Havertz picture speaks volumes: DFB match winner gives mercilessly honest testimony
Created: 12/02/2022 11:28 am
By: Stefan Schmid
Even the Havertz brace could not save the DFB-Elf from being eliminated from the World Cup.
After the disappointment, the offensive man speaks plain language.
Munich/Al-Khor – The German national team has to give up disappointingly early at the 2022 World Cup.
It's already over in the preliminary round, and the 4-2 win in the last group game against Costa Rica couldn't prevent that.
It is therefore not surprising that Kai Havertz was not happy about his award as player of the game, but he did not spare any clear words.
Havertz picture speaks volumes: DFB match winner gives mercilessly honest testimony
Although Kai Havertz's facial expression after receiving the "Player of the Match" trophy already spoke volumes, the offensive player followed up verbally on the
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The double goal scorer ruthlessly and without looking for excuses analyzed the performance of the German national team in the tournament.
So it's no surprise that he finally buries a strength of the DFB-Elf, which actually hasn't been one since the 2018 World Cup.
"I think we're not a tournament team anymore."
Kai Havertz receives the "Player of the Match" award after losing the World Cup against Costa Rica.
© IMAGO/La Nacion
Havertz brutally honest: "We had enough opportunities"
The reasons for this are obvious: For the second time in a row, a German national team failed in the preliminary round of a World Cup.
It is clear to Havertz that the departure can only be attributed to his own performance.
"We have to get our act together," said the former Leverkusen player, who primarily criticized his own core competence with the offensive.
"We had enough chances against Japan, we had enough chances against Spain and again today."
It was to be expected that after a bad performance by the DFB team, the discussion about the “One Love” armband would be reopened.
And so Kai Havertz also had to put up with questions after the game as to whether the political environment had an impact on the team's performance.
"We wanted to get it out of our heads before the Japan game, but apparently that didn't work out," was the honest confession, which is almost representative of the wide gap between expectations and reality in the national team.
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Sticking point first group game: "Must not lose against Japan"
But here, too, Havertz does not want to point the finger at others and thus outsource the question of guilt.
"There was a lot of talk, but we don't want to talk our way out of it," answered the unfortunate "Player of the Match" self-critically when asked about responsibility.
In the end, however, it should be noted that Havertz sees the previous discussions as a burden for the team and that the wish "football performance always comes first" was no more than that, a wish.
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Germany and Spain advance in Group E, at least according to bookmakers before the start of the World Cup.
The DFB team is responsible for the fact that the forecast had to be thrown overboard after the first round matchday.
An insight that Havertz shares precisely because he sees the DFB team as a “great team”.
"We can't lose against Japan with such quality."
World Cup-Aus deserved for Germany?
Havertz clearly: "Yes!"
So much for the error analysis by Kai Havertz, who sums up the question of whether the elimination was deserved in one word: "Yes!" The Chelsea star will in all likelihood have at least one more opportunity, better at a World Cup cut, because at the age of 23, the future in the national team belongs to him.
The situation is completely different for Thomas Müller, world champion of 2014, who announced his retirement shortly after the final whistle.
(sh)