Germany looks to restore ‘tournament team’ status
BERLIN
Normally among the favorites for any tournament it enters, an uncertain Germany makes the trip to Qatar hoping to reignite its “tournament team” status.
Much like nerves in penalty shootouts, pre-tournament problems seem traditionally less of an issue for Germany, renowned for its ability to flick the switch and perform when it truly matters.
This time however, the four-time World Cup champion is plagued by concerns from front to back, including the late withdrawal of striker Timo Werner and injury concerns surrounding captain Manuel Neuer.
Since an abject display at Euro 2004, Germany had made at least the semifinals of every World Cup and European Championship, until a disappointing group stage exit in 2018, its earliest World Cup exit in 80 years.
Coach Hansi Flick, who took over after Germany’s last 16 loss against England at Euro 2020, has racked up a strong if not stellar record in the top job, with nine wins, five draws and just one loss from his 15 games.
One of Flick’s major concerns however will be the condition of goalkeeper Neuer, who missed more than a month in October and early November with a shoulder injury.
Neuer’s club coach Julian Nagelsmann raised eyebrows across the country in late October when he said he could not guarantee Neuer would make the trip to Qatar.
Although few teams boast backup keepers of the caliber of Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Kevin Trapp, Neuer brings much more to Germany than just a shot-stopping presence.
Another worry for the former Bayern coach will be how his team will convert its quality into goals, particularly in the absence of RB Leipzig’s Werner.
Werner returned to the Bundesliga after an unhappy two-year stint at Premier League side Chelsea in August with the World Cup in mind.
Flick, who had publicly encouraged Werner to return, looked to be getting the best version of the 26-year-old striker, who after a slow start had scored five goals in six games before going down against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Flick released a statement saying the “bitter news” would be a “great loss,” both for Werner and for Germany.
“We will have to do without an excellent striker with a strong goal rate in the national jersey and we’ll also be without a real team player.”
Germany has a lack of ready-made replacements up front, with at least one inexperienced player likely to receive a call-up for Qatar.
One candidate is Borussia Dortmund’s teenage sensation Youssoufa Moukoko, who is already leading his side’s attack in the Bundesliga and Champions League at the tender age of 17.
Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said it was “only a matter of time” before Moukoko became a regular part of the Germany side, given how much the teenager “makes Borussia Dortmund’s game better.”