The DFB has drawn a line in the sand – Hansi Flick is no longer the national coach. This is how the press commented on his dismissal.
The 4-1 defeat against Japan seems to have been one too many. On Sunday, the DFB relieved Hansi Flick of his duties, and with him the assistant coaches Marcus Sorg and Danny Röhl.
Flick took over the position of national coach from Jogi Löw in August 2021. After Germany’s elimination in the preliminary round of the World Cup in Qatar, criticism of him continued to increase.
Flick dismissal “too late”
“Swabian newspaper” in Ravensburg: “It was only two years ago that Hansi Flick, the sextuple winner with FC Bayern, was celebrated as the savior of German football and was sent out of Munich with all his might by the DFB. 25 months later the chapter is over again . It is the only right decision made by the association’s leadership around President Bernd Neuendorf – but it comes too late! Now the new coach only has nine months left until the important home European Championships. The hesitation fits into the picture of the association, which is in severe crisis.”
“Badish newspaper”: “You have to give the national soccer team one thing: it upholds the German virtue of thoroughness. It spoiled the fans’ sport so thoroughly that only five million even wanted to watch the 4-1 debacle against Japan on TV. One pathetic ratio. […] Coach Hansi Flick is not solely to blame for this. The highly paid footballers have long been lacking the willingness to give their all as soon as they put on the German jersey. But Flick is responsible for a never-ending series of tactical experiments, all of which went wrong. The fact that the German Football Association is now releasing him is long overdue.”
“Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung”: “A rhetorically overwhelmed coach who, over a considerable period of time, has not managed to form an ensemble of world-class players into a unit that can follow up their talent and undisputed qualities with consistently good performances, successes and titles, has to stop in the end go.”
“Weser courier”: “A few weeks ago, Flick described the reporting about him as ‘outrageous’. Now the Amazon documentary revealed that all criticism was not only justified, but rather too mild. Flick wanted to get his core team ready for the European Championships against Japan. So everything that led to this embarrassment was his seriousness: the formation, the tactics, the substitutions. It’s good that this nightmare is over.”
“Heilbronn Voice”: “Hansi Flick failed miserably. The 4-1 defeat against Japan was a revelation. The national soccer team has increasingly become a rubble troupe, from whose fragments a stable defense could never ever grow. There can be no tournament successes like that. Football Germany is not only miles away from the world’s best, but is also currently overwhelmed in the second row. It now needs a savior.”
“Nuremberg Voice”: “In addition to the deficits that make many German elite footballers unqualified for the top international segment, there is psychological paralysis. The representation of Germany as a football country is hampered by a fundamental insecurity, it is confused, there is no unity. The new man has to solve the blockage in his head “Prescribe clear structures on the pitch and in the hierarchy. The future head coach has a lot to do. But no one can do magic.”
“Latest Baden News”: “Flick’s retirement on Sunday was long overdue, it came nine months too late. Flick’s list of defects was long. He made countless defensive formations, the result: even giants like Antonio Rüdiger wobble in the DFB uniform. Flick invited players in and out again, according to which criteria, it was often difficult to understand. Even the mini-preparation time before the World Cup was used by Flick to try out this and that instead of letting a core team play in. So things continued merrily, with the result that on Saturday against Japan, a team of highly gifted professionals stood on the pitch clueless and out of ideas.”
“Rhine Newspaper” in Koblenz: “The DFB selection under Flick lacked structure and pecking order. A TV documentary about the devastating World Cup days reveals that everyone in Qatar did what they wanted. In the middle of it all was a completely helpless Hansi Flick. The national coach before the game was finally redeemed against France. Exceptional talents like Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann play for the runner-up. These names can make you fear and worry about the German national football team. But that is now the case when it comes to playing against Japan. No matter , what the German coach is now called.”
“Augsburger Allgemeine”: “The separation is logical. During his tenure, the 58-year-old failed to give the team a structure, a functioning hierarchy, and failed again and again due to the same problems. His team seemed more disorientated, unimaginative, and erratic with every game. The The DFB looked at the goings-on for too long and stuck with it after the embarrassing World Cup exit. Now, nine months before the start of the European Championship in their own country, a new start must be achieved in a hurry.”
National team in crisis
These could be Flick’s successors
“Southwest Press” in Ulm: “The national team needs a new start under contract with Liverpool FC – and in word.”
“Free Press” in Chemnitz: “What we’re looking for are new ideas, maybe just a breath of fresh air. Jürgen Klopp, the preferred candidate of an entire football nation, is currently not available. Neither are others who can be trusted with the job. So you end up with Nagelsmann pretty quickly. He is used to high salaries from his recent engagements at rich clubs, it remains to be seen whether the offers from the not-so-wealthy association can convince him.”
Source: Stern
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