The brass band had to come into play first. The brass players in the German fan block had their problems in the first half to find the right tone. But that they had in common with the German team, which had also blown off the attack against Belarus from the beginning, but in their offensive efforts orchestrated similarly little effect as the musicians in the stands.
In the end, the victory with 4: 0 (1: 0) was still so unusual that you can use the word befittingly without a guilty conscience. The qualifying for the European Championships was made by this mandatory victory, and the wind players could intone their "Super Germany olé".
Brass music on the fan grandstand is known from the Dutch fans, who have been accompanied for many years by the chapel "Kleintje Pils" around the world. It stands for the enthusiasm of the Oranje fans. The German brass band in Mönchengladbach's Borussia Park, on the other hand, blew in a stadium that was just three-quarters filled with 33,000 spectators.
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The upper rank in Gladbach remained empty
Blocks in upper rank completely empty
There were significant gaps in the grandstands, with some blocks in the upper tier remaining completely empty. The home game of the Gladbach Borussia against FC Augsburg a few weeks ago had been almost 20,000 more people in the stadium. There have not been so many empty seats in an international match in Germany for years. The DFB has yet to face another problem with its flagship national team after the difficulties to set up an international satisfaction capable defense.
Now, Belarus is certainly not the most attractive opponent you can imagine, but that's not FC Augsburg either. Captain Manuel Neuer had already tried a statement this week: the late kick-off, the November weather - but none of this had kept anyone from spending 60 or 80 euros on a Belarus match for years. Many are obviously no longer willing to do that.
The team is no longer a runner
"For years, things went by themselves, that's over, we have to do more, including in terms of spectators," had national team director Oliver Bierhoff hint in the run-up to the game self-criticism. But the realization that the DFB-Elf is no longer a self-runner for the audience, has already been discussed at the latest after the 2018 World Cup. There were a few public training sessions after that, which does not seem to be enough to lure the flocks back.
The PR as it is now with the new jersey of the national team, the eager choreographies of the fan club national team before the kick-off - such things have deterred many who found the national team to be good. Leon Goretzka has told the press: "We are a motley bunch of horny guys." This is hardly clear to the outside.
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The choreography before the game was hard to identify
Spectacular, inspiring football would certainly be a recipe to bring back some dissatisfied - but it was also on Saturday evening in Mönchengladbach only in individual moments. For example, when local hero Matthias Ginter the ball with the hoe to 1: 0 promoted to the goal or Toni Kroos before the 4: 0 his opponent quasi on the beer mat played.
- Probably the one who still has a few world champions: the DFB team in the individual review
But those were moments, in between the team fell into uninspired ball attachment again and again, from the outside came to little pressure, the defense came in the attacks of cruciform Belarusians several times in need. All this did little to advertise on their own.
Again and again injured
"We have controlled the game well," the coach still had more positive comments. He even believed in the team that they recognized "the character we need at a tournament". The many injured people with whom Joachim Löw had to deal with again in the preparatory phase must surely be mentioned as an argument why things are not going so well yet. This time it was said: No Marco Reus, no Kai Havertz, no Julian Draxler, which one almost forgot. But a bit more precision, a little more esprit, a little more fine tuning could have been expected from those who played on Saturday.
On Tuesday it will be the final qualifier to Frankfurt against Northern Ireland. Presale sales have been sluggish for this game as well - and the fact that the game is not about much anymore will not help people storm the ticket booths.
All the more important would be a game that keeps the fans in the memory because of the quality. Otherwise the DFB will continue to march in the future.
