'Completely out of position,' says national media after Chelsea's £29 million player's international performance last night
Following his performance for the national team yesterday evening, Antonio Rudiger received mixed reactions from the German media.
Hansi Flick's winning streak as coach of Die Mannschaft came to an end last night when he was held by Louis van Gaal's Holland.
Both teams featured a slew of world-class performers, from Chelsea's Timo Werner and Kai Havertz to Liverpool's virtuoso rock Virgil van Dijk.
Rudiger proudly wears his country's colors.
Rudiger started in a German defense that was relatively inexperienced, partnering 22-year-old Nico Schlotterbeck at center-half.
The Stamford Bridge defender was making his 50th international appearance, and it was a forgettable one.
He bore the brunt of the blame for Tottenham Hotspur forward Stephen Bergwijn's equalizer.
"Celebrated his DFB anniversary with the 50th international match and had the shop under control for a long time," SPORT1 wrote after the game about Rudiger.
"However, he allowed Malen to rush once (35'/shot to side netting) and was also too far away from Bergwijn when he conceded a goal in the 68th minute."
Get German Football News made a similar error, giving the £29 million (BBC) signing from Roma a 6/10 rating.
"By far the most experienced German defender on the field tonight, Rüdiger led his team admirably in the first period."
"However, he was completely pulled out of position for the Netherlands goal." After that, Rüdiger and Germany's defenders struggled to keep the Netherlands at bay. There is clearly a weakness in Germany's defense."
a departure from Chelsea
When assessing Rudiger's apparent flaws, it's difficult not to look past Flick's inexperienced backguard.
Schlotterbeck had only played once for Germany before Tuesday's friendly, while full-backs David Raum and Thilo Kehrer had only a few caps between them.
Unlike at Chelsea, where Thomas Tuchel's backline is brimming with first-rate football knowledge.
Thiago Silva possesses the majority of the knowledge, while Andreas Christensen has earned his stripes through years of development.
Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr are both young, but they've both played in the Champions League on multiple occasions.
As a result, we shouldn't put too much stock in Rudiger's latest performance.
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