The DFB has to act. Probably not just in the coaching position. Seventeen years after the big cut with the signing of Oliver Bierhoff and Jürgen Klinsmann, German football is facing radical change. And in fact there would be a good solution.
Oliver Bierhoff will not like the idea – but after the recent result against North Macedonia, the DFB should no longer talk alone about the position of national coach. The long-time manager of the German Football Association also urgently needs to be considered. A big sweep is actually inevitable in this situation – and quite feasible. If Ralf Rangnick plays along.
The last week has shown one thing: The divorce between national coach Jogi Löw and the DFB, which has already been firmly agreed for the summer, should be urgently brought forward. If the only reason for continuing is a “worthy exit” by the national coach you deserve, then you should bear in mind that this is neither happening at the moment nor can it be guaranteed in the future. Just imagine if the German team should be eliminated in the preliminary round at the EM 2021, as in Russia 2018. A dignified farewell for Jogi Löw would look really different. And the world champion coach from 2014 did not deserve such a scenario after the debacle at the 2018 World Cup under any circumstances. But at the moment there isn’t much to suggest that things will turn out differently.
Löw can’t please anyone
But in addition to the sometimes devastating results on the green lawn in recent weeks and months, there is something more serious: The DFB has been in a terrifying state for a long time. It reminds a lot of the year 2004, when the German Football Association was on the ground two years before the World Cup in their own country and conjured up an ingenious move with the duo Oliver Bierhoff and Jürgen Klinsmann. Seventeen years later, it would be time again to put the association on a new footing and give it a complete fresh start. And preferably immediately!
Because no matter what Jogi Löw will do in the next few weeks and months, he hardly has a real chance to please someone. If you only stick to the possible return of Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels, then you can see how hopeless the situation is for him. Until recently, he obviously hoped to be able to prevent this comeback with good results for the DFB team. But this plan has now failed. And actually Jogi Löw too. Because if he brings her back, his previous path has not been the right one. If he does not get them back, he can prepare for a public thunderstorm. A hopeless dilemma – one that neither the national coach nor German football as a whole is granted. But unfortunately the situation is exactly the same.
Now, after Easter, the first talks with candidates for Löw’s successor are to be held. The DFB would be well advised to pause for a (short) moment and look at the current situation in its entirety. The association would have to quickly admit that it isn’t just on the green lawn. Oliver Bierhoff has also been criticized for a long time. And you can’t help but get the impression that with him too many things are now stuck and irreparable. To describe the communication of the “Director National Teams and Academy” as unhappy of late would be a euphemistic belittling of the sometimes catastrophic image that “The Team” and all the trappings have presented to the outside world in the recent past. If you approach the matter openly and ruthlessly, it would be clear: With all of Bierhoff’s merits in German football, a separation is actually inevitable.
Kuntz as an emotional “catcher”
Ben Redelings is a passionate “chronicler of football madness” (Manni Breuckmann) and supporter of the glorious VfL Bochum. The author, filmmaker and comedian lives in the Ruhr area and tends to his treasure trove of anecdotes. For ntv.de he writes down the most exciting and funniest stories on Tuesdays and Saturdays. More information about Ben Redelings, his current dates and projects can be found on his website www.scudetto.de.
And since there is basically no time to be lost, an extremely exciting double solution now comes into focus: Ralf Rangnick for Bierhoff as manager and Stefan Kuntz for Löw as trainer. For the DFB and German football as a whole, it would be the optimal solution for a fundamental reorientation that not only promises a lot for the future, but could also take effect immediately. The only question here is: Can Rangnick imagine giving up the coaching position and instead being given the chance to raise German football to a new level overall? In his previous positions, he has proven time and again that he can successfully carry out such a mission.
And that Kuntz, as an emotional “man catcher” and as European champion from 1996, is quite capable of celebrating successes with the current generation of players, he has already shown in the last few years as a coach of the U21s. Another advantage: unlike Hansi Flick, he would be available immediately.
Either way: The DFB and the German national team are currently at a crossroads. And unfortunately it seems questionable whether the current management team has the strength and the foresight to make decisions outside of the box. But in the current situation, a lot of courage is required above all – not least to preserve the dignity and reputation of those currently involved and of German football as a whole. And that is exactly what everyone involved should always be concerned with in the next important and forward-looking days.
.