In the wake of the negative “signs”, Hansi Flick put the result at the last stop of the season at Schalke in first place. The national coach believes in himself, but gives an insight into his inner life.
The delivery service Hansi Flick received an urgent order for a win.
And the head of the national team, who has come under heavy criticism, wants to meet the at least 45,000 fans who, despite the international flops against Ukraine (3: 3) and in Poland (0: 1) at the last season stop at Schalke in the Arena want to be there. “Everyone knows the signs: Of course we want to win this game,” said Flick in his opening statement on the European Championship test against Colombia. This time, experimentation is moving a little further down the agenda. “It’s all about the result first,” said Flick to prioritize the home game on Tuesday (8:45 p.m. / RTL).
Euphoria should return
Perhaps a small change in mood will succeed with Champions League winner Ilkay Gündogan, even if he was reluctant to be pushed into the role of savior on Monday on the Frankfurt DFB campus before the national team took the train to the Ruhr area. “I don’t see myself like that,” said the 32-year-old. In the first game after the triple triumph with Manchester City a week and a half ago, a rested Gündogan wants to go ahead. “I think I can bring a lot of positive energy to the game because of the last few weeks and also some calmness,” he said. At the same time, after the previous games without him, he warned: “We mustn’t resort to activism.”
DFB sports director Rudi Völler had already ruled this out with his clear vote for the publicly counted national coach (“Flick remains”) – even in the event of another defeat. Before his 24th game as national coach, Flick gave a brief glimpse into his inner life when he was asked to answer the question of how he dealt with the criticism of himself, which he had probably never experienced with such intensity in his career.
“That’s true, yes, unfortunately I have to agree with you. But in the end it’s the case that you are responsible. And the results leave little room for anything else,” said Flick. The former title collector at FC Bayern Munich was not worn out, but rather combative: “I’ll go my own way without compromise!”
Trust in Flick
He knows that the DFB decision-makers are still behind him on the way to the home EM. “Of course we’re not happy with the results. We want to win, we want to be successful. That didn’t work out in the last two games. But it’s completely exaggerated to declare the end of the West now,” said President Bernd Neuendorf ZDF. Flick works “meticulously” and “carefully,” emphasized Neuendorf.
Flick is “absolutely not happy” about the results. Nevertheless, he insists on a recognizable development of his team, whose EM framework is not even remotely recognizable. The day after the Nations League final between title winners Spain and unfortunate losers Croatia, he stunned with this performance assessment: “We play at the same level, the same level when we put everything into it.”
Unlike Croatia and Spain, the Colombians, with Eintracht Frankfurt attacker Rafael Borré known from the Bundesliga, are not in the top ten in the FIFA world rankings. But in 17th place, they are well ahead of the first DFB test opponents Ukraine (30th) and Poland (23rd). And they are unbeaten under national coach Nestor Lorenzo (five wins, two draws).
A sense of achievement is needed
Even if Flick will try the three-man chain around the new discovery Malick Thiaw for a third time, he wants to “put the focus on the offensive” this time. He desperately wants to go into the summer break with a sense of achievement, just like his players. Robin Gosens even called a win “essential”. But even then, in addition to the World Cup mortgage, Flick will also be carrying the rucksack of a season that has failed overall into the coming European Championship season. In the still brilliant first year as a national coach, he had nine wins and four draws. In the ten games of the second year so far, there are three wins, three draws – and four defeats. These are downward trend numbers. Nevertheless, his superior Völler still believes in the “absolute top coach” Flick and also in the reversal of the European Championship at home: “I’m still optimistic that we can do it.”
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
