When Joachim Low left his role as Germany manager last year it felt like the end of an era. Having won them the World Cup in 2014, Low’s longevity was certainly impressive, but it always felt like his time was up. Hansi Flick, one of the most respected coaches in world football, took on the job after his time at Bayern Munich in which he won the treble, and with a large Bavarian contingent in his Germany squad for Qatar, it looked as if they were a force to be reckoned with.
Indeed, Flick was known for some of the best attacking football in Europe, so it was no surprise that many people that bet on football had the Europeans as one of the favourites for the tournament. Despite their capitulation when attempting to defend the trophy in 2018, failing to get out of the group in Russia, their dominance throughout qualifying showed their firepower. Having comfortably dispatched the likes of North Macedonia and Lithuania, racking up 6-0, 9-0 and 5-0 wins throughout an unbeaten qualifying campaign, Qatar proved a step too far for Flick’s men.
Given they had such a talented squad on paper, what went wrong for Germany in the Middle East? Read on, as we assess their group stage and see if an early trip home could have been prevented.
Inspired opposition
Even though they were considered favourites, Germany knew getting out of the group would be far from a simple task. Spain were set to be their biggest challenge after Luis Enrique’s new-look side waltzed through Costa Rica 7-0 in their first match. Keylor Navas and co were heavily beaten but considering how they’ve caused upsets before in Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018, the CONCAF Nation weren’t going to go out without a fight, and after beating Japan, set up a dramatic final matchday, which we’ll get to later.
Lack of cutting edge
Germany flattered to deceive in their opening group game. Even when they took the lead against Japan they squandered several chances, and were ultimately punished for not putting the game to bed. Second half goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano gave the Japanese a chance to shock the World Cup odds and win, up there with one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
It meant Germany had it all to do against Spain and while they fell behind on the hour mark, Niclas Füllkrug’s goal gave them the belief they could still qualify. However, should Germany really be relying on a 29-year-old Werder Bremen striker who had only just earnt his first cap to bail them out? The likes of Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane were severely disappointing throughout the tournament, with the former looking like a potential World Cup legend after his breakthrough campaign in South Africa
VAR frustration
It seems as though Germany saved their shooting boots for the final game, but it was too little too late. Japan’s win against Spain meant that even though Flick’s side beat Costa Rica 4-2, they were still out. There was controversy in Japan’s game when it looked as if Ao Tanaka’s goal should have been ruled out, but VAR believed the ball crossed the line in one of the most contentions pieces of officiating we’ve seen throughout the competition.
Flick was discouraged, but didn’t allow it to draw attention away from his disappointment in his team. “I don’t care about different teams, it is all up to us,” he said. “If you look at the matches and number of goals, it is our fault. I am convinced we had sufficient chances and possibilities against Japan in the first half and also against Spain, you have to use your chances. It would have been a different situation.
“There were a lot of individual mistakes and they make me very angry. The first half made me very upset and I told the team I was upset.
