“
We all have the task and the responsibility to perform well at the Euro
”.
Hans-Dieter Flick was very clear in the press conference before the two games against Peru (2-0 victory last Saturday) and Belgium (this Tuesday at 8:45 p.m.).
The German coach knows it, he and his team will be eagerly awaited in 15 months, at home.
The Euro, organized in Germany, is the perfect opportunity to rebuild something new and to reconcile with their public after very poor performances for a few years now.
But the work that is looming promises to be immense.
To discover
Euro 2024: the qualifying calendar
Euro 2024: dates, place, draw
The Germans gradually lost interest in the national team.
Yet very popular historically, the Mannschaft is suffering and the various upheavals that have surrounded its presence in Qatar, do not work in its favor.
“
Germany came out of the World Cup with zero lessons.
The press has focused a lot on the controversies and very little on the internal problems that there may be in the team
”, dissects Sophie Serbini, journalist at Deutsche Welle.
Eliminated in the first round of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups as well as in the round of 16 of Euro 2020 without glory, Germany went on to fail.
“
This team is not as good as people think.
It's a good European nation but that's it.
They have a workforce much lower than that of the France team for example
”explains the journalist who also hosts the podcast Radio Buli, a program which deals with all German football.
A generational problem
Germany still does not seem to have recovered from the earthquake linked to its failure at the 2018 World Cup. “
There is an obvious generational gap.
Joachim Löw
(German coach between 2006 and 2021)
had the best generation in the history of the country and that, from start to finish.
Today, there is a personality problem in this team where Löw benefited from a very strong and united group.
When you look at the Flick list, it shows that it's DIY
, ”she continues.
“
We have quality whether in the A's or the U21s and we are satisfied with the squad we currently have.
If we consider the players that I did not call voluntarily
, we can expect to have a very good team
, ”said Hansi Flick when unveiling his list last week.
The coach has therefore chosen to leave players like Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich), Niklas Süle (Borussia Dortmund) or Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid) at home, judging to have sufficient certainty about their level.
In addition, he must deal with the absences of the totemic Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich) and Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City), both close to international retirement without having officially expressed themselves on this subject.
Jamal Musiala (in the foreground) and Florian Wirtz (in the background) WOLFGANG RATTAY
The workforce is not very full and the group does not rely on real leaders.
Apart from Bavarian Jamal Musiala (absent through injury for this rally) and Bayer Leverkusen player Florian Wirtz, born in 2003, the new generation is slow to show up.
The coach also faces a shortage in certain positions (lateral and number 9).
“
There are shortcomings that hurt.
For example, at the top there is no one except Füllkrug.
He is 29 years old, he plays for Werder Bremen
(top scorer in the Bundesliga with 15 goals)
… He will do the job but only in the short term.
Flick still has four international windows to test his team but it's unclear what he wants to do.
The Euro is already tomorrow
, ”warns Sophie Serbini.
A deep love
Because the posture of Flick questions.
Where he appeared as a technician who perfectly mastered his subject at Bayern Munich (2019-2021), his decisions call out: "
Overall, what has emerged from Flick for a little while now is a big lack of clarity"
advances the
Deutsche Welle
journalist
.
He has poor communication, doesn't explain his choices very well and is very defensive.
He's always been like that but when the results don't follow, it's reinforced.
He doesn't really answer questions at the press conference, so there aren't really any clear ideas about what's really going on
."
Does the Euro at home add extra pressure?
The DFB (the German federation) wishes in any case to win back the hearts of its supporters.
“
There is a real lack of love today.
The 2014 team was really perfect in terms of marketing.
A bit like France 98
”, compares Sophie Serbini.
The coach knows the support of the German people vital for the general harmony.
He also emphasized this point in a press conference before the match against Peru: "
We expect all players to be present on the field with passion and determination to represent the colors of Germany. .
When you feel this passion on the pitch, it is transmitted to the supporters
.
The Mannschaft is under the pressure of the result and will quickly have to pull itself together at the risk of seeing Gary Lineker's famous maxim - "
football is a sport that is played at 11 and in the end, Germany wins
" - become obsolete.
It's only a friendly match, but the match against Belgium already promises to be crucial: the Euro is fast approaching.
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