Index
Technical difficulties
Tonight the fall of Germany took place for the second consecutive time in the World Cup. In fact, even if they beat Costa Rica 4-2, the Germans were eliminated from group E, as already happened in Russia in 2018.
Already in the opening match against Japan, the team coached by Flick appeared to be in difficulty in various departments. The defense with several men out of condition, with a department without a real leader and with some members of the department without great international experience.
The midfield with only Musala the real driver of the team, but still too young to shoulder the responsibility of such an important national team. Goretzka and Gundogan in the national team, are unable to have the performance they usually have in their clubs, Bayer Monaco and Manchester City) and in this World Cup this performance has been absolutely negative.
In attack, Muller was not the player who resolved matches on so many occasions, time is passing for him too. As for Gnabry and Sanè, they have had some flashes of good play, but too little to make a difference in a world championship. Havertz failed to express his great talent, except in the last match against Costa Rica, when he came on as a late substitute and where he scored two useless goals for qualification. Finally Gotze, now on the boulevard of sunset, it is tender to see the one who in 2014 in Brazil scored the decisive goal in the final against Argentina play in a certain way.
The German federation, calling Hans-Dieter Flick on the bench, expected a change of course, compared to the latest results achieved by his predecessor Low. Evidently the problem wasn’t just the coach, but certainly the whole German football system needed to be reviewed. Until the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the German national team had always reached at least the quarter-finals, winning four times, and reaching the final many more times even if defeated.
The final fall of Germany
In recent years, some of the national teams that have historically always been great protagonists in the World Cup are having difficulties, such as Germany, but also Holland and England, not to mention Italy, which for two consecutive World Cups failed to play them. It is probably the crisis of a system, because in these countries talents that can make a difference are not emerging, as instead happened many years before.
In the fall of Germany seen today, the only true champion is goalkeeper Neuer, while the others, in previous editions of the World Cup, would not even have been called up. Gone are the days when Germany could field players like Gerd Muller, Rummenigge, Voller, Klinsmann in attack, all players who made the difference. Or in midfield players of the level of Lothar Matthaus or in defense of Franz Beckenbauer, Thomas Berthold and Andreas Brehme.
The German football system has always worked with discipline and great aptitude for work, focusing a lot on youth structures, but probably in recent years it has been thought that having a certain method this could be enough to continue to obtain results in world competitions.
Both the Germans and the Italians have not realized that international matches are won by having the champions in the team and not average players, who carry out their homework on the pitch. The big clubs at European level win the Champions League with talent inside, who often decide the matches by themselves, just look at Barcelona under Guardiola or Real Madrid under Ancellotti or Zidane.
If Germany and Italy want to shine again in the World Cup, they must have differentiated players, such as France with Mbappe, Brazil with Neymar and Vinicius Jr, Spain with Pedri and Gavi or Argentina with Messi and J.Alvarez. The fall of Germany came as a surprise but apparently inevitable.
Follow us on social networks to stay updated on the latest World Cup news: Instagram, Facebook e Twitter.
