It was the 69th minute when Hansi Flick made his third and fourth substitutions in the international soccer match in Bologna.

At that moment, the national coach looked like the former Bayern coach, who can naturally fall back on the luxury of exquisite change options.

When the score was 0-0, he took off Bayern stars Thomas Müller and Leon Goretzka – and brought on Premier League stars Ilkay Gündogan and Kai Havertz.

Michael Horini

Football correspondent Europe in Berlin.

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One made Manchester City champion a few weeks ago with two goals in the last game of the season, the other made Chelsea the winner of the Champions League with a goal in last year's final.

These deluxe changes that Flick had available show pretty well that the German national team nominally has a strong squad in the summer of 2022.

But as soon as the fresh stars were on the field, the Germans were 0:1 behind.

It took just a minute for the five debutant Italy national team to score against the confused Germans – that was the practice.

"Italians seemed more experienced"

The newly formed Squadra Azzurra only had one thing to do with the 2021 European champions in the starting XI: goalkeeper Donnarumma.

And the team that went down a few days ago in a duel with South American champions Argentina without a sound 3-0 was turned upside down by coach Roberto Mancini – and also changed ten positions.

But even against a newly formed and largely unknown young Italian selection in an international comparison, the Germans were only able to draw 1-1 at the start of the Nations League.

In truth, this game was also the German gallop to the world championship in five months in Qatar.

And this much can be said: A World Cup favorite looks different.

"Some of the Italians seemed a bit more experienced than we were," said the national coach, unpleasantly surprised.

For decades it has probably never been easier for Germany than to win against an Italian national team on this muggy and hot evening.

But in the ninth international match under national coach Flick, a German weakness was also evident in Bologna, which has been a common thread through the appearance of the four-time world champion for five years: against big national teams, even if they are in upheaval like in Italy, can the Germans hardly win anymore.

That hasn't changed under Joachim Löw's successor - even if Flick's record of seven wins and two draws seems impressive at first.

However, as against Italy through Joshua Kimmich's goal (73rd minute), as in March against the Netherlands, it was only enough for a 1-1 draw.

All of the other opponents Germany beat came from second or third grade.

"We can't be satisfied," said the national coach.

"We didn't have enough speed and far too many mistakes in our game overall.

We didn't do some things as well as we can do them."

The fact is: When it comes to classics, even in a narrow-chested competition like the Nations League, there is little for the Germans to get.

Since the 2017/18 World Cup season, the DFB selection has won only two of 18 games against top teams: against the Netherlands 2020 in the Nations League (3-2 in Amsterdam) and against Portugal at the EM 2021 (4-2 in Munich ).

In addition to nine draws, it sets seven defeats.

The 1-1 draw against Italy fits into the unpleasant picture.

"We knew Italy was in transition and they didn't have a player or two on the pitch.

Unfortunately we didn't succeed.

We didn't manage to put our game on the pitch," said goal scorer Kimmich.

Despite the initial superiority, Flick's team barely manages to create dangerous scoring chances in the first half.

Gnabry had the best opportunity to take the lead after a reasonably brisk free-standing combination, but the Italians had already hit the post with a shot from Gianluca Scamacca deflected by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

After the change, the Italians were initially even the braver and better team in an overall badly flawed encounter.

When they were 1-0 down, captain Neuer couldn't be relied on either, who let a half-high cross sail idly through his six-yard box.

Kimmich's equalizer, on the other hand, was far more a result of the Munich player's willpower than a well thought-out combination.

The German game seemed uninspired overall and lacked speed in most attacks - and lacked precision when the sometimes disorganized Italians, who not coincidentally failed in the World Cup qualification, allowed the appropriate freedom for poorly played counterattacks.

On Tuesday (8.45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Nations League and on ZDF) the next top game is in Munich: against the English, the German terminus in the round of 16 of the European Championship a year ago.

However, the English are not in top form after a long season: they surprisingly lost 1-0 in Hungary on Saturday.

A chance for the Germans to make something successful out of the Nations League, at least on the third try: In the first year, if the mode had not changed at short notice, they would have been relegated directly from the top group.

In November 2021, the second attempt ended with a 0: 6 debacle in Spain.

In other words: at least in the Nations League, things can only get better.