Questions surrounding Germany’s abject failure to once again perform on the international stage at the World Cup continue after the four-time tournament winners crashed out of the group stage in Qatar in spectacular fashion.
Though Die Mannschaft have opted to keep faith in head coach Hansi Flick in the run-up to Euro 2024 sees Germany host the tournament for the second time, how they rebound in the wake of catastrophe on the back of consecutive World Cup appearances that ended before the first hurdle was negotiated now takes precedence during a tough international cycle that will not feature a qualifying campaign.
For base value, however, it seems as though certain factors surrounding the poor showing in Qatar are set to take the blame after reports in German media outlet Sport1 (relayed by reliable outlet iMiaSanMia) state that a lack of support from home and the ongoing debate around the ”One Love” armband are major contributing factors for the early exit from the competition.
The German public certainly did not offer its usual boisterous backing of the Nationalelf this winter after many on the domestic front could not see past the many concerns regarding the host nation, from human rights violations to the nation’s views on the LGBTQ+ community as well as it’s stance on women’s rights.
Such concerns were brilliantly relayed by ESPN’s lead Bundesliga commentator Derek Rae in the build-up to the tournament, who remarked on a myriad of occasions that the feelings around the tournament were certainly much more muted than what is traditionally seen in-country during a World Cup year.
That is certainly not an excuse overall, however, given the wealth of talent at Flick’s disposal, a more prudent analysis should be pointed at the cadre of questionable decisions made by Flick regarding team selection and certain aspects of the tactical schematic he chose to place faith in.
Moreover, suggestions that the debate that surrounded the armband “annoyed” players to the point where internal scrabbling began to break out among the 26-man squad is worrying.
On the back of the aforementioned issues, Flick is hoping that matters on the pitch will once again be at the forefront of the national focus when Germany looks to win their fourth European Championship.
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