Riedle: Germany have a No 9 problem
But former striker Karl-Heinz Riedle backs coach Loew to find a solution
While England's striker problem is more about quality than quantity, there appears to be no No. 9 forthcoming for Germany after 31-year-old Mario Gomez.
Here in Singapore to promote the Battle of Europe 2016 in November, 50-year-old former Germany striker Karl-Heinz Riedle called the situation "frightening", but backed Die Mannschaft to find a way to overcome it.
The 1990 World Cup winner said: "In the long term, it's frightening because we don't see so many real No. 9s anymore.
"But I think the style of football has changed over the years and Germany have showed they can play without a No. 9.
"Maybe it's the times. At the moment, the guys coming through the academies, you don't see a No. 9 in the old style like in our times.
"Thomas Mueller is not a No. 9. He plays better behind the main striker or on the right, and he was on fire when we won the 2014 World Cup.
"It worked then but, at Euro 2016, we were unlucky he was not in the best condition."
Germany were knocked out of Euro 2016 after failing to find a way past hosts France before losing 2-0 in the semi-finals.
But Riedle said: "I don't think Germany will struggle for goals. I think this was just an accident for Mueller because normally he scores all the time in these big occasions.
"We created chances, but we couldn't pull the trigger. That was the problem, not the type of football that we played."
However, because Mueller is not a traditional No. 9, he still needs to play off a main striker, and Riedle hopes there are a few more good years left in Gomez to lead the German lines.
And, if all else fails, the midfielders behind them must come up with the goods.
"I hope Gomez comes back. If he gets his self-confidence back, what he had with Bayern Munich, then he will solve the problem," said Riedle, who has 42 caps and 16 international goals for Germany.
"His physical presence is different than if you have Mario Goetze up front.
"Gomez is good in the air, he's getting better on the floor, which was his weakness. He's not the best ball-holder, but he's very determined in front of goal and he scores.
"We also play with many creative midfielders like Mesut Oezil who have to step up and join in the scoring.
The former Liverpool striker is also optimistic that his country can continue to advance to the latter stages of major tournaments despite the retirement of stalwarts such as Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose.
He said: "We have so many good young players in the Under-21s and Under-19s.
"Step by step they will come, they will get the chance in the Bundesliga.
"We have a fantastic coach in Joachim Loew, who knows how to fit in these players, so I feel very positive."
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