“Not much time left!” |
DFB stars sound World Cup alarm
First defeat under Hansi Flick (57), Nations League group win gone and whistles from the fans at the break: The DFB-Elf has big World Cup worries two months before the start of the tournament!
And the stars are sounding the alarm after the 1-0 loss to Hungary! Antonio Rüdiger (29), who was suspended in the Nations League game against England on Monday: “We don’t have much time left and we don’t see each other that much anymore. We need to learn our lessons and wake up quickly.”
And further: “I’m not going home with a positive feeling! It was against Hungary that they wanted more, they were more bilious, they won more duels. And you must not accept that.”
National coach Hansi Flick had made his stars responsible in advance (“I expect them to perform when they have to. And that’s today!”). But instead, the team disappointed, especially in the first half.
The game of the DFB-Elf: static and without speed, error-prone, unimaginative. Significant: Germany only had their first chance to score shortly before the break, Müller failed with a header to Hungary keeper Peter Gulacsi (38th).
Jonas Hofmann (30): “The first half was really shit! That must be a lesson for us today.” Joshua Kimmich (27) to BILD: “In general, we don’t get into the game well, then we make one or the other mistake, we can’t think of much, one gets restless, we get the 1: 0 We didn’t manage to flip the switch. We don’t manage to collect ourselves and say: Now let’s use a different body language, a different pace.”
Flick reacted later, bringing more dynamic into play with Musiala for Gündogan (69th) and Havertz for Werner (70th). Kimmich: “It was a bit better in the second half, you could tell we wanted to win. Of course we didn’t have that many chances to score there either.”
Thomas Müller (33), who wore the new and controversial “One Love” captain’s armband in the absence of Manuel Neuer (Corona): “The 1-0 is in the books, so we have to put up with criticism.”
Against Nations League relegated England, Monday (8.45 p.m., live RTL) needs a reaction. Ilkay Gündogan (31): “We now have the opportunity to perform well against England and then we all have to make sure that we continue to play at the highest level in our clubs.”
Flick’s frustration after Hungary embarrassment “The first half opened our eyes”
09/24/2022
Manager Oliver Bierhoff (54): “A very important game for us! You certainly won’t want to lose the last game either. England vs Germany is always a prestige duel. It’s a great opportunity for us to regain self-confidence with a good result. Wembley are always great memories, unfortunately the last one wasn’t so good for us. That’s another reason why it’s a very important game for morale.”
Even more so after Hungary’s bankruptcy…