In the 9-0 win against Liechtenstein, Leroy Sané towers above and shows that he understood the criticism of his superior Hansi Flick. Now the national coach has to find a place for Ilkay Gündogan – a highly talented footballer who strangers to the national team with the game.
Mats Hummels is not known as an unfair player, but what he did on Thursday evening in the Wolfsburg stadium was grossly unsporting. And on the edge of the field. Hummels dared to wear a green and beige checkered winter coat – a piece of dubious beauty, but spectacular enough to stand the show for his old head coach Joachim Löw.
Löw, gray coat, rust-brown turtleneck sweater, a fashion victim like no national coach before him, was adopted by the German Football Association before the international match against Liechtenstein. A little film was played, memories of the World Cup victory aroused, Schürrle flank, Götze shot, but the topic in the stands was less Löw’s career record than Hummels’ winter textiles.
DFB team with 27 chances to score against Liechtenstein
On the pitch, in the World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein, Hummels did not take part. Löw’s successor Hansi Flick had given the Dortmund central defender a break. Hummels was not missed. He could have just sent his winter coat onto the field – Liechtenstein only had half a scoring chance in 90 minutes that went unused. The DFB team, on the other hand, had a long tally: 27 chances, nine goals, it was the highest victory of a German national team in almost 15 years.
National coach Flick said after the final whistle that “they wanted to show Jogi a nice game, and that succeeded.”
The game is entertaining, but without tension
Indeed, it was an entertaining, albeit completely tension-free game. Flick used them for some experiments. For example, he placed Jonas Hofmann (Gladbach) and Christian Günther (Freiburg) on the outside positions. That worked reasonably well. Neither Hofmann nor Günther, who moved far up, brought dangerous balls into the Liechtenstein penalty area. After just a few minutes, the game therefore shifted to the center, where Leon Goretzka was directing. Like a vacuum cleaner, he drew the ball, almost all attacks ran over him.
At halftime, Flick took Goretzka off the field; a precaution. In the ninth minute he was hit by his Liechtenstein opponent Hofer with the sole of the shoe in the neck. A kung-fu kick that was punished with a red card and a penalty kick for the DFB team. Ilkay Gündogan converted with a low shot into the right corner.
Gündogan is strange with the way the DFB-Elf play
That was Gündogan’s strongest scene; Oddly enough, he’s still strangling with the German game. Gündogan went under at the failed European championship in summer, still under Joachim Löw. He had previously won the English championship with Manchester City and was one of the top performers there. Hard to imagine when you saw him play on the DFB team.
Even on Thursday he remained pale, hardly any clear actions, a lot of cabaret. Flick has not yet found a system in which Gündogan can bring out his outstanding qualities as a playmaker.
Hansi Flick as a probation officer
But if there’s one thing Flick has mastered, it’s the role of a probation officer. He succeeds time and again in stabilizing stumbling players and leading them back into the team. The rehabilitation of Leroy Sané is so far Flick’s masterpiece; Against Liechtenstein, the Munich man was once again one of the most conspicuous players in the DFB team.
Flick is a gamer whisperer, but what he says isn’t always just nice words. Sané felt that when Flick was still his coach at Bayern. In December 2020, in the Bundesliga match against Bayer Leverkusen, Flick Sané came on in the 32nd minute and off again in the 68th minute. In industry jargon this is called the “maximum penalty”. Flick commented laconically at the time: “Ultimately, it’s about the team being successful. The individual has to take a back seat.”
Leroy Sané seems transformed
It was a turning point for Sané. He is now more than a winger, he often lets himself fall far behind and takes balls from his own defense. He, who for a long time had a reputation for being a capricious type of artist; someone who shies away from the unspectacular, exhausting jobs on the lawn. For weeks, Sané has been looking transformed, not only in the national team, but also at Bayern.
After his strong performance against Liechtenstein, which he crowned with two goals, Sané may get a break from Flick. The DFB team has long been qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – the game against Armenia on Sunday (6 p.m., RTL) can also be seen as a training game at a high level. Flick will continue to play his staff puzzle. Let’s see if he finds a suitable place for Ilkay Gündogan this time.
Source From: 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.
