According to ex-national player Thomas Hitzlsperger, the early failure of the World Cup has finally destroyed the reputation of the DFB selection. “We are no longer a tournament team,” said the “ARD” expert on Thursday after the national team’s preliminary round at the World Cup in Qatar.
The DFB team had already been eliminated in the World Cup preliminary round in 2018. According to Hitzlsperger, this raises fundamental questions. “Are we really that good, do we really have as many good players as we think? I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” said the 40-year-old.
National goalkeeper Almuth Schult criticized the attitude of the team at the tournament in Qatar. “I didn’t think it was 100 percent from the entire team. That’s why they were rightly eliminated from this competition because they didn’t bring 100 percent in the three games,” said Schult.
Former world champion Sami Khedira sees the reasons for the recent tournament disappointments in the training of the players. “We have horny gamblers. But football is a bit more than just gambling. Football is also a mentality,” said the 35-year-old. Especially on the defensive, “banal mistakes” were made.
Should Flick remain national coach?
Nevertheless, national coach Hansi Flick must be given another chance to prove himself. “He’s very clear, he’s self-critical, has a good game idea, is a people catcher. I see him as an extremely good coach,” said Khedira.
Hitzlsperger sees it as “absolute nonsense to kick out the coach”. For Flick, this is “a bitter experience. But of course he deserves to do better at the European Championships.”
Flick’s protégés have to return home despite the 4-2 (1-0) win against Costa Rica in the last group game. Japan’s surprise win over Spain left the national team third after the preliminary round.