Japan debacle: National coach Flick “can understand when there is criticism”

Voices on the Japan debacle

Even after the 4-1 disgrace against Japan at the start of the European Championship season, Hansi Flick still considers himself the “right coach” of the German national team. “I think we are doing well,” said the 58-year-old on “RTL”: “I can understand when there is criticism and when it is big. I can’t say anything more about it.”

DFB President Bernd Neuendorf did not want to comment in the evening after the game. “Now we’re going back to the neighborhood and calming down,” said sports director Rudi Völler, whose hiring the DFB had also hoped would bring a change in mood for the home European Championships next summer. “We just defended really badly. That doesn’t work at this level. We can definitely do better than that,” said Völler, who also admitted: “We’re no longer the top guard in Europe.” There will be a bit of training on Sunday, “then on Tuesday we have a difficult game against France,” said Völler : “We should all do a little soul searching and see what happens next. Let’s see.”

After another defeat against the Japanese, 290 days after the preliminary round defeat and the World Cup exit in Qatar, Flick had to admit: “We currently don’t have the means to outplay such a compact defense.” Instead, he highlighted the good “basics.” of the Asian world number 20. and demanded: “We in German football just have to wake up and work on these things.”

Under Flick’s leadership, the German team hasn’t managed a win in five games. “We have to make sure we get through this together. It doesn’t help to assign any blame now.” You have to shake yourself now and try to be different on the pitch against runner-up world champions France next Tuesday in Dortmund.

Kimmich: “We have to ask ourselves whether we have top quality everywhere”

The Bayern professionals Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller have been blunt about the current state of the national team. “If you don’t put the quality on the pitch so often and over such a long period of time, we have to ask ourselves whether we really are everywhere
“Have top quality,” said 28-year-old Kimmich.

“We’re not talking about playing three games well and then losing one and then playing two games well again,” said Kimmich in view of the string of bad games. Recently they didn’t even play against “the biggest football nations”. Kimmich did not answer the question of whether he was still convinced that Flick was the right coach for the EM 2024: “It’s not about pointing the finger at the coach or anyone else.” The players have to help start yourself. “At the end of the day we have to trust the coach to make the right decisions, that he knows what is right and good for the team,” said Kimmich.

After his short comeback, Rio world champion Müller stated: “The Japanese are playing a good role and are currently among the top 10, top 15 in the world. And we don’t belong there at the moment.” At best in theory. “In practice it looks different.”

To home page