After a goal-fest against Curacao, the DFB team faces its first major World Cup test on Saturday against Ivory Coast. The challenge comes from Leipzig’s breakout star, Yan Diomande, brother of Desire Doue, and a defense with sensational statistics.
On Wednesday, Yan Diomande penned an emotional letter to his late sister on the portal The Players’ Tribune. His 15-year-old sister, Roxane, passed away a year ago under unclear circumstances after a party. «I will make sure you live on,» Diomande wrote. «I will make sure everyone knows your name, the whole world.»
Concurrently, Diomande is diligently working on his own global recognition. Following a stellar debut season at RB Leipzig (23 scorer points in 36 competitive matches), the 19-year-old is now also impressing at the World Cup. When Ivory Coast defeated the highly-touted Ecuador 1-0 in their opener, Diomande dazzled Piero Hincapie of Champions League finalists FC Arsenal, racking up the most touches for his team (80). This is a remarkable statistic for a winger, and Diomande was deservedly named Player of the Match.
Somewhat surprisingly, he played on the right side against Ecuador. While he often operated there for Leipzig, he had almost exclusively played on the left for the national team until now. Diomande’s starting position against Germany will depend on the other winger. If the winning goal scorer Amad Diallo (Manchester United), who came on as a substitute against Ecuador, is promoted to the starting lineup as expected, replacing Bazoumana Toure (TSG Hoffenheim), Diomande will move to the left flank – and there he will face Germany’s right-back, Joshua Kimmich.
Kimmich recently sang Diomande’s praises, having known him from Bundesliga encounters. «Leipzig had some problems, but he still consistently played well and showed very spectacular performances,» Kimmich raved, comparing Diomande to a former Bayern Munich teammate, Kingsley Coman, the hero of the 2020 Champions League final. «His stop-start dribbling is exceptional, a bit like Kingsley used to be with us at Bayern. He accelerates extremely, stops the opponent, and then accelerates again.»
«These are D-Moves»: Antonio Rüdiger Praises Ivory Coast’s Wingers
Diomande’s speed combined with his technical skills makes him a significant threat to the DFB team, which often pushes forward. However, Ivory Coast’s other attacking players are also rapid. «These are D-moves,» commented Antonio Rüdiger. «They love one-on-one situations and counter-attacks.»
Even in their dominant 7-1 opening win against Curacao, Germany sometimes struggled with quick counter-attacks – against significantly less potent opponents. This was particularly evident on the flanks when Kimmich and left-back Nathaniel Brown, as demanded by national coach Julian Nagelsmann, pushed far upfield or tucked inside. This resulted in both players contributing two scorer points each, but also often left large open spaces behind them.
«It will be very important against Ivory Coast that we pay attention to defensive cover,» warned Kimmich. «When you have to defend 50, 60 meters behind you and are not focused, it can become uncomfortable in a footrace.» Diomande’s top speed last Bundesliga season was 36.30 km/h, while Kimmich’s was 33.08 km/h. The captain emphatically advocated for a «good balance,» suggesting that if in doubt, his team should «only attack with five or six players against eight defenders» to ensure sufficient cover.
Nagelsmann appears to have heeded Kimmich’s words. The national coach is reportedly considering minor tactical adjustments against Ivory Coast. Bild reported that winger Leroy Sane, during a secret training session, dropped very deep and even acted as the rightmost player in a five-man defense to provide additional cover against the ball.
Ivory Coast Conceded No Goals in World Cup Qualifiers
Meanwhile, Germany’s attackers will face a defense that is difficult to break down. In fact, Ivory Coast conceded not a single goal throughout their World Cup qualification campaign and also kept a clean sheet in their opener against Ecuador (though they did hit the woodwork twice).
National coach Emerse Fae had to do without his two injured starting central defenders, Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta Bergamo) and Evan Ndicka (AS Roma), in the starting lineup. However, both are expected to be available against Germany. Guela Doue (Racing Strasbourg) will defend at right-back. He is the brother of Desire Doue, a French international and two-time Champions League winner with PSG.
Striker Elye Wahi will also be present. Initially, it was reported that the Eintracht Frankfurt flop would be denied entry into Canada due to an investigation in France for suspected betting fraud and match manipulation. However, he received his entry permit on Thursday.
Will Yan Diomande Move to Liverpool or PSG After the World Cup?
Ivory Coast’s greatest hopes, however, rest with Diomande, who can also provide national coach Fae with insights into German Bundesliga players he knows well. How much longer Diomande will play for Leipzig remains entirely open. Top international clubs like PSG and FC Liverpool are reportedly already pursuing him, with a potential transfer fee of 120 million Euros being discussed.
If Diomande ever leaves Germany, he will certainly leave with a nickname as a memento. «When I moved to Leipzig, I was always late,» he wrote in The Players’ Tribune. «Not really late, but exactly on time. In Germany, however, that means you’re very late. So, at some point, I started showing up 90 minutes early for every meeting. That’s when the others started calling me ‘the German’.»