After the worst performance under Hansi Flick, the national team lost self-confidence against Hungary. Now the national coach has to do the groundwork for the World Cup in Qatar.
Hansi Flick was the last to jump into the black, red and gold team bus, which had long been waiting for departure. A slight smile flew across the face of the national coach.
Wouldn’t he have just been left standing in the catacombs of the Leipzig football stadium on Saturday night? Such a mishap was still missing, on the evening of his first defeat as head coach of the national soccer team. The 0-1 draw against Hungary exactly two months before the start of the World Cup against Japan was big enough as a nuisance.
“The first half was definitely the worst in the 14 international matches. Little courage, little trust, little dynamism, little intensity – many mistakes,” was Flick’s unsparing conclusion. Instead of playing against England as leaders for the targeted group victory in the Nations League on Monday in Wembley, the national coach has to explain to his players and the disappointed fans in the country how things can go better again at the tournament in Qatar.
Flick: Defeat came at the right time
“The defeat may have come at the right time, I prefer that to the World Cup,” said Flick. Despite the performance described by Ilkay Gündogan as “very slow, very sluggish, hardly flexible”, he sees no time for harsh judgments. After a bad start anyway, Adam Szalai’s hack goal (17th minute), which is well worth seeing, threw the DFB team out of the game.
“Of course I’m disappointed, absolutely, because you never like to lose. But you don’t have to let your emotions out so much every now and then. For me it’s just about taking something out of this game. That’s what we expect from ourselves as a coaching team, but also by the players,” said Flick.
Bierhoff: World title remains the goal
At the same time, Oliver Bierhoff was standing in the underground car park of the Leipzig Arena, hesitating between World Cup concerns and title defiance. Of course, victory in the final on December 18 remains the big goal for him, assured the DFB director. Even if that sounds strange in light of the performance. “Of course, you’ll say after the game, how can you say that? But we’re also starting from scratch at the tournament,” argued Bierhoff.
Flick can at least count on self-critical players when it comes to processing. “We definitely have a lot to do. We have to do more,” said Antonio Rüdiger, who was suspended after his second yellow card in the competition in England. Nico Schlotterbeck should move into the defensive chain for him at Wembley. “With our standards, we know that we can do more and have to show more,” said Gündogan after “45 or 90 minutes to forget”.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
