Two finals! This is how Flick fights for his job

Hansi Flick was pissed off! “I think things are starting here,” shouted the national coach at his team.

“We’re playing a World Cup. It’s up to you men. All alone. It’s up to you to show character. This can’t be true anymore. They are so blind and we make them strong. If we continue like this, we will go home.”

The scene is shown in the Amazon documentary “All or nothing – the national team in Qatar”, which can be seen from Friday (September 8th) – and documents the brutal failure of the DFB team at the desert World Cup 2022. During the break in the decisive game against Costa Rica, Hansi Flick yelled at his players in desperation in the dressing room at Al Bayt Stadium.

Nine months later, Flick and his team gathered in Wolfsburg to prepare for the two landmark international matches Saturday against Japan (in Wolfsburg) and three days later against France (in Dortmund). Two games that will be decisive for Flick’s future and can therefore be described as job endgames.

The chair of the heavily criticized national coach is shaking – only after the disappointing performances of the past few months. After SPORT1-The top management of the association around President Bernd Neuendorf, Vice Hans-Joachim Watzke and Sports Director Rudi Völler already has information in the background after the weak results in June against Ukraine (3:3), Poland (0:1) and Colombia (0:2). and framework conditions for a possible Flick separation were explored.

The top trainers Julian Nagelsmann (formerly Bayern) and Oliver Glasner (formerly Frankfurt) are on the market, but Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp and BVB advisor Matthias Sammer are also being traded.

The pressure on Flick is immense. According to sports director Völler, as a national coach you have to endure the headwind. “Every fan, every expert has their own idea. I had to endure it then, Hansi has to endure it today,” Völler said in an interview with the RNDbut without issuing a clear declaration of loyalty to Flick.

The ailing coach himself says about the great pressure: “I don’t deal with that, it wouldn’t be a good advisor. I can’t go to the games like that!”

Twelve wins, seven draws and five losses. Only four wins from the last 16 games. A point average of 1.79. That is Hansi Flick’s sobering record as national coach. The 58-year-old is the second-worst DFB coach since Erich Ribbeck.

The bare numbers speak against Flick, who is in the focus of criticism. The team feels that too. “We’re talking about it,” said an honest Robin Gosens in Wolfsburg.

“We went into the summer break with a shit feeling and we know how much is at stake. We owe the coach a debt because the results are lacking. We are the ones who have to be on the pitch and deliver. We will do that!”

On Wednesday, Flick, who can be happy about the arrival of the ailing hopeful Jamal Musiala, played a secret friendly against the U20 national team with his squad. In three halves of twelve minutes each, he was able to gather important insights.

There Joshua Kimmich moved to the position of right-back – which makes sense, because with Robin Gosens and Benjamin Henrichs there are only two trained full-backs in the squad. On the left was Nico Schlotterbeck, another “non-professional” player.

Nevertheless: The time of experiments should be over once and for all. Flick, who recently incomprehensibly played with a back three and thus surprised some players, should be back to his 4-3-3 system in the future.

“There was a turning point, a new phase has begun: From now on we want to let the core team play in,” said Flick. “The experiences of the past were important for this. We tried a lot: new formations, new systems. And although the results weren’t optimal, we’ve made a step forward.”

Exciting: In this course, the former successful coach of FC Bayern surprisingly did without the top stars Leon Goretzka and Timo Werner, Thilo Kehrer, David Raum, Karim Adeyemi or Marius Wolf were also not taken into account. In Robin Gosens and Benjamin Henrichs there are only two trained full-backs in the squad.

“We have central defenders who can also play on the wing,” announced Flick, referring above all to Niklas Süle, whom he brought back after your memo. Newcomers Pascal Groß and Jonas Hofmann can also play on the outside if necessary.

Leverkusen star Hofmann says before the match against World Cup shock Japan (1: 2): “There is always pressure and we make it ourselves. Everyone would be lying if they didn’t remember the World Cup and had to back down at the thought to the game against Japan. But it will be a different game. We want to show that it was a slip-up.”

And Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who is currently Germany’s number one goalkeeper, adds: “The coach will have his ideas and ideas. He will certainly make the right decisions. We haven’t called on everything we can lately. We have to show a different performance!”

If the team does not show this, it will be really tight for Flick. Two finals await the national coach.