Nick Woltemade’s missed chance for Germany against Serbia has travelled beyond the result and into a familiar national argument: who is meant to lead the line after the age of Miroslav Klose?
For Juventus, the episode arrives at a delicate point in the season-long assessment of their new forward. Woltemade has been under scrutiny for months, and the reaction in Germany suggests that one miss is being read as part of a wider shortage rather than an isolated lapse.
Quick facts
- Woltemade missed from close range in Germany’s win over Serbia.
- The chance came in the 59th minute after an accurate delivery from Treu.
- Germany’s concern remains the absence of an established elite centre-forward.
- Woltemade had also missed a penalty against Paraguay at the World Cup, in the match that ended Germany’s campaign.
- Jürgen Klopp has acknowledged that the national side faces issues beyond one player’s mistake.
The Juventus striker had helped begin the move with a backheel before Treu returned the ball into his path. With the goal unguarded and only a few metres away, Woltemade sent his finish over the crossbar. His own reaction showed the scale of the disbelief.
Germany still won, but the discussion did not end there. The miss reopened the question that has followed the team since Klose retired: whether the country has a reliable No. 9 capable of deciding major matches.
Klopp, now charged with guiding Germany, has been handed that unresolved problem. The search for a striker is viewed as one of his central tasks, although he has stressed that the national team’s difficulties cannot be reduced to Woltemade alone.
“Nick’s miss was enormous,” was the broad verdict after the Serbia match. The supply had been clean, the approach play had created the opening, and the final touch was missing.
There were, however, elements of Woltemade’s display that offered a fuller picture. He remained involved around the penalty area, contributed to Germany’s build-up and created an opening for Serge Gnabry. Yet he also failed to take another opportunity, heading off target as well as missing the decisive chance with his feet.
That contrast is now central to the judgement around the Juventus forward. He can connect play and participate in attacks, but his finishing is being examined through the memory of the Paraguay penalty and Germany’s World Cup elimination.
For Juventus, it is another chapter in the pressure that comes with signing a striker whose club form and international role will be assessed together. For Germany, the concern is larger: Woltemade’s miss has become a symbol of a question the country has not yet answered.
