Euro 2016: Julian Draxler provides incision, the only missing piece of puzzle for Germany

A knockout match of a major tournament is a good time to score your first goal for the national side in a competitive fixture. Jerome Boateng and Julian Draxler timed it well enough on Sunday. The goals were, in essence, a reflection of how well the two played against Slovakia on Sunday. The presence of Boateng and Draxler’s names on the scoresheet would have particularly pleased manager Joachim Loew. The first goal, by Boateng, was an insight into how far one of his core players has come; when Draxler scored Germany’s third, it offered a reasonable solution to one of the questions that has troubled the German head coach since his team won the World Cup in 2014. Last year, in an interview to the Guardian, Boateng had spoken at length about his time under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich. “I’m more calm with the ball now and I can read the game better, even when the opposition has the ball. I have to open the game from my position. It’s really important to play with the ball,” he had said. [caption id=“attachment_2857724” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Germany’s Julian Draxler scores his side’’s third goal against Slovakia. AP[/caption] It’s a facet of Boateng’s game that has considerably developed during Guardiola’s three-year tenure. At the end of the first half against Slovakia on Sunday, the centre-back had completed 15 passes in the final third. No other player on the pitch had done the same. As the Slovaks stay put in their half, Boateng felt confident enough to push forward and force the issue. The 27-year-old is not a natural fit for playing from the back but his desire for self-improvement has taken him quite far down the road. Far enough to make him drive a low volley home from about 20 yards out. There was a peculiar beauty to his strike against Slovakia. As the headed clearance came down on his right boot, Boateng sized it up like a machine before driving it forward; in no time, Slovak ‘keeper Matus Kozacik was beaten. It was a strike that Julian Draxler would have been proud of. The Wolfsburg forward has made a name for himself in a short time due to his frequent decisive contributions. The 22-year-old took his goal against Slovakia particularly well, with a volley from close range. Unlike Boateng, Draxler did not have much time to measure his effort but he adjusted his body to allow himself a good pelt. But there was more to admire in Draxler’s overall performance. Loew has tinkered with his playing XI at every match of Euro 2016 as he seeks a combination that works the best. Arguably, the last piece in the puzzle remained the position on the left in the attacking unit. Mario Goetze had started the previous match there but he is an intermittent threat. Draxler came into the side and added another thread of potency. He also had the most successful dribbles — eight out of nine completed, far better than any other player. But it was for Germany’s second goal that Draxler demonstrated his special ability on the ball, when he sold Juraj Kucka a dummy to enter the box and set Mario Gomez up for an easy finish. It’s this incision that makes him stand out. Two years ago, Draxler was part of the World Cup-winning squad, but he barely played a role in the triumph. Now, Loew recognises his value as he seeks directness in a team that can often play like it’s playing with colours on a canvas. While creative licence is necessary, an end product is indispensable. This is not to say that Draxler does not indulge in aesthetic machinations. He has expressed his desire to play in Spain as he believes his game would suit the football culture there. Barcelona, of course, would be the most tempting destination. Boateng’s improvement under Guardiola must have caught his eye. However, Draxler is also a serious admirer of Jose Mourinho’s coaching methods. On the pitch, the Schalke academy product is a huge fan of Mesut Ozil. That should not come as a surprise since he plays as a number 10 for his club. Indeed it was Draxler’s desire to play in a central role that made him seek a move from Schalke, where he had started his career at the age of eight. The chance to play with Ozil in the national team means that he is happy to start in a wider position. As seen against Slovakia, it does not hamper his effectiveness. Remarkably, there was a chance that Draxler would not even have made the tournament. A thigh injury in April had seriously threatened his participation in France. However, the desire to represent the world champions led him to practice a stringent recovery procedure and prove his fitness. Now that Draxler is in France and part of Loew’s plans, he needs to prove that he belongs at this stage. In the past, his inconsistency has held his development back. If there’s a repeat of that, senior teammates like Boateng will need to ensure he recognises his responsibility. After all, Draxler is no longer the 18-year-old who carried his books to the the national team’s training camp when he was first called up by Loew before the 2012 Euro tournament. Back then, it was coach Oliver Bierhoff’s duty to check on the teenager’s studies since he had exams coming up. As Germany passed its latest examination with ease, both Boateng and Draxler were taken off in the 72nd minute. The senior defender and young playmaker had done their jobs and Loew sought to preserve them for the tougher assignment in the quarters against Spain or Italy. The manager might have finally found the plan that takes his side to glory. It was imperative to protect the men who will make it work.