For a moment, like Lee van Cleef once did, he put on the piercing look that indicates readiness to draw the gun, but Rudi Völler quickly calmed down. A sip of coffee to appease him, then a casual reprimand was enough for him: asking the players the question of honor, as a reporter had suggested, was “of course populist” and, moreover, inappropriate: “It wasn’t the effort, the attitude and the will were there,” the DFB sports director said, acquitting the national team of the accusation that they had willfully let the country and the national coach down in the 4-1 loss to Japan.
The first press conference with sports director Völler after the dismissal of Hansi Flick, on Monday evening in the Dortmund stadium, where the meeting with France is scheduled to take place the next day, did not reveal much, but it did reveal this: for him it is only a question of honor, never his own people in a bad public light – even if they played so poorly that the coach had to leave his post and the DFB had to overcome further costly difficulties. However, despite all the solidarity, Völler will not take on coaching the team in addition to his previous tasks, as Lothar Matthäus recommended, among others: the game against France is “a one-off thing” for him. He sees it as his “duty to help out in this constellation. But we have to find a coach who will do it with heart and soul.”
In the chronicle of national coaches and team bosses, Völler will have a special position: none of his predecessors have returned to the bench. But it will remain a short interlude; another man will be in charge again on the trip to the USA in mid-October. According to Völler, the discussions have begun: In the discussions with President Bernd Neuendorf and his deputy Hans-Joachim Watzke, “a few names have already come up that are worth considering.” Representatives of the task force are also involved, “we are constantly in contact with the key people, there will be a few more meetings.” Of course, Völler did not name the candidates.
Ilkay Gündogan describes the emotional situation as a “mix between sadness, frustration and disappointment”.
Völler also remained discreet when reporting on the circumstances of Hansi Flick’s dismissal, but he emphasized the role of captain Ilkay Gündogan when it was time to say goodbye to the departing coaching staff in the Wolfsburg team hotel: “Ilkay gave another wonderful speech, that was great . There was huge applause from everyone and Hansi also liked it.” Gündogan described the mood in the team as a “mix between sadness, frustration and disappointment”. He himself “feels like I’ve let Hansi down, and I think other players feel the same way.”
The most important task now will be to “create a certain euphoria” with a view to the 2024 European Championship, said Völler: “With a new person, a new national coach, that is absolutely possible.” The game against France should be a small beginning: Völler raved extensively about the strengths of the French, whose squad of players is the best in Europe. It will therefore be important “that our defensive behavior improves extremely”. Niklas Süle will not contribute anything: He went home because of the birth of his child.