The German national team has secured its participation in the 2022 World Cup ahead of schedule. That was to be expected given the competition. Now it’s time to continue on the same path – because the big challenges are yet to come. A commentary by kicker chief reporter Karlheinz Wild.
The first step has been taken: The German national team will be allowed to participate in the World Cup in Qatar in just over a year. It has thus fulfilled its minimum mandate, as it had to hold its own in this six-team field, even with this distance to its second-rate international rivals: No opponent in this Group J is listed in the top 40 of the FIFA world rankings. So this successful World Cup bid is only logical. And with seven wins with one slip-up, the 1-2 home defeat against North Macedonia at the end of March, and 23 goals to 3, the DFB selection confirmed the expectations, statistically in addition, meanwhile increasingly also in terms of play.
In Skopje in northern Macedonia, the German team continued its upward trend. The five victories and 18:1 goals compiled in the five games under new national coach Hansi Flick reflect the changed style: the eleven, no matter which players make it up, is always looking for opportunities for offensive action, spirited and upbeat. This basic attitude is pleasing, even if time and again misplaced passes or ball losses, be they the result of overzealousness or sloppiness, disrupt the rhythm and subsequently prevent greater efficiency in finishing. Especially the pass into the last third of the pitch or into the opponent’s penalty area tends to fail. Nevertheless, there are plenty of chances, which, on top of that, are not always consistently used.
The individual quality for great deeds is there – but not on all positions
It is very positive that against these teams with limited play, as it was North Macedonia especially after the break, balls are won again and again by attacking early, like at 0:2 and 0:4. The individual and physical superiority prevailed in the second part of the game. Nevertheless, the combined pressing must be further fine-tuned. The collective backward movement and the defensive allocation of space also need to be fine-tuned.
Captain Manuel Neuer first and foremost, and now Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz as well, are talking about winning the 2022 title. It is a wise idea to focus psychologically on a clear goal now. This will sharpen their senses and create an internal team awareness for the big job in Qatar. And the individual quality for great deeds is definitely there in several positions, but not everywhere.
The path taken recently is a good one
The search for the ideal full-backs is still on. And Timo Werner, a goalscorer in four of five games under Flick and five times in total, needs to make his mark consistently. He is not the typical centre-forward anyway. This type does not exist in the German assortment, so football coach Flick has to remedy this deficiency in another way. The variable interpretation of the attacking game as well as the – especially youthful – verve offer promising alternative solutions.
Nevertheless, what Leon Goretzka says is completely true: The path taken recently is a good one, but there is still a lot for head coach Flick and his team to do before the 2022 World Cup. Northern Macedonia or Romania are not the benchmark. Other greats are waiting in the global decider, as France and Spain rousingly demonstrated in the Nations League final 24 hours earlier.