If you are of a certain age, you must remember the sentence of Gary Lineker, imperfectly translated as: “Football is a sport that is played 11 against 11, and in the end, Germany wins. Well, this expression has aged as badly as Tecktonik or the special effects of the prelogy Star Wars.
Appointed in August 2021 in place of Joachim Löw, out of breath after fifteen years of reign, coach Hans-Dieter “Hansi” Flick finds himself in danger one year before the start of the Euro organized in the country of Emmanuel Kant and Oliver Kahn, and for which his team is automatically qualified. Eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar, the Mannschaft remains on a series of three defeats and a draw in friendly, against Belgium in Cologne (2-3), ahead of Ukraine (3-3) then in Poland (1-0) and against Colombia in Gelsenkirchen (0-2).
These last two setbacks took place in the space of four days, between Friday and Monday. Asked by the Sid press agency, the president of the Federation Bernd Neuendorf spoke on Wednesday: “I got it [Flick] on the phone. He assured me that in September we will see a team with different performances. The German press indicates that these preparation meetings against Japan and France, on September 9 and 12, could seal the fate of the former coach of Bayern Munich, in the event of new purges.
” It’s dramatic “
Tuesday evening, after the first setback in the history of the Mannshaft against Colombia, Flick had already adopted the Coué method in front of the media: “From September, we will get back to it and the results will come. In the meantime, he evokes “a vicious circle that we must break”, and the need to find “more speed and rhythm in front”, “races in depth” as well.
As frank with the collar in front of the microphones as on the ground, the midfielder Leon Goretzka did not hide: “It is dramatic, it must be said clearly. We are missing things on all levels. Talented in particular, despite some classy players like Ilkay Gündogan, Jamal Musiala or Joshua Kimmich.
The problems do not date from the Flick era and the failed World Cup in Qatar. Since its fourth planetary title in 2014 in Brazil, followed by a semi-final two years later at the Euro in France, Germany remains on two eliminations in the group stage of the World Cup (2018 and 2022) and on a modest round of 16 at Euro 2021.