German football is on the ground. Yet again. For national coach Hansi Flick, the 4-1 defeat against Japan was one defeat too many. First of all, a trio around Rudi Völler should judge it.
As a farewell, Hansi Flick signed autographs in the bright sunshine and forced a smile. The public training on Sunday after the apparent 1:4 disgrace of his national soccer team, which was again humiliated by Japan, was the 58-year-old’s last appearance as national coach. Against Vice World Champion France this Tuesday in Dortmund, the two sports directors Rudi Völler, 19 years after his resignation as team boss, and Hannes Wolf as well as former national player Sandro Wagner will take over on an interim basis.
“Hansi Flick has worn himself out over the past few months,” said Völler and said: “The Japan game clearly showed us that we can no longer make any progress in this situation.”
The committees agreed “that the men’s senior national team needs new impetus after the recent disappointing results,” said DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, according to the statement. “With a view to the European Championships in our own country, we need a spirit of optimism and confidence. For me personally, it is one of the most difficult decisions in my term of office so far.”
A successor should be found “promptly”.
The trio around the former crowd favorite Völler should only take over against the French. Sporting success has “top priority. That’s why the decision was unavoidable,” said Neuendorf. According to the association, a successor to the home European Championship in 2024 should be presented “in a timely manner”.
“The most urgent task will then be to hire a national coach who will quickly realign our team and prepare it for the big European Championship tournament next year, from which we all hope that there will be positive impulses for German football and also for our entire country “Völler said.
According to the “Bild” newspaper and the Funke media group, the DFB is now trying hard to recruit Julian Nagelsmann. The 36-year-old was chased away from FC Bayern and is still contractually bound to the Munich team. It’s all a question of money. Several names are being traded, but the only thing that has been clear in public opinion since Saturday evening is that Flick is no longer the right one.
Desolate condition of the DFB team
“I think we’re doing well and I’m the right coach.” That was the sentence from Flick that will remain from this weekend in Wolfsburg, where the deep problems, the cracks and the desolate state of the DFB selection became clear, just like in the disastrous preliminary round exit at the World Cup in Qatar nine months ago. At that time, the DFB had stuck with Flick, but nothing had improved since then – on the contrary. The last time there were three defeats in a row was almost 40 years ago.
And so the training events in the small stadium in the green and white Wolfsburg colors seemed surreal. The coaching team ran the program for the reservists like any other day. The regular players around goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who was still Germany’s best despite conceding four goals, showed themselves to the official 2,376 fans and then retreated to the nearby team hotel. The national team was preparing for France.
“We will continue to do that, there is nothing to explain about it,” Flick said on Saturday evening. “We are convinced of what we are doing. That’s why it continues like this for me.” Things turned out differently. As in 2000, when Völler stepped in during a deep crisis, the former world champion is now sitting on the bench again.
The national coach, his team, which he had again overwhelmed with experiments, the DFB – the overall picture was worrying, despite the beautiful pictures on Sunday morning, nine months before the home European Championship. Völler spoke to the fans before training and said it was “natural that we would stand here.” Flick didn’t say anything anymore.
Source: Stern
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