Why Germany has lost itself against Portugal

Julian Nagelsmann had made every effort to bring back to life that he optionally “Euphoria”, “Spirit” or “Flow”. Once again, the national coach had gathered his team in Herzogenaurach, in which apartment village, which had already been the home of the German footballers during blessed EM times. Because here, on the so-called “HomeGround”, this special atmosphere was created, which the DFB team should carry to the quarter-finals of the tournament and-at least as important-should reconcile with the suffering German fans.

Since Wednesday evening, an hour before midnight, Nagelsmann knows that the Hersorzogenaurach’s HOMEGROUND will not be a mythical place, as was a village in the Bernese Oberland for the 54th world champions. Nobody has ever seen the “Spirit of Spiez”, but Fritz Walter, how to raise the World Cup Cup. This is sufficient as a proof of God to this day.

The presence national team, on the other hand, remains without a title. In Munich she lost the semi -finals of the Nations League 1-2 against Portugal and can now be third.

The disappointment was to listen to Nagelmann when he crouched down in the stadium in the international press conference. The “balquet” lacked the “unconditional will” to win the game, he complained in a matte voice. Instead of running the opponent aggressively, he was only “trotted”.

Sentences that can be heard in many Bundesliga stadiums every weekend in a similar form. But Nagelsmann would be wrong to devalue them as phrases from a trainer’s language kit. Because what Nagelsmann missed was essential of his football.

After the defeats in autumn 2023 against Turkey and Austria, Nagelsmann had radically detached his game system. He had wiped all the academic-grasspower from the tactical board, and since then he has let his team play a simple and tightly organized offensive football.

This storm and urgent style needs a lot of passion, because it costs strength, a lot of strength. Passion is the fuel of Nagelsmann football. If the fuel is missing, the Portugal game teaches, the German national team is not competitive. In any case, not in the sphere where she has believed since the EM: in the top class of the continent.

The game on Wednesday showed that the DFB team still has no routines to manage a score. But that was exactly what the team tried. After the 1-0 lead by Florian Wirtz (48.), it switched down to a stand-by mode and was from then on by Portugal.

Nagelsmann had a complicity because his change visibly contributed to the uncertainty. In the 60th minute, he brought three new players again and again two eleven minutes later. That was too much change in a short time. The freshly substituted Robin Gosens (formally full-back, but in the temperament but wing striker) could be overrun by Francisco Conceicao in the 63rd minute, who scored the 1-1 with an Arjen-Robben-Memorial Move. In the 2-1 by Cristiano Ronaldo (68th) Jonathan Tah committed a positional error; Before that, however, substitute Serge Gnabry had defended too Lasch. Gnabry, it worked on Wednesday evening, sees itself as an artist; It should be released from hard work tasks.

The question that the Portugal game poses to the Germans is: How could such a rapid voltage drop?

The parties involved did not know any conclusive answer. Leon Goretzka said a 1-0 lead usually gave security; Strangely enough, this was not the case against Portugal. Defender Robin Koch even found a “complete break” after the lead goal, but also left it in a symptom description, without being able to name reasons.

The German footballers, it seems, have become a mystery to themselves.

Anyone who had heard the players in Herzogenaurach in the past few days gained the impression that the final Four of the Nations League should be a kind of reparation for the lost EM quarter-finals. The Germans had lost against Spain on July 5 of last year; Through a gate in the last minute of stoppage time. Marc Cucurella’s handball had not been punished before – the UEFA later admits that this was a wrong decision. Fabric enough to spin a history of fate: don’t get a 911 and then be unlucky with a last-minute goal. But actually, you could comfort yourself, actually we are already at eye level with a class team like Spain.

This story has lost its legitimation since this Wednesday evening. Nagelsmann admitted that if his match plan was “not filled with life” in the field, you can also “lose against a third division team”.

The national coach, talented rhetorically like only a few of his predecessors, will have to appear in top form in the next few days. Already on Sunday you play either against France or Spain for third place. Viewed soberly, the Germans are no longer concerned with anything. And yet also for everything: namely to bring this fleeting good name “euphoria”, “spirit” and “flow” back into your own game.