Although unable to get on the scoresheet, Podolski nevertheless had a good match, making himself a strong presence in the air (team high 4 aerials won), as well as dribbling by his opponent on two occasions.
Sidney Sam:
5 time German international Sidney Sam was on the scoresheet for Antalyaspor after serving his two game suspension for a red card picked up against Gaziantep FK. Sam’s goal came in the 2nd minute of added time, however the former Schalke winger was unlucky not to score earlier, with his 57’ minute strike called off after a VAR check.
Nuri Sahin:
At 16 years and 11 months, Sahin is the youngest debutant for BVB. Now at 32 with 259 Bundesliga appearances under his belt, Sahin finds himself in Turkey. In his 8th appearance in this season's Super Lig, Sahin registered his first assist, a corner that led to Veysel Sari’s equalizer in the 72’ minute. Sahin accumulated 3 more key passes throughout the match, the most of any player on the pitch in what was a solid performance from the defensive midfielder.
Marco Stiepermann, Christoph Zimmerman (Norwich City-English Championship)
Result: 1:0 W vs Swansea
Minutes Played: Both 90'
Marco Stiepermann:
Norwich City extended their unbeaten streak in the Championship to 7 matches, largely thanks to a late winner from attacking midfielder Marco Stiepermann. Stiepermann has become an integral part of german manager Daniel Farke’s Norwich side, with the BVB academy graduate playing a key role since recovering from a back injury. His left footed finish in the 84’ minute puts Norwich in 3rd place, firmly in the race for automatic promotion with just a point separating them and Reading in first place.
Christoph Zimmerman:
Stiepermann will get the credit for his late winner, but equally important was Christoph Zimmerman’s solidity at centerhalf that kept the clean sheet intact. Another former Dortmund player, Zimmerman missed the past 6 matches with a calf injury, and his return to the side gives The Canneries much-needed defensive solidity with tough fixtures coming up in the Championship. Daniel Farke will be hoping Zimmerman can replicate his 100% successful tackle percentage from this weekend when Norwich face fellow promotion candidates Middlesborough in 2 weeks time.
Johannes Eggestein (LASK- Austrian Bundesliga)
Result: 4:0 W vs FC Admira Wacker
Minutes Played: 90’
Eggestein continues his fine form in Austria, with the Bremen loanee registering his 3rd goal in 8 days for LASK. Eggestein won't score many more simple then his strike over the weekend, simply tapping in from inside the 6 yard box. Regardless, Eggestein now has 2 goals and 2 assists in 3 Bundesliga matches, something Bremen will be surely taking note of with the season long loan possibly cut short if Eggestein continues to fire at this rate.
Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union- American MLS)
Result: 2:0 W vs New England Revolution
Minutes Played: 90’
Former Würzburger Kickers fullback Kai Wagner has made history in the states, winning his side's first Eastern conference championship since the club was founded in 2010. Wagner has been a mainstay in the Union’s late push for the title, starting every game bar one since returning from a leg injury in late September. Wagner and the Philadelphia Union will be looking to maintain their in-season form going into the playoffs, with a succession of favorable draws meaning a shot at the MLS Cup is very possible this season.
Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC- American MLS)
Result: 2:3 W vs Orlando City SC
Minutes Played: 76’ Subbed on
U19 European Champion with the German national team Hany Mukhtar is looking to reinvent himself in the U.S. following unsuccessful stints at both Benfica and Red Bull Salzburg. If the German winger can continue to perform like he did this weekend, a step back to Europe could be in his future, with 25 year old Mukhtar scoring and assisting once in his 15 minutes on the pitch. Not only did Mukhtar’s contributions secure the three points, but they also meant Nashville made it to the playoffs in their first season in the MLS.
Mario Götze, Philipp Max, Adrian Fein (PSV- Dutch Eredivisie)
Result: 3:0 W vs Willem II
Minutes Played: Götze 74’, Subbed off, Max 90’, Fein 74’ Subbed on
Mario Götze:
After missing PSV’s disappointing 4:1 defeat to PAOK midweek in the Europa League, Götze returned to the side on the weekend. Götze quickly made his presence known, netting home the second goal in PSV’s comfortable 3:0 victory, as well as leading his side in successful take ons with 4. Götze continues to prove a key figure for Roger Schmidt, netting his second goal in his third Eredivisie fixture, pushing PSV up to third in the table.
Philipp Max:
Max has taken to the Eredivisie with ease, applying the same attacking output he had at Augsburg. Max opened the scoring for the Dutch side in the 14’ minute, after latching on to a long ball from Dutch midfielder Pablo Rosario. Max now has seven direct goal contributions in just as many games, an astounding statistic for a player who ultimately is a defender by trade. His first call up to the German national team in the upcoming international fixtures is clearly well-deserved.
Adrian Fein:
Bayern's loanee Adrian Fein came off the bench in the 74th minute for his 4th appearance of the season. With the game already secured there wasn’t much for the 21-year-old youth international to contribute. However, he still provided one shot on target and secure passing to see PSV over the line.
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