In one year, the European Football Championship will take place in Germany. But there is absolutely no sign of euphoria in the host country. After the defeat in the friendly against Colombia, you had a phrase in your head that you only know from the relegation battle in the league: “We’ll get in touch from the abyss.” It can’t get much worse.
But despite the sometimes disastrous performances in the encounters, many fans don’t feel any anger, anger or sadness – but the worst that a team can face in this situation: indifference. Friendly against Poland, Ukraine or Colombia? It doesn’t matter anyway, it’s about nothing anyway.
This week’s disastrous games are just the so far low for a national team that has been trying to find itself since winning the 2014 World Cup. As a fan, the big tremors could start now. Only one year left until the home EM. That should be the new summer fairy tale. After the embarrassing end of the preliminary round in 2018 and at the unspeakable desert World Cup in Qatar, the football nation Germany is facing the next fiasco. But instead of raising their fists, many just sit in the stadium or in front of the television with a wave of their hand.
The indifference is understandable. At this point you could open the big barrel that the national team has moved away from the fans. That hardly any player is still suitable as a figure of identification or that it should be an honor to be allowed to wear the Germany jersey and therefore you have to tear yourself apart, at least combatively. But similar to the fans, the players these days seem listless, discouraged, listless – in other words: indifferent. Friendly against Poland, Ukraine or Colombia? It doesn’t matter anyway, it’s about nothing anyway.
You can’t blame the players for this attitude any more than the fans. The specter of “mentality problems” would now be haunting the league. The fans and the national team are exhausted – especially mentally. Since the break of several weeks during the corona pandemic, the football calendar has been as full as the stadiums used to be when Germany played. And everyone involved seems as if they just don’t want to know anything about football for a few weeks. “Don’t give a fuck attitude” as self-protection.
And maybe you have to allow the thought that the old warriors from Matthäus to Effenberg, who sit at the regulars’ table broadcast throughout Germany on Sundays, cannot imagine at all: It may not be the greatest thing for the young generation of players to play for Germany and that they don’t run their lungs out just because they have the eagle on their chest. You can’t force identification with your country on anyone.
The eternal pathos of “we could, we should, we became world champions in 2014” increasingly overwhelms the players. If in such a mixed situation, instead of a sense of achievement, there are always setbacks and internal back and forth, such as with ex-sports director Oliver Bierhoff, you will see the result on the pitch at some point. And a coach can do little to change that.
Hansi Flick, almost celebrated as the messiah, should finally breathe life back into the “team”. After the last leaden years under Jogi Löw, everything should get better with Quintupel-Hansi. With Bayern he had won everything there was to win in nine months. And half of the national team are Bayern players – that can only work out well.
After less than two years, one has to state that some things have changed under Flick, but many things have gotten worse. Now this development is not solely due to the trainer, but he reinforces it. The team is obviously not (yet) ready to accept his game idea and not (yet) able to implement it. A coach has to recognize that. Instead, Flick mercilessly follows his three-man chain system, although the team is visibly uncomfortable with it. This does not ensure safety.
Probably the best news after this friendly week is that the national team still has a year to turn an expected fiasco into a success story. It’s not impossible. The team is strong enough, the coach is good, but both sides have to approach each other. Maybe Flick will change his system then, or the team will internalize it. After the summer break, the players will be fresher in the head again – and then show a different face on the pitch.
