DFB-Elf before Northern Ireland game: the next new beginning

One should advise the national coach to regularly play international matches against the Netherlands in the annual calendar. Defeats against the neighbor have a healing, almost therapeutic effect. Last fall, the DFB team lost 0-3 in Amsterdam. Everyone, including Joachim Loew, not to say, even Joachim Loew had understood then that it could not go on like this. The famous, then much-vaunted upheaval began.

Now, after the well-deserved 2-4 home defeat on Friday, the great sounds that have recently come back from EM-favorites Germany have disappeared once again. Realism has instead taken its place again.

Before the Dutch game Joshua Kimmich had still talked about the fact that the DFB-Elf course to the circle of favorites for the European Championship tournament in the coming year to apply. Now he says: "The starting position has changed completely." A game was enough to show the team their current level of performance. And to show everyone: This team is not ready yet.

A failure was unimaginable four days ago

On Monday it is in Windsor Park against Northern Ireland (20.45 clock, live ticker DER SPIEGEL), and there are no more sayings: From a "tremendously important game" speaks of the national coach, Kimmich warns that you can "allow no more slipping" , A defeat in the loud Windsor Park - and suddenly even a failure in the qualification would be a possibility.

Unimaginable to the public four days ago.

Now the Northern Irish are despite their hitherto immaculate record in the European Championship qualifier with four wins from four games no opponent, which would be comparable to the quality of the Netherlands. The four successes stem from the duels with Estonia and Belarus, the somewhat strange game plan of the Uefa ensures that the Northern Irish already have their light games behind them before they meet one of the favorites teams.

The eleven of coach Michael O'Neill is recorded, praised Löw, also was "every corner, every free kick, every single duel won" celebrated by the audience, this is the Windsor Roar, who then goes through the arena. That should outweigh the disadvantages in the individual class of the players, here is the Löw Elf clearly superior.

Not only the defense was weak

But what does that mean if the defense shakes and does not convince the offensive, as last Friday? "There is not much against the Netherlands, which we have done well," says Kimmich, looking away from the defensive weaknesses of the team alone. In fact, went in retrospect, the offensive deficiencies of the DFB-Eleven on Friday a little bit. There were hardly any chances to score, Timo Werner and Marco Reus largely disappeared. It would be exaggerated to speak of a dependence of the German game of the current Leroy Sané. But he was missing very much.

Instead, the criticism focused after the Friday game on the position and play errors of the defense, personalized by Jonathan Tah and Matthias Ginter. It went so far that in parts of the media already a recall of center-back Mats Hummels is required. Half a year ago, it had been largely agreed that Hummels, 30, and his longtime associate Jérôme Boateng, 31, now have too many deficits in the speed game.

"We have to and will show a completely different face," says Kimmich. Löw and he repeatedly pointed out on Sunday before the press that the Northern Irish would show a different style of play than the technically talented Dutchman. He had "gained a lot of important insights from the Netherlands match," Löw said. However, he had avoided sharing with the team: "Because the Northern Irish play very differently, I have so far refrained from talking to the team about it."

The fact that his team sometimes make mistakes, you have to concede, so the national coach, after all, you lie in qualifying despite the home defeat of Hamburg "still in the target". That would only change with a defeat in Belfast.

And thoroughly.