Germany go into the round of 32 with the kind of selection problem managers usually prefer to have, even if this one is messier than it looks. They finished top of Group E, but the 2-1 loss to Ecuador in their final group game exposed a side still sorting itself out. Now Paraguay arrive in Boston, and Julian Nagelsmann has to decide whether to restore the back four, move Joshua Kimmich back to right-back, and find a way to fit Deniz Undav into the starting XI.
Kimmich’s position and the back-four decision
Germany switched from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-2-1 after Nico Schlotterbeck’s tournament-ending injury, and they are now expected to revert to a back four against Paraguay. That gives Nagelsmann a real call on Kimmich. Lothar Matthaus did not hide his view, saying: “Do him a favour and get him out of the backline. I don't see the Joshua on the pitch that I've known for years. At Bayern Munich, he is absolute world-class. In terms of his body language and positioning, I don't see him as someone who leads the team or exerts influence when things aren't going well. From the right-back spot, he just can't seem to manage it.”
Matthaus has a point if the aim is to get Kimmich higher up the pitch. He has two assists at the tournament and a 7.44 rating, which is part of why this debate has not gone away. There is also a decent case for keeping things simple at the back after Germany conceded four goals in the group stage.
Manuel Neuer, aged 40, is expected to remain in goal despite the controversy around his recall in March.
Undav is making the attack harder to pick
The sharper selection pressure is in attack. Nagelsmann has publicly described Undav as a “born goalscorer”, and the numbers are doing the rest. Undav has scored three goals in three World Cup appearances this tournament and added two assists, all from substitute cameos.
His impact has not been cosmetic. He scored a brace, including a 94th-minute winner against Ivory Coast, after coming off the bench. He also produced one goal and two assists against Curaçao as a substitute. That is a strong case for a player who has already delivered when introduced late and may now be asking for more than a bench role.
Germany scored 10 goals across their three group games, so the attack has not lacked output. But the final-day defeat to Ecuador and the way Undav has kept changing games make the front line feel less settled than the results column suggests. Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and Leroy Sané are all part of the wider picture, but Undav is the one forcing the issue.
Germany’s group-stage form was good enough to top the section, yet they also conceded four and have not kept a clean sheet in their last nine World Cup games since winning the 2014 final. Paraguay finished third in Group D with four points, a 1-1-1 record and a goal difference of minus two. That makes them a manageable opponent, but not one that lets Nagelsmann delay his decisions for much longer.
The next answer comes on 29 June, when Germany vs Paraguay decides whether Kimmich stays wide, whether the back four returns, and whether Undav has done enough to start.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →