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Hansi Flick, national coach
"We're out of shots."
Six words from the national coach that illustrate the explosiveness.
Germany is already in a small final – three weeks before the actual World Cup final.
In the second group game against Spain, the second preliminary round in a row threatens.
Peter Ahrens, SPIEGEL sports editor
"The
I think the only hope you have is that no one expects that much from you anymore, I think.
And maybe the Spaniards think too, well, well, we go in with a 7-0 lead and the Germans with a loss.
Actually, not much can happen to us and then maybe something will happen.
»
It will be important that the German team appears united against Spain.
After the disappointment against Japan, Ilkay Gündogan, among others, openly and publicly criticized teammates without naming them.
You could get the impression that something wasn't right in the team.
Peter Ahrens, SPIEGEL sports editor
'It's not the mood. And I don't think it's because the team broke up into small groups or anything like it obviously did in 2018. I think it's more due to the lack of practice in this team, i.e. the preparation time that the national team usually had these two weeks before the tournament. I think they were always extremely important. They were crucial in 2014 and they are missing now.«
The mood among the fans in Germany is in the basement after the failed start.
And it doesn't look much better on site.
The German fan colony in Qatar is much smaller than in previous tournaments.
In addition, the German view of the World Cup is far more negative than in many other countries.
Above all, the fans from other continents came in their usual strength.
Peter Ahrens, SPIEGEL sports editor
“I spoke to many fans from very different countries who are also critical of this World Cup, but rather critical of FIFA.
So look more critically at FIFA than at the organizer.
But those who somehow try to manage this balancing act say we'll celebrate here anyway and that's still football and that's our sport.
And the World Cup is simply a big party
.
«
And the organization?
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the long distances to the venues were an issue.
Qatar now prides itself on being the World Cup of short distances.
Is this right?
Peter Ahrens, SPIEGEL sports editor
“Of course all stadiums, or almost all stadiums, are in one city. In this respect, one can of course speak of short distances. The paths to the stadium, of course, are sometimes made artificially long, longer. Because they have installed longitudinal systems with which the crowds that were probably expected are guided through the stadiums for kilometers in detours into such snakes. But sometimes these masses are not there at all and you still have to make these huge detours.«
In terms of climate, the conditions in Qatar in November are comparable to summer in Europe - which is why the World Cup was finally postponed.
So no problem for the players.
The journalists are different.
Peter Ahrens, SPIEGEL sports editor
"What makes it a bit tiring is the Qataris' efforts to cool down the stadiums to 18 or 19 degrees. The fans really gave their all at the Khalifa Stadium, where Germany played against Japan. You really should have turned up with a hoodie or a thicker sweater.
This has little to do with the sustainability that was so praised in advance by the Qatari hosts.
The World Cup in Qatar will continue to provide plenty of reason for discussions.
Not just about the German team.