The five keys to the elimination of Germany

World shock: Germany was left out of the World Cup for the second time in a row, a situation that resonated with great force throughout the planet. A candidate to fight for the crown that fell prematurely. That’s why in olé we analyze the keys of its elimination.

1) The team did not find a pattern of play. It sought, at this time, to be more like Spain than Germany, changing one of its paradigms. The outlook on German football was modified, even from its academies, looking for other types of players, more technical, more prone to possession, with less driving and more power than the traditional style, which was a more direct game, with strength in the aerial game and forcefulness in attack. A generational variant that also hit hard.

2) The loss to Japan, right here, also did a lot of internal damage. There were many claims among the players themselves that opened an unexpected front in Flick’s team. This not only conditioned the classification in the results, it also changed the group environment. And it generated a division with the fans, dissatisfied with the team. The press also broke after the Japanese defeat. “He made a fool of himself” were some of the harshest criticisms.

3) The weak physical level of some players also had an impact. One of Germany’s greatest strengths has always been affected by how some of its players got to the World Cup. The case of Manuel Neuer is the most prominent: he was hit on the right shoulder and that affected his performance. He did not respond well against Japan, in his debut, and also failed against Costa Rica. He is no longer who he was.

4) Lack of mental strength. Quite a rarity for a German national team, which was reflected as never before against Costa Rica. Germany collapsed once it found out that Japan was beating Spain and leaving it out of the World Cup. To the point that Costa Rica turned the game around. It is true that he then reacted and led the team to victory, which did not help him much. But he entered a state of despair that does not correspond to the German essence. The same thing happened with Japan.

5) The failure in driving Hansi Flick. The coach, successful in the powerful Bayern Munich, consummated one of the biggest nightmares in German history, being eliminated in the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup. He couldn’t find a way to play in this World Cup, it took him a long time to give way to players like Füllkrug (requested by the fans, scorer of a goal with Costa Rica) and his leadership was deteriorated by the internal crisis. He has a contract until December 2024 and he said that he will not resign: what will happen to his future?