“…then something is wrong”
The DFB is now in trouble – but don’t panic
06/12/2022, 2:03 p.m
The German national soccer team is taking a step back on its way to the World Cup in Qatar. A draw in Hungary causes disillusionment. You don’t want to question goals, but national coach Hansi Flick is amazed by his team.
Hansi Flick was very clear late on Saturday evening in Budapest: “In terms of the result and the way we approached the game, it was a step backwards for us,” said the national soccer coach after a 1-1 draw on Saturday evening the Puskas Arena against Hungary. It was the third 1-1 draw within a few days and yet the draw against the committed Hungary, number 40 in the world football rankings, is very different from the previous two draws against Italy and England: the staid 1-1 draw against Italy at the beginning of the Nations League season didn’t matter a bit, after the England game you thought the World Cup mission was on the way – and now, after the evening in Budapest, a lot is in question again: above all the self-image. Flick found comparatively clear words: “We did not implement what we planned.”
The team, whose coach had made it very clear that the aim was “World Championship title”, had created just a handful of chances. “There is a bit of a lack of conviction. When you looked at the faces in the dressing room, everyone was very disappointed,” said Flick now. You can argue about the sporting relevance of the Nations League, but victories are important. No matter what competition. Flick only emphasized that after the 1-1 draw against England, after which everyone was disappointed – because after a strong performance there was only a draw. “I know from experience with the national team, but also with Bayern Munich, that victories are important for self-confidence, for self-image within the team, that you can win games, that you have the quality. That’s what we’re working on. That are the things we have to work for.” Flick’s ensemble took the next step towards uncertainty against the Hungarians: It was obvious “that we completely lack conviction in the team,” said the national coach.
Reluctant praise for Neuer
The great hopes of progress on the way to a positive World Cup result have been wiped off the table for the time being: “We simply built up without conviction, we were too sluggish in building up the game,” said Flick. “We made it relatively easy for the opponent to be compact. And it must be said that we have allowed one or the other on the defensive, which simply shouldn’t be the case.” It’s Flick’s gracious cipher for “shaky at the back, harmless at the front, uninspired in between.”
DFB legend Olaf Thon, world champion in 1990 and once Flick’s teammate at FC Bayern, attested to the DFB team being “the inferior team against second-class Hungary”. That’s why Flick had to reluctantly talk about his best man again: goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. “Manu is an absolute world-class goalkeeper. He saved our point today.” And Flick knows: “If a goalkeeper is outstanding, something is wrong in the game.”
The fact that Manuel Neuer was talked about a lot again, as was the case against Italy, was caused by a sometimes confused defense that was noticeably missing the rested boss Antonio Rüdiger. Right-back Thilo Kehrer seemed to play more passes into the opponent’s feet than the former Schalke player provided offensive accents in his (part-time) service at Paris Saint-Germain, Nico Schlotterbeck provoked the equalizer despite the top-class, slightly beckenbauer-esque preliminary work in his beauty, Doubts if he is ready for regular duels at the highest level. The new Dortmund player will be suspended against Italy. David Raum on the left followed his strong performance against England with a defensively complicated international match.
What is Werner doing?
In the association, the German team caused their coach a lot of stress. The experienced Niklas Süle sent his neighbor Schlotterbeck into such trouble against Hungary with a sloppy short pass that he had to play a foul and his second yellow card in the Nations League ended the 2021/2022 international season. Unnecessary, unfocused. Around five months before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, a DFB structure should be brought in these days. Surprisingly, Flick does without too much rotation or even tactical and personal experiments. It’s not a big success yet.
In front of the defense, which was confronted with Hungarians who could not be combined or at least attacked, Kai Havertz, Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich, who were overplayed after a long season in Budapest and only rarely seemed dynamic, played their part in a football game that in the collective German football memory will not find a place. Unless as a starting point for an upswing that may yet lead to something big. But history will tell.
And up front, Timo Werner continues to consistently avoid answers to the urgent question of how he wants to help the German team at all at the moment. With six goals (against Liechtenstein, Armenia, Iceland, North Macedonia and Israel), he is still the most successful attacker of Hansi Flick’s young era, but the national coach describes the current situation with gracious words: “It’s true that he has a lot of work to do and tries to put the opponent under pressure,” said Flick, who had repeatedly praised Werner’s special running paths. “That he always offers himself. But we just don’t have enough chances to score.” On one occasion, the hapless striker created a brief moment of danger when he caught the ball just yards from the Hungary goal. Werner made the wrong decision, tried an unsuccessful dribbling – and visibly caused desperation in Flick. “We don’t have enough chances, we can’t see the right degrees. That’s our issue, we have to work on it. We’re in a development process.”
Neuer wants to “ignite rocket”
“Regardless of what the results are, we know of course that we still have time to work again in September and then the right pressure – no matter how we go there – will increase in Qatar,” said DFB director Oliver Bierhoff surprisingly mild given the team’s next less compelling performance. The DFB ensemble is not only on a sporting mission, but should also inspire the football nation again for the premium product of the DFB after paralyzing years under Joachim Löw.
The national coach does not want to question the goals after the setback: “It is our aspiration and our goal to reach the Final Four,” said the former Bayern coach: “Everything is close together in the group, nothing has been decided. Now we have to step it up a notch, two or three against Italy. We’ll try to tease that out of the team.”
Despite everything, a win against Italy could still take first place in Group 3 of League A, which Flick definitely wants to achieve in the final statement in September because of the sportingly valuable participation in the final in the transition year 2023. Neuer, who was the only DFB player to convince without reservation in Budapest, promised a liberation for the last game before the summer break: “We’ve already seen good sides of ourselves against Italy and against England. We have to take that into the game against Italy. We want to we’ll fire a rocket.” If there are no fireworks or at least one positive bang, the momentum towards Qatar is gone for good.