Published: September 8, 2021 10:45 pm
Last Updated: September 9, 2021 12:00 am
Germany routs Iceland with Chelsea contingent in the mix
After another disappointing international tournament in recent years, Germany is back to the usual smash their qualifying group effortlessly after they come away from their jaunt in Iceland with a resounding 4-0 win, with a trio of Chelsea players directly influencing proceedings.
Much of the story will be justifiably around the midfield duopoly of Joshua Kimmich & Leon Goretzka; a central tandem that has quickly risen to arguably the best for both club and country in Europe at minimum. But all three of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, and Antonio Rüdiger contributed to Hansi Flick’s impressive start to life as chief of Germany’s top team.
Liechtenstein ⚽
Armenia ⚽🎁
Iceland ⚽Timo Werner’s international break form 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zga1rZHzxX
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 8, 2021
Though Werner did miss an absolute sitter tonight, the Stuttgart academy graduate and former RB Leipzig hitman scored late in the second half to dust off an Iceland side that never looked like competing. It was Werner’s third goal in three outings during this international break, taking his goal record for Die Mannschaft to 19-goals in 45-caps. Despite starting his international career with 7-goals in his first ten appearances, Werner now looks reborn for his country under a Flick system that can potentially pay dividends for his goal-scoring ability.
DORTMUND, GERMANY – OCTOBER 11: Kai Havertz of Germany laughs during the Training Session And Press Conference on October 11, 2019 in Dortmund, Germany. Germany will play against Estonia in a during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier match on October 13, 2019 in Tallinn, Estonia. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
As for Havertz and Rüdiger, the Chelsea creator came off the bench to assist Werner’s late strike, while Rüdiger doubled the Germans lead inside 25-minutes. Three wins from three while away from club duty and all performing while away from Stamford Bridge is a good a break as any for Thomas Tuchel as the Blues prepare for Aston Villa at home before Champions League group stage play begins.
The Hansi Flick regime is off to a perfect start amidst growing excitement
With his success at Bayern Munich, Hansi Flick taking up his post at the helm of the German national team was universally praised. A former lieutenant of Joachim Löw when Germany netted their fourth World Cup win, Flick translated his growing stature in German football into a highly successful spell in Bavaria that produced scintillating football at the Allianz Arena that would result in the club coming away as Champions League winners in 2019-20 while being dominant as ever in the Bundesliga.
Germany in three games under Hansi Flick:
3 wins
12 scored
0 concededGermany are back. Pass it on. 🇩🇪#ISLGER pic.twitter.com/Etgl3Pldhu
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) September 8, 2021
Three wins from his first three competitive matches in charge, twelve goals scored, none allowed; the Flick era has started brightly indeed. But as the boss himself said, things have not yet even hit full stride in the German camp;
“We only had a few training sessions. Our goal was to win the 3 games, and we achieved that. We have taken a step forward. We’re not at 100 percent yet, but the team is on the right track. The guys are implementing things the way we imagine”
To many, Flick signals the second coming of his predecessor and mentor, but the Heidelberg-native is very much his own man with his own plan, and former German international Bastian Schweinsteiger – who played under Flick when he was Löw’s assistant – has complete faith that he can usher in another era of German dominance.
Chelsea forward Timo Werner echoed those sentiments when asked how he reacted to Flick’s appointment and what it could mean for him under his command;
“I was very happy that he became our new coach because of course it’s an advantage if I know someone comes along who doesn’t think I’m too bad at all. I think things can go in a very good direction with him.”
There is still plenty of time for the sediment to settle, but as things stand, Germany are on a trajectory that heads straight back to the top in relatively short order.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | West Ham United | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | Manchester City | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 3 | -1 | 6 |
| 10 | Brentford FC | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | Watford FC | 3 | -2 | 3 |
| 13 | Southampton FC | 3 | -2 | 2 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 3 | -3 | 2 |
| 15 | Leeds United | 3 | -4 | 2 |
| 16 | Burnley FC | 3 | -3 | 1 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | 3 | -4 | 1 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| 19 | Norwich City | 3 | -9 | 0 |
| 20 | Arsenal FC | 3 | -9 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 2 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 2 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 2 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 2 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 1 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 1 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 1 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Schar, Fabian | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Djenepo, Moussa | Southampton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Cantwell, Todd | Norwich City | 0 | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 0 | 1 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 0 | 1 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 1 | 0 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United | 0 | 1 |
| Grealish, Jack | Manchester City | 0 | 1 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 0 | 1 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 0 | 1 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 5 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 1 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 1 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 1 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 1 |
| Grealish, Jack | Manchester City | 1 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 1 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 1 |
| Murphy, Jacob | Newcastle United | 1 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
