Rudy Germany

The one name on team-sheet that came as a surprise was the inclusion of Hoffenheim's Sebastian Rudy. However, the 24-year-old's starting berth at right-back was enough to raise an eyebrow, having never appeared in that role for club or country.

A solution to Germany's right-back problem has likely been swirling around in Joachim Löw's mind since Philipp Lahm announced his retirement from international football at the age of just 30. The defender bowed out after leading Germany to their fourth World Cup win and his decision to opt out at a relatively young age has been questioned.

But Löw will have been focused purely on a solution. As of Friday, there was little cause for optimism with Jerome Boateng and Benedikt Höwedes stronger in the centre and Kevin Großkreutz of Borussia Dortmund limited at this level when out of position.

Stuttgart's Antonio Rüdiger was presented as an option, but the 21-year-old regularly plays in the middle for his club side. Then there is Sebastian Jung of Wolfsburg - he's currently injured - and Dennis Diekmeier of Hamburg.

All of the above options, plus one or two others, is what makes Löw's decision to call upon Rudy at right-back even more surprising. Between the lines, though, there is method and strategy to the decision.

Passing master

One of Rudy's strongest assets, as he shows when one of the two defensive-midfielders at Hoffenheim, is his passing and distribution of the ball. Rudy managed a passing accuracy of 93% and that figure stood at 100% when he was at his peak in the game.

Lahm's retirement leaves Germany hunting for someone who can distribute the ball strongly from the back, while also allowing the DFB-Team to stretch the field, if Müller takes on a more fluid role in the side.

And in the first-half against Scotland, Rudy held exactly the same high right-sided position and offered a secure outlet in possession, while Müller looked to roam towards the inside-right channel. He was involved in Germany's best attacking combinations of the first 20 minutes and crossed for the Bayern Munich man to open the scoring.

Decent showing

There are still clearly concerns over Rudy's defensive qualities - but that's to be expected given the transition of moving away from his natural slot. The raw acceleration of Ikechi Anya took advantage of the spaces vacated by the Hoffenheim player and the very high defensive line was another key factor.

But at that point in the match, Germany looked rattled and unsettled. The balance seemed to go out of the window with Erik Durm negating his defensive responsibilities on the opposite touchline. Rudy was probably the least of Germany's worries when Scotland managed to wrestle the upper-hand and momentum before Müller's second of two goals to take the points.

The experiment of Rudy at full-back had its positives and negatives. That's the luxury that Germany have with so much quality in the side. After a competent showing, it would be surprising if Rudy doesn't see more game time in the future.