An unsteady Germany travels to Qatar trying to reclaim their identity as a “tournament team,” despite typically being among the favourites for whatever competition they participate.
Flick’s Germany want to get back to being a “tournament team” in Qatar
Pre-tournament issues tend to be less of a concern for Germany, who are known for their ability to turn on and produce when it matters, similar to how jitters in penalty shootouts are less of a problem for them.
However, this time, the four-time World Cup champions are troubled from front to back, with the scorer Timo Werner’s tardy withdrawal and captain Manuel Neuer’s medical issues.
Germany have advanced to the semifinals of every World Cup and European Championship since a dismal performance at Euro 2004 until their disappointing group stage defeat in 2018 — their earliest World Cup departure in 80 years.
With nine victories, five draws, and only one loss from 15 games, coach Hansi Flick has amassed a solid, if not exceptional, record since taking over following Germany’s defeat to England in the Euro 2020 last-16.
The health of goalkeeper Neuer, who missed more than a month in October and early November due to a shoulder injury, will be one of Flick’s main worries.
When Julian Nagelsmann, Neuer’s club coach, claimed he couldn’t promise Neuer would travel to Qatar in late October, he raised eyebrows all across the nation.
Nagelsmann bemoaned his captain’s “dumb shoulder” and said, “I don’t know since I’m not a clairvoyant.
Although few teams have back-up goalies of the calibre of Marc-Andre ter Stegen of Barcelona and Kevin Trapp of Eintracht Frankfurt, Neuer offers Germany much more than simply a shot-stopping presence.
Another concern for the former Bayern Munich coach is how his club can turn its talent into goals, especially without Werner of RB Leipzig.
In August, with the World Cup in mind, Werner returned to the Bundesliga after a miserable two-year stay at Premier League club Chelsea.
Flick appeared to be bringing the best out of the 26-year-old striker, who after a sluggish start had scored five goals in six games before being injured against Shakhtar Donetsk. Flick had openly urged Werner to come back.
The “sad news” would be a “huge loss,” according to a statement from Flick, for Werner and for Germany.
“We won’t have a true team player and we won’t have an amazing striker with a high goal rate in the national shirt.”
With only one untested player expected to be called up for Qatar, Germany lacks ready-made substitutes up front.
Youssoufa Moukoko of Borussia Dortmund, a youthful phenomenon who is now in charge of his team’s offence in the Bundesliga and the Champions League at the juvenile age of 17, is one option.
Given how much the youngster “improves Borussia Dortmund’s game,” Dortmund coach Edin Terzic claimed it was “just a matter of time” until Moukoko became a regular member of the Germany team.
On the opposite end of the age range, Werder Bremen’s Niclas Fuellkrug, 29, is a sentimental favourite who has regularly led the Bundesliga scoring charts this season.
A conventional, broad-shouldered number nine, the gifted Fuellkrug has had a career marred by injuries and has never been chosen for Germany.
Flick acknowledged Fuellkrug’s performance when he said, “we can see that Niclas has qualities that can improve our game,” days before making his final decision.
Karim Adeyemi of Dortmund and Lukas Nmecha of Wolfsburg are two further forward candidates who have both represented Germany in the past.