Germany is always the favorite to win the title in international competition, but when Hansi Flick’s team takes the field in Qatar, few can predict his World Cup career.
The coach, who took over last year after a 15-year stint from his predecessor Joachim Loew, is no stranger to the World Cup as he was assistant coach of Germany during the 2014 title win, their fourth. of Germany in a World Cup.
Unlike the tournament that took place in Brazil, Germany is far from being the favorite to win the title this time around, as the odds of winning the title according to bets are very low.
Looking at the team’s run over the past few years, this comes as no surprise and there is no doubt that its rivals in Group E, which includes Spain, Japan and Costa Rica, are aware of this.
The Germans suffered a surprise exit in the first round in 2018 as they defended the title, their fastest exit from the tournament in 80 years, and then were relegated to the lower division in the inaugural UEFA Nations League before a rule change there. kept in the top division.
And at the 2020 European Championship, which took place last year due to the Corona epidemic, the team exited the competition from the round of 16 for the second consecutive early exit from the tournament.
Before 2018, the Germans reached at least the semifinals of every World Cup or European Championship from 2006 to 2016.
Taking responsibility for Flick last year, following his career in which he won six titles with Bayern Munich, led to renewed optimism after a winning start in eight games, despite facing weaker sides, including Liechtenstein , Israel, Armenia, Iceland and others.
However, injuries and constant changes in the squad have seen Germany win only one of their last seven international matches and Flick is still trying to find the right team.
The loss to Hungary and the draw with England after taking a 2-0 lead last September raised more questions than answers before the tournament, which kicks off on 20 November.
The formation of the defensive line led by Antonio Rudiger has not yet been decided, as Flick is also considering the possibility of calling up defender Mats Hummels, who is enjoying a good season with Borussia Dortmund.
His midfield is packed with talent and experience, with Jamal Musiyala, who appeared in style with Bayern, and emerged as a key player in leading the team’s attacking performance.
But an outspoken striker is still missing in attack, which raises a key question, as Kai Havertz and Serge Gnabry feel more comfortable playing more freely on either end of the pitch, while Timo Werner is confirmed absent with injury.
There were calls to include 17-year-old Yusuf Mukoko of Borussia Dortmund and Niklas Volkrug of Werder Bremen, Germany’s Bundesliga top scorer, for the World Cup squad.
Regardless of what the final squad will look like, German fans expect nothing less than compensation in Qatar, and Flick has repeatedly stated that reaching the semi-finals is his number one goal, but he believes his team can go further.
And there’s no better way to remedy the 2018 fiasco than with another title.
