The last time that the German national team won a tournament was in 2017 when still under Joachim Löw the team would pick up the final edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup. This was a tournament that took place one year before the World Cup with all of the champions from the different FIFA confederations. Unfortunately it’s not a tournament that gets played anymore. In any case, within that tournament Germany showed that they were building a younger squad for the 2018 tournament in Russia, and that they could once again compete for the title.
That wasn’t necessarily what happened though. In that tournament they lost their first game against Mexico, barely managed to get past Sweden in the final minutes. Ultimately, their second round hopes were shattered after a loss to Korea. In the World Cup in Qatar we saw a similar outcome. They lost their first game somewhat surprisingly to Japan. Then they went on to get a draw against Spain. Finally, the team would bow out in the first round despite beating Costa Rica in the last game of the group stage. What happened to Germany? Why are they no longer the consistent football power that they once were?
Their Previous Success May Have Been Kind Of Coincidental
This may seem like a completely blasphemous statement. It could’ve been worse, at one point we were going to go with they’re not as talented as they think they are. The thing is, at least in the previous generation of German national teams some of their players had great national team careers without necessarily being superstars at the club level. Klose, and Podolski are the poster childs of this. The two were really never amazing players at the club level, but when they put on that Germany jersey they were unstoppable.
Coincidentally, they played positions that were crucial to the team’s success. Essentially in big moments they were usually able to find key goals to pull Germany through. Also, previous generations had a bit more talent in that midfield. From Kroos to Ozil to Schweinsteiger, the current German midfield just isn’t as talented right now.
Neuer Had A Terrible World Cup
In most positions Germany has been able to move on from established players and find decent replacements. Toni Kroos said that he didn’t want to hamper the development of German players, and that’s why he stepped away from the national team. There are other cases though like the one involving Manuel Neuer in which experience and seniority are taking precedence over perhaps the current level of play that each player exhibits.
For years now people in and around the German national team have called for Marc Andre Ter Stegen to take over for Neuer between the sticks. Once again though Neuer got the call, and he played poorly. That’s 2 World Cups in a row where the Bayern Munich star isn’t able to shine. In fact, he’s a big reason why they lost to Japan, and why they were losing to Costa Rica at one point. He’s an all-time great at his position. Perhaps in a way that no other German player on this squad can be portrayed. The fact is, his current form isn’t up to his standards.
How Can They Rebuild?
They certainly have enough players to be more competitive than what they have been. So what would they need to do? The key may be to find a coach that can give the squad an identity. They are no longer a disciplined team that had enough talent to beat you multiple ways, but relied on always being in the right spots. They’ve lost some of that discipline, and they should want to get back to that. From there, pick a coach that can truly bring in all the young talent that you have and end this transition period. Recreating the German identity though is going to be the key to everything.
