Off to the desert! The DFB selection is tackling their difficult and delicate World Cup mission with zest for action.
Hansi Flick waved cheerfully to the good dozen German fans at the warm welcome in the desert under a crescent moon and a starry sky. Right from the first stage of his sportingly difficult and politically sensitive title mission, the direction was right for the national coach and his 25 chosen ones: at the posh team hotel not far from the “wave beach” of Muscat, after arriving at 0:08 a.m. local time, there were a few steep steps up – and then hurry to bed.
Flick didn’t look at the small reception delegation in clothing typical of the country or the palm trees in large stone pots. Instead, his focus was on his task. “Everyone wants to be world champion, that’s our big goal. We don’t stack too low,” he said.
Correspondingly optimistic, Flick and the German national team stood smiling with the German flag on the gangway for a last group photo when they left on Monday afternoon. Then the six-hour special flight LH 632 from Frankfurt to Oman. On December 19, he wants to return home from Qatar as the winter world champion with the fifth star.
Bayern captain Neuer: “We are all very hungry”
“We hope that the journey will be long,” said President Bernd Neuendorf, “and that we can land back in Frankfurt with a flag from the cockpit and be celebrated by the fans.” Captain Manuel Neuer, full of energy, added: “We are all very hungry and we know ourselves that we haven’t been convincing in the last tournaments.” After the historic bankruptcy at the World Cup in 2018 and the round of 16 at the European Championship, “we will throw everything into the balance to get as far as possible”.
The human catcher Flick should become the trump card. His skills as a communicator were “unparalleled”, enthused Ilkay Gündogan, Neuer praised the outstanding “knowledge of human nature”: Flick knew “how to tackle every single player”. The mood is good, that became clear before departure at 1:53 p.m.: Managing Director Oliver Bierhoff chatted animatedly with the pilot, the newcomers Niclas Füllkrug and Youssoufa Moukoko laughed, Flick joked with returnee Mario Götze.
But this final round, which is overlaid by socio-political issues, is also “a small experiment” for the DFB selection, Neuer pointed out, “because nobody has gained tournament experience in winter in the middle of the season”. It is all the more important to be there immediately in the opening game on November 23 against an “unpredictable” Japan at the Khalifa International Stadium in ar-Rayyan: “We have to be warned,” warned Neuer, the memories of the disaster are too fresh 2018, where the 1-0 draw with Mexico was the beginning of the end.
“Full focus on football!”
Flick, who initially had to do without Neuer’s representative Marc-André ter Stegen (gastrointestinal infection), prefers to remember 2014: In Brazil he won the title as Joachim Löw’s assistant thanks to Rio hero Götze, who was reactivated for Qatar. In the hoped-for fifth coup, the 57-year-old doesn’t want to be distracted by anything or anyone – not even by local human rights issues.
With the “One Love” bandage, the diversity message on the team flyer and other actions, his eleven should “send strong signals”, “don’t duck away”, that’s true. Neuer promised in Munich’s “Merkur/tz”: “We will show the flag and represent our values.” But he sees himself and his colleagues facing a difficult balancing act. Flick therefore stated: “Full focus on football!” The Neuendorf delegation is responsible for the rest.
Lots of questions before the start of the World Cup: How are Klostermann and Müller in shape?
The mini training camp in Oman with the dress rehearsal on Wednesday (6:00 p.m. CET/RTL) against the Sultanate’s selection is of great importance. Flick’s requirement: “Acclimate, recover, replenish the grains.” The classy hotel complex with a sea view on the “wave beach” (Al mouj) offers the best conditions for this until the onward journey to Qatar on Thursday.
In the test against the 75th in the world rankings, the recently injured Thomas Müller and Antonio Rüdiger should prove themselves, Lukas Klostermann will probably get his first minutes since August (!). Götze returns after five years of DFB abstinence, Füllkrug and Moukoko can be used as alternatives for the place in the storm center that was orphaned after Timo Werner’s absence.
Flick will not import his World Cup eleven, “there will be a mix on the pitch,” he said. He attaches particular importance to the start-up behavior, his team should become a “pressing machine” at the tournament – inspired by the strong Bayern block. It was the key to success in 1974, when the nine-year-old fan Hansi Flick cheered on in his native Bammental, or in 2014 with him as “Assi”. Now he’s the boss himself – does he have any doubts? “Zero,” said Flick.