DOHA, Qatar – When you’re a four-time World Cup winner, two straight first-round exits are bound to be gnashing of teeth, hair-pulling and self-criticism that would have made Chairman Mao proud. here’s waiting Germany as they travel home.
It’s going to be a bummer for the holiday season, but in these conditions, it’s also worth finding some clarity. Identifying areas of concern that are valid and that depend on luck and event.
– World Cup 2022: News and Features , Schedule
First, as tempting as it is to lump the two World Cup nightmares together, they are not the same. Four years ago, Germany was the top seed and faced weak opposition (Mexico, Sweden And South Korea) in their group. They lost two games and only had one impossible thanks to Sweden. toni kross Free kick in the fifth minute of injury time.
This time, he paid a dear price for failing to close out the opener after taking the lead Japan (lost 2-1), played top seed spain draw 1-1 and beat Costa Rica In the last group game. not great but it wasn’t for spain Somehow The arrangement to defeat Japan would have been done through them. (Indeed, since the teeny-tiny margin separates agony and ecstasy at a World Cup: the millimeter by which the ball stays in play kaoru mitoma crossed for come on tanaka He was sent home for Japan’s winning goal.)
As in 2018, Germany actually won the expected goalscoring battle in each of their three group games, except this time they did so by a larger margin (plus-4.92, compared to plus-2.61). Russia, So let’s be clear: The Germans weren’t terrible; They did enough to get ahead under normal circumstances (Japan defeating Spain No States of affairs); And they didn’t get a break.
– Connelly: Why Not Every Round of 16 Team Will Win the World Cup
That said, the laugh flick and the player are not without faults. far from it. manuel neuer May still be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but he certainly didn’t play like it in Qatar. At least, he deserves to share the blame nico schlotterbeck For that goal conceded against Japan, while the less said about his performance against Costa Rica, the better. Further, gaudy xG numbers don’t bode well for you if you don’t finish well, and there must be an element of collective blame.
For the flick, as I see it, there are valid criticisms and less valid ones. Let’s start with the latter.
gets criticized for trying to import the flick Bayern Munich Model of playing in the national side, which even his team leaves behind. The belief is that attacking football works in club games but the World Cup demands fewer blocks and defensive skills anyhow. Sure, France playing like this won and England That’s exactly what the Euro 2020 finals did, but that’s not a significant sample size. It could be that Didier Deschamps and Gareth Southgate were more comfortable playing that way. And, frankly, there was so much talent in France that it didn’t matter how they approached the 2018 World Cup. For England, you could make a very strong case that Southgate’s defensiveness actually cost them the final as he took the initiative Italy,
A simpler, more rational mantra might be what your strengths and what your players are accustomed to doing. The bulk of the German side comes from Bayern, who attack and press high, as do Manchester CityWhere ilke gundogan plays. Sticking to that script makes sense, not to mention that if you’re ready to counterattack and go a goal down, it’s a lot more difficult to do a 180 and go on the attack.
The second fallacious argument here is that Germany paid a dear price for their lack of a “proven centre-forward”. proof of this is believed to be that they performed better Niklas Fulkrug — compared to an average, blue-collar guy who had zero hats until a month ago — Kai Havertz either Thomas Muller He leads the line, neither of whom is considered a “proper” centre-forward.
Let’s ignore for a minute that neither liverpool Nor does Manchester City, the most dominant team in the league for the last five seasons, have any such statistics (we’re talking pre-erling holland in case of city). That’s club football – I know, it’s supposed to be a completely different sport (see above). but Brazil And Argentina France is the favorite of most people as well, and they don’t have any traditional centre-forwards.
So what gives? Muller and Havertz were selected ahead of Fullkrug because they are simply better. Sometimes we complicate the game: it’s still 10 outfield players moving forward and passing, dribbling and shooting, so it makes sense to bring your best guys onto the pitch. (It just so happens that, in this tournament, Fulcrum was more dominant.)
2:26
Archie Rindt-Tutt of ESPN FC labeled Germany’s World Cup exit as a debacle.
so what’s wrong can do Shall we hang on?
For starters, this isn’t a team where the pieces fit together well, especially in the final third. He was unable to find a solution, probably because, like most coaches, he had little time to prepare, possibly because he was not comfortable making difficult decisions, such as handing the keys to the team midfielder. Jamal Musiala, the present and future of Germany at this time. And possibly, he used some of his stalwarts (Neuer, Müller and Leon Goretzka Spring to mind), opting for loyalty over productivity this season.
Flick’s game management also left much to be desired, in the second half against Japan and in the match against Spain. When Japan made changes after the break, it didn’t make the right adjustments and the stretch in that second half was very loose and careless. Against Spain, it seemed as if Germany had given the opposition too much respect, as if the advantages of victory outweighed the disadvantages of defeat. Perhaps the calculation was that a draw was okay, since Germany would beat Costa Rica in the final game and there was no way Japan could beat Spain … a calculation, as we saw, proved to be completely wrong.
Germany’s reaction after conceding a goal against Spain saw them play arguably their best football at the World Cup. In hindsight — which is always 20-20, of course — that should have been the blueprint.
So what’s next? The flick may or may not stay, and it may not be his choice anyway. Gundogan’s Choice, Antonio Rudiger And Mueller probably won’t make it into the next cycle, but others will emerge. and there’s more to come Joshua Kimmich, leroy sane, Serge Gnabry And of course, Musiala. If They Can Unlock The Hypertalented Riddle That Is Havertz – They’ll Need Help Chelsea On that one — then the Foundation will be in for another run as the next Euros in 2024, where they’ll be the host country.
A low point was four years ago. This time, it is a matter of trying and learning from your mistakes, especially in terms of game management and knowing when to be confident and when to be humble. Germany will be fine.
