The unusual World Cup date in the middle of the season plays into the hands of the best in the football industry. At least that’s what ex-national player Oliver Bierhoff expects. “I think for superstars, let’s take a Lionel Messi, for example, or Kylian Mbappé or Neymar, this World Cup is an advantage,” said the DFB director in the German training area in Al-Shamal.
You’ve seen in the past “that they were exhausted at the end of the season because they are players who have a lot of appointments, media appointments, PR appointments. I often had the impression that these players at the end of the season from Don’t have so much fun at a World Cup and can’t give anymore,” said Bierhoff, who became vice world champion with the DFB team in 2002.
The World Cup in Qatar, which began on Sunday with the game between hosts Qatar and Ecuador, will take place until December 18 due to the extremely high summer temperatures in the Persian Gulf. The European leagues interrupt their game operations for the tournament. The World Cup is usually played in June and July.
From Bierhoff’s point of view, the date is also suitable for the German team. “We are glad that we have players who all come from a successful time,” said Bierhoff before the start of the DFB-Elf on Wednesday (2 p.m. / ARD and MagentaTV) in the Chalifa International Stadium against Japan. “We have players who were successful in the Champions League, who played well in the championship, so I’m optimistic about our squad. The feedback from the athletic trainers and physios is that everyone is really in very good shape,” added the 54-year-old.
Things looked different in September, when the FC Bayern Munich players in particular were in a creative crisis. “We talked about Bayern Munich during the last international trip and that it had an impact,” Bierhoff recalled of the last games in the Nations League, when a 0-1 win against Hungary meant the group win was lost and a 3-3 win in England was a prestige success failed. At the World Cup, the seven players of the German record champions around the veterans Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller and young star Jamal Musiala form the largest club contingent in the DFB selection.
