The German football fans are losing love for their pet child. Due to a succession of disappointing performances, the status of the national team is rapidly crumbling. And that a year before the organization of the European Championship… Can the Mannschaft win much-needed souls against the Red Devils again?
Sensational newspapers are often a good reflection of what is going on in society.
A visit to the sports section of Bild learns in this way that they in Germany do not seem to lose sleep over the confrontation against Belgium.
The trainer’s saga at Bayern, family happiness at Jürgen Klopp, a handful of clickbait articles… To the first article about the team it is very long scrolling.
Once the pride of the nation, now the national team seems to have become a necessary evil.
After the climax at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, four disappointing major tournaments followed. The elimination in the group stage at the most recent World Cup caused the barometer of confidence to fall even further.
It is telling that the exhibition game against the Red Devils in the Cologne stadium – with 50,000 seats, by no means the largest in Germany – has not been sold out.
Recovery plan
“The fans are skeptical,” sighs Carlos Ubina, journalist at the Stuttgarter Zeitung.
“It is not normal for the national team to disappoint for such a long period of time. It will take a succession of good performances to restore confidence.”
The hangover around the national team is all the more unfortunate now that its own big party is approaching at a rapid pace. Because next year there will be the organization of the European championship.
The German Football Association (DFB), according to The mirror financially on the gums, understands the seriousness of the situation.
One of the pillars of the “recovery plan” is more open communication with the fans. There also needs to be “a more positive and inclusive team culture”. Finally, the DFB brought back crowd favorite Rudi Völler as director to please the supporters.
His first major (and so far only) intervention? Bringing back the captain’s armband in the national tricolor, after the state case about the One Loveversion in Qatar – according to many, it was detrimental to the focus on the World Cup.
The Germans protested with their hands in front of their mouths in protest against the culture of silence at the past World Cup.
Nevertheless, our German colleagues shrug their shoulders at the above intentions. They emphasize that the hearts of the fans can only be won back on the pitch.
In that respect, they see national coach Hansi Flick – he kept the confidence after Qatar – trying some new things.
“He brought six debutants into the squad,” says Ubina. “With Marius Wolf van Dortmund as the most important, because the right back is a problem position – 8 different guys already played. With Malick Thiaw (AC Milan), Felix Nmecha (Wolfsburg) and Kevin Schade (Brentford), Flick is also trying to rejuvenate.”
Tactically, things also changed. “The national coach wants to defend harder and more compactly,” our German colleague continues.
“Flick now also seems to opt for a two-striker system, because efficiency was a big problem at the World Cup. Well, it’s not about individual quality anyway, a team will have to be formed again.”
Only then will Germany be behind again team to stand.
Of expected starting eleven of Germany vanavond: Ter Stegen; wolf, ginter, sweeper, space; Gnabry, Kimmich, Goretzka, Wirtz; Full pitcher, Werner.
