Rudi Völler seems increasingly helpless in view of the serious crisis in the national team – and is apparently looking for someone to blame by denying the quality of some players. It is not difficult to guess who might be meant.
Rudi Völler was visibly trying to keep his composure, but couldn’t hide the fact that he was agitated. The disappointment with the completely messed-up test match series of the DFB-Elf was too deep. So Völler said something that is discussed again and again, both in the media and among fans: The results are so bad because the German national team in 2023 is simply not better. The current generation simply lacks quality.
Völler told the broadcaster RTL, to which also the star heard: “After the three games you have to say that the quality isn’t the greatest it was a few years ago. There were a few players who we might not see again in September. Ultimately, that’s also a question of quality.”
Certainly Völler also wanted to protect national coach Hansi Flick with his statement in order to take him out of the field of fire after the disastrous performances. That didn’t even begin to work, Flick is now a trainer on call, who few people believe is capable of a turnaround. It doesn’t matter that he declared the three friendly games in June to be a big experiment in which he tested personnel and tactics and allowed for failures.
National team in crisis
These could be Flick’s successors
The question of quality is virulent
But regardless of Flick’s skills as a national coach, the question of quality is virulent. The full-back position remains a permanent construction site. None of the professionals deployed here was convincing. Flick played with a back three and used Marius Wolf from Borussia Dortmund, Jonas Hoffmann from Borussia Mönchengladbach and David Raum and Benjamin Henrichs from RB Leipzig on the flanks.
It is quite possible that one or the other from this group will no longer be invited to the national team. All four delivered poor performances. Inter Milan’s Robin Gosens also failed to impress on his comeback in the national team. Alternatives could be Christian Günter from SC Freiburg and Lukas Klostermann from RB Leipzig, both solid forces. Flick will fall back on them when he plays with a back four again. Germany has not had world-class quality in this position for a long time since Philipp Lahm.
Little trust in Niclas Füllkrug
The defensive in general: The central defenders Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Thilo Kehrer (West Ham United) and Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg) were also not convincing and should also have problems with a renewed nomination.
The same applies to midfield and attacking players. Julian Brandt, who only celebrated his comeback in national dress after a season in good form at Borussia Dortmund, was hardly convincing, just like the super talent Florian Wirtz. In their defence, it has to be said that they played very little and obviously adapted to the general form of the team. Niclas Füllkrug and Kai Havertz are probably still there due to a lack of alternatives, but shouldn’t be too sure either. Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry, who was sidelined for the friendly, will return to the team, as will RB Leipzig’s injured Timo Werner.
Flick has announced another team for the September games against Japan and France. It will be exciting when he nominates for it. And who doesn’t.
Sources: “”, “”, DPA
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.
