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The round of 16 meeting between Germany and Paraguay will be presented from 16:15. today on RDS and its platforms.
Four-time world champions Germany face lowly Paraguay in the last 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ on Monday in Foxborough, near Boston, but their level is under debate after their 2-1 group defeat to Ecuador.
The case of Manuel Neuer, the position of captain Joshua Kimmich, the performance of the duo Florian Wirtz-Jamal Musial, the use of Denis Undave: the defeat of Ecuador by Moises Caicedo, Willian Pacho and Pierrot Hincapie suddenly brought back all the demons of Mannschaft.
Before the glitch against the South Americans, during a no-stakes match where first place in their group was already guaranteed, Julian Nagelsmann’s side had nevertheless won 11 in a row and, above all, had just escaped from the group stage of the World Cup for the first time since winning the title in Brazil in 2014.
But the trauma of two early exits in 2018 and 2022 remains keenly felt among commentators remaining in the country, who even question whether their players can beat lowly Paraguayans in the round of 16, ranked 37th in the FIFA rankings since qualifying for the knockout stages, which they struggled to achieve thanks to a surprise 1-0 win over Turkey and a draw with Australia after at the start they were defeated by the USA (4-1).
And if they win, they are especially wary of a potential round of 16 against France – against Sweden in ’16 – on July 4 in Philadelphia.
Neuer, problem or solution?
Everyone is wondering whether bringing back 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who came out of international retirement to play in the American World Cup, was such a good idea after all.
The goalkeeper, who is far from being considered the best in history and who, to put it mildly, revolutionized the position, returned only for the first match against Curacao, meaning he has not played a single meeting with Mannschaft since August 2024, when he left after the Euros at home. And he just conceded four goals on seven shots on target in the group stage, including a blunder against Ecuador.
Neuer, who has brought out the best and the worst of this season’s Champions League with Bayern Munich, has not become the world’s worst goalkeeper through three matches, and no other goalkeeper in the team has his aura. But this is no longer the all-risk insurance that it represented just a few years ago.
At home we also wonder why Nagelsmann is keen to place his captain Joshua Kimmich on the right of defense when his technique is sorely lacking in midfield. Lothar Matthäus and Philipp Lahm, two former Manshaft captains, both world champions, have called for a change in Kimmich’s position, but the coach does not appear ready to change the formula he has found for this World Cup.
Feller, fireman
Moreover, the Vusiala duo of two nuggets Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala are struggling to reach their full potential, with the former coming off a disappointing first season at Liverpool and the latter slowly recovering from a serious ankle injury suffered during the Club World Cup last July.
And here Nagelsmann will not exchange his attacking trio, complete with Kai Havertz, for Deniz Undave, his “supersub”, the author of three goals scored from the bench.
The Stuttgart striker saved Germany from a mistake against Ivory Coast (2-1) in the group game thanks to his brace. He is also the best striker at this World Cup according to the Power Ranking, FIFA’s new ranking system that aims to objectively evaluate performances based on statistical data, ahead of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
To dispel all these doubts, sports director Rudi Völler came forward, good-natured and smiling.
“I am completely calm and serene,” he assured. I know that on Monday the team will give it their all. The circumstances are different compared to Ecuador: there is a question of qualification or returning home.”