An earthquake. Last Thursday, Germany said goodbye to the World Cup. Despite a 4-2 victory against Costa Rica, Thomas Müller’s teammates fell by the wayside following Japan’s victory against Spain. A terrible blow on the head of the selection. But in the end, this elimination is not really a surprise if we rely on the information revealed in the paper edition of sports picture this Wednesday. The German publication has made crisp revelations behind the scenes of the selection led by Hans Dieter Flick.
She explained that the German group was divided into several groups. “The much vaunted unity did not exist in the national team. Cracks appeared in the team structure even before the first World Cup game against Japan (1-2, loss), which then became ditches. Bayern’s big block has divided the national team! Some players have even accused the coach, stamped Bayern Munich, of being a little too close to the Bavarians, whom he knows perfectly since he led them. This therefore creates tension.
The Bayern Munich clan favored by Flick
It is also for this reason that Flick did not succeed in federating around him. But that’s not the only reason. The debate around the wearing of the “One Love” armband has been a source of tension as explained by Bild. The day before the start against Japan, the discussions around this subject disturbed the group. Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka, very involved, wanted to put in place a gesture to express their dissatisfaction. Others thought it went way too far. They even asked not to talk about it anymore and not to make political signs and statements.
The leaders, Neuer, Goretzka, Müller, Kimmich, Rüdiger and Gündogan gathered to vote. The last two mentioned were visibly against it. But the Bayern Munich side prevailed and the Germans put a hand over their mouth in protest. The coach’s choices also weighed on the morale of the troops. Holder against Japan, Ilkay Gündogan did not appreciate being replaced by Goretzka. He believes that he was favored while the German press adds that Flick left him on the field to give him more playing time. Regardless, this amplified tensions and the City player raises the question of whether or not to continue in selection.
Players divided
Close to him, Antonio Rüdiger or Marc-André ter Stegen are also wondering. The Barça goalkeeper is questioning himself as much as Neuer has indicated that he wants to continue. And Ter Stegen is tired of playing doubles, even achieving better club performances according to him. Kai Havertz also thinks he was the victim of coaching favoring the Bavarians. Bavarians who were present en masse during the matches. They were 5 against Japan, 6 against Spain and 7 against Costa Rica. Bild. Which drove a wedge with some. Despite everything, the team tried to calm the tensions. “From now on, we must all stick together”released a player from the national team and Bayern Munich during a crisis meeting.
There have been several in Qatar, moreover. But the evil was deep. Everyone was almost happy to separate once the elimination was recorded. Bild explained that during the return flight, the atmosphere was gloomy. The players were stunned and unable to speak. The plane also made a stopover in Munich to drop off all the Nagelsmann players before resuming its journey to take the rest of the team to their destination. Again, this was seen as preferential treatment. Germany, which will organize Euro 2024, will have to do a lot of work on itself to raise its head and regain unity.
