Thomas Muller was a late winner when Hansi Flick's Germany defeated Romania 2-1 on Friday night
Six months ago, Germany's national football team was subject to one of its worst humiliations.
Many saw the 2-1 loss to North Macedonia in March as yet another sign of German football's crisis, after their exit from the 2018 World Cup group stage.
Joachim Low, Germany's manager, had already declared that he was ending his 15-year tenure as Germany's boss following the European Championship. This tournament ended in a resounding defeat by England.
With Monday's fixture in North Macedonia set for Monday, Germany's fans have reason to be optimistic again.
After 18 months as Bayern Munich's manager, Hansi Flick joined the team to lead them to four wins out of four qualifiers. This includes three clean sheets and a return back to the 'Bavarian" approach that Germany has relied on for much of its success.
Bavarian dominance requires less hesitation
The defeat by North Macedonia (ranked 65th in world at that time) accentuated all the problems with Low's German team.
They were in a lot of possession, but they moved slowly down the field. Because of the lack of movement from Germany's attacks, North Macedonian defense was often outmanoeuvred. Germany lost possession and there was no counter-pressing for the ball.
Flick's tactical approach at Bayern has helped Germany to increase their ability to maintain pressure on their rivals. Flick is adamant about a fast, progressive, and pressing style.
Bayern's footballing identity is built around this approach. Many of Bayern's key players are currently under contract with the German champions. The national team is becoming more Bavarian as it returns to the same style that they loved between 2006 and 2014.
Hansi Flick won the Champions League and two Bundesliga titles during his 18-month tenure as Bayern Munich's manager.
Flick doesn't just focus on his former employer. He also looks at other clubs.
Because all three of them are German nationals, he is in touch with coaches like Thomas Tuchel from Chelsea, Pep Guardiola from Manchester City, and Mauricio Pochettino at Paris St-Germain.
He encouraged Bundesliga managers to come up with tactical ideas for the national team. Frank Kramer, the manager of Arminia Bielefeld (a club that does not have any international players from Germany), has confirmed publicly that he is allowed "to make suggestions".
Flick made tactical changes like shifting Leroy Sane from the left to the right wing. He spoke to Julian Nagelsmann (Baler coach) to ensure that they were on the same page. It paid off immediately.
Flick is aware that he can't rely solely on the skill of his attacking players. He needs to be precise with his instructions. Sane was able to play close to the touchline against Armenia and Iceland in an isolated role so that he could get into one-on-1s where his greatest strength lies. Serge Gnabry, who was playing on the right, played an inverted role and drove towards the goal three times.
The next generation is already here
Germany has a number of players who are familiar with the attacking roles of Flick's 4-2-2-3-1 formation. The next generation is on the cue.
There are many highly gifted talents behind the likes Sane, Gnabry and Marco Reus, such as Bayern's Jamal Musiala and Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, and Chelsea's Kai Havertz. They will lead Germany into the second half of this decade.
Germany may have a new number nine with Karim Adeyemi, who is currently playing for Red Bull Salzburg. This comes after years of using attacking midfielders at the front.
Rumours abound that Adeyemi may be pursued by both Borussia Dortmund (Germany) and Bayern Munich (Germany). Bayern academy let Adeyemi, a Munich-born striker, go at the age 10 due to disciplinary reasons. He may want to return home to wear the German champions jersey again.
He is able to experience the Bavarian way of playing through his appearances on the national team.
