The kind of landscape no one under the age of 80 had seen until a few years ago, after which a few minutes passed, and Thomas Muller Was waving Germany went out of world Cup At the first hurdle, as he did in 2018, Müller looked to wave goodbye to his supporters. It was a harsh end to a genuine Germany great. It won’t be remembered as the night he squared off with his former teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger 121 on cap. Not when Germany were eliminated and Müller described his fourth and final World Cup appearance as “an absolute disaster”.
Like Manuel Neuer, Müller has crossed many eras. They were stars of a glorious past, struggling in a sorry present. He was always a highly symbolic figure; A big game player with a sharp football mind, he was parachuted into the 2010 squad at 20 and scored five goals. He got five more after winning the 2014 World Cup. But he has failed to score in the group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022. far from breaking up with your former sidekick Miroslav KloseWith a record 16 World Cup goals, he remains Müller’s second highest scorer behind his namesake Gerd. It seemed he was destined to surpass Jürgen Klinsmann’s total of 11. Now he never will.
Müller was so emblematic because he felt quintessentially German. and like laughing tree Sifted through the wreckage of a campaign, he was left to lament the absence of the kind of German players that had undercut previous teams. Eight disastrous minutes can be traced against his demise Japan, when victory was converted into defeat with huge consequences. The goals he conceded to Japan and Costa Rica showed a fragility: Germany, a byword for mental prowess, twice in quick succession. They showed failure in counterattacks and set pieces. They were engaged in extravagance in the other compartment. Flick said, “You have to take your chances and score goals.” “If you hit four goals, you put pressure on the opponent.” Instead of going up 4–0 twice, Germany twice squandered a 1–0 lead, even though they managed to beat Costa Rica.
Thomas Müller says goodbye after Germany’s shock exit
(Getty Images)
The unlikely rise of Niklas Fulkrug, who scored two World Cup goals in cameos, was a happy tale of their campaign, but also a reminder that Germany used to have a production line of genuine number 9s. Not all were of Klinsmann’s caliber, but now they could do with a new Horst Hrubes or Oliver Bierhoff. Germany paid a penalty for their shortcomings in both penalty boxes and Flick’s thoughts turned to his defence.
“I believe that for the future of German football, we also need to do something different with training,” he said. “For years we have been talking about new goalkeepers and new wing backs, what was always good in German football was that we were able to defend well. We need the basics.
In short, he needs defenders who can defend. Germany may only have one in Antonio Rüdiger. The flick could be criticized for leaving out Mats Hummels, although the personality of another 2014 World Cup winner is such that he can only be a starter and not a squad player. However, his broad analysis is correct. Niklas Sule had a very bad tournament. Flacco used four right backs in three games. At left back, David Raum impressed when attacking, less so when defending. “If you look at the defense, there were some things that didn’t go according to plan,” Flacco said. Germany has won 11 straight tournament games and, right to the stereotypical German pragmatism, was ruthlessly lacking. A new Jürgen Köhler will be welcomed, a battle-hardened bastard.
But Germany no longer produces such players. The clubball and pepball mix of pressing and passing became a role model for Germany, but perhaps they took too much inspiration from Pep Guardiola. He completed over 700 passes against Japan and lost. Das reboot has given them a number of technical midfielders, pace wingers, false nines and number 10s, even though the breakout star of their tournament was raised in Surrey. Jamal Musiala‘s Hypnotic dribbling drew comparisons with Lionel Messi Both unfair and understandable. Flick said, “Jamal showed today that it is unfortunate that such a player cannot continue in the tournament.” “She’s fabulous.” Kai Havertz’s two-goal outing as a substitute was a reminder of his immense potential, even if one hasn’t fully unlocked it.
Hansi Flick acknowledged Germany’s shortcomings
(AP)
“We have players who play in top clubs and we have quality,” Flick said. And if that hardly reflects well on him, the man who failed to make use of such quality is the talent for 2026: Musiala, Havertz, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich, Florian Wertz, Joseph Mouocco , Karim Adeyemi, Armel Bela-Kotchap.
But after one reboot, Flick is eyeing another, perhaps to restore the traditional values of German football, perhaps in search of the kind of center backs and center forwards that used to roam the Bundesliga. With the credibility of the Champions League winner and World Cup winner, he could be the one to oversee an overhaul. Surely he would want the kind of toughness and flawlessness that Germany have lacked in the last two World Cups. “There were a lot of personal mistakes and they made me angry,” he said. “There can be no errors. We need to draw the right conclusions and go in a different direction very soon. For now, though, he’s just going home and immediately.