This dark evening in Vienna will haunt the German national football team for a long time. It was less the fact of the 2-0 defeat in Austria in this test match itself, but more the very worrying image that Julian Nagelsmann’s selection gave off on the pitch in the Ernst Happel Stadium. Anyone who fell out of line will feel the consequences of the debacle for a little longer than the next two international matches in March, when the Germans only have the next chance to correct the bad impression they left on Tuesday.
Tobias Rabe
Editor in charge of Sport Online.
Leroy Sané, who has been one of the strongest national players in the German Football Association (DFB) team for months, will not be able to help. The FC Bayern professional also didn’t show a good performance, like in the 2:3 against Turkey in Berlin on Saturday. The great frustration over his own poor presentation erupted in an attack against Phillipp Mwene in the 49th minute. The Mainz Bundesliga player was fouled by Sané, struggled a bit and complained. When Mwene got up again, he was knocked over by the loaded Sané. “Mwene’s action is not the most subtle. In the end, Leroy has to be so cool that he doesn’t do that,” Nagelsmann said on ZDF.
That’s why the red card was given – and that has consequences. The world association FIFA will determine the exact punishment. As a rule, such an offense means a suspension of at least three games. Sané will probably only be allowed to be back on the field at the earliest in the final test before Germany’s opening game at the European Championship in their own country, which is scheduled for June 14th in Munich. The recording therefore mainly takes place without Sané. After all, red cards in test games usually have no impact on a tournament.
“An evening to forget”
It was the first dismissal for the 27-year-old Sané in more than 400 professional games and an indication that the DFB crisis can take a heavy toll on even players who actually have their emotions under control. “The game is on me today, it’s on me. I have to control myself because I let the team down,” said Sané, who apologized in the dressing room. “It wasn’t anything personal against Phillipp, it was my own performance, it shouldn’t happen to me.” This was followed by one Statement at X, formerly Twitteraccording to the motto: “An evening to forget in Vienna”.
But, this much is certain, many around the German national team will not forget that evening in the Austrian capital, especially because it is not just what Sané did on the pitch and later said off it that describes the German dilemma: “We have great quality in the squad. That’s why it’s so difficult to understand from the outside why it doesn’t work.” And from the inside? Those with the corresponding views found it difficult. There was of course an understanding that things couldn’t continue like this. However, there was no solution to the big problem in Vienna.
Nagelsmann, who took over the team in September after parting ways with Hansi Flick, said: “I have the impression that we are a very closed community outside of the pitch with an incredibly good relationship.” He has never coached a team that is… The national coach believes that handling is so good. “What we are not able to do is manage this transfer onto the field. I don’t have a perfect solution yet.” His feeling is that there are too many lone fighters. The consequences could be observed on the field.
In addition to goals from Dortmund’s Marcel Sabitzer (29′) and Leipzig’s Christoph Baumgartner (73′), the Austrians had other chances. The Germans, on the other hand, surprisingly only came into the game a little better when they were outnumbered after Sané’s red card. But the lack of defense was worrying. “The team’s great strength is game control and offensive football,” said Nagelsmann. “But when we lose the ball absurdly, like in the first half, we have a lot to defend – and that’s where we simply have problems. Our performance is too slow, too undynamic.”
