Germany's unfancied U21s offer prospects for promotion

Exactly a year after the limp, late defeat to South Korea a German men's side are set to play in the semifinals of a significant tournament. The culmination of a sluggish, bloodless campaign in Kazan prompted widespread handwringing, head-scratching and soul searching in German football circles, with plenty of valid questions being posed about the deterioration of country's once impeccable youth development system.

The squad list for the ongoing tournament in Italy did little to set pulses racing. Only two of Stefan Kuntz' 23-man squad were actually under 21 when the tournament began (players need only be under 21 when the qualifying phase starts) and the squad drew on 16 different German clubs but only one player from the country's top two sides — Borussia Dortmund's Mahmoud Dahoud.

But after a Marco Richter-inspired 3-1 defeat of Denmark and a 6-1 demolition of Serbia led by a Luca Waldschmidt hat trick and a long-range thunderbolt from the Freiburg forward against Austria secured the draw Germany needed to reach the last four. Their opponent is yet to be determined.

Waldschmidt's five goals make him the competition's top scorer, with Richter — who plays to the left of Waldschimdt in Germany's 4-3-3 — the second-best goal getter so far with three. The pair have averaged a goal every 54 and 67 minutes respectively.

“I don’t know exactly [why we work so well together]. I think we understand each other very well off the pitch as well," said Richter of the pair's relationship. "We’re good buddies and it goes without saying that we have each other’s back. It’s cool that you can see this from the outside as well."

The deadly duo are, in many ways, standard bearers for this largely unheralded squad. Both were once regarded as genuine international prospects but haven't followed the sort of smooth path followed by many of the side that won the U21 Euros in 2009 and formed the basis of the senior team's 2014 World Cup win.

Similar back stories

Richter started his youth career in Bayern Munich's ranks before moving to Augsburg, where he was prolific at youth level. But despite his obvious ability, the 21-year-old's discipline and professionalism were questioned as he struggled to really make his mark on the Bundesliga. The arrival of Martin Schmidt as the Bavarian club's head coach seems to have helped the versatile wide forward though. Back-to-back braces in April were critical to the club's survival in Germany's top tier, while three assists in his last five games ensured his confidence was high going in to the tournament.

Waldschmidt's story is similar. The 23-year-old was a highly regarded youth prospect at Eintracht Frankfurt but struggled badly to make the step up to the first team, scoring just one German Cup goal in his 17 games. A move to Hamburg proved equally frustrating, with Waldscmidt scoring just twice in 35 top flight appearances. 

After moving to Freiburg, Waldschmidt also ended the season strongly and finished the 2018-19 campaign with a strike rate of a goal every 190 minutes. His hold up play and movement in the box have drawn comparisons with Miroslav Klose that, though perhaps premature in terms of class and achievements, have some stylistic merit. With Germany’s dearth of international class strikers, Waldschmidt’s impressive record from the bench may mean he has a chance of following clubmate Nils Petersen in offering Joachim Löw an alternative to Timo Werner . Another season of improvement in the Black Forest under Christian Streich's tutelage could force Waldschmidt onto Löw's radar.

Coach who 'knows how the players tick'

The same could well be said for his national team coach. Kuntz, who led the line for Germany in their victorious Euro 96 campaign, has reportedly drawn some attention from European clubs as well as the praise of his former international teammate and current technical director for German football Oliver Bierhoff.

"I am very happy he continues to be successful with the under 21s," said Bierhoff recently. "He’s a strong communicator, he's a great coach, and most of all he knows how the players tick and what’s important in a tournament."

If Kuntz proves Bierhoff right and Germany defend their title, he won't be the only one pushing for a promotion. The next opponent standing in Germany's way: Romania in Bologna on Thursday.