It has been a tough year for Germany’s national football
team.
Knocked out in the first round of the World Cup.
Relegated from the top tier of the Nations League. Embroiled in a racism
controversy that triggered the international football retirement of Mesut Özil.
Even the position of head coach Joachim Löw, once thought unassailable, has
been at risk.
However, there may yet be light at the end of the tunnel
for Die Mannschaft.
In a qualifying match for Euro 2020 against bitter rivals
the Netherlands, Germany managed to gut out a 3-2 victory. Hoffenheim
midfielder Nico Schulz scored the winning goal in the last minute of regulation
time.
This was an important victory for Germany. Not only did
they beat their arch-nemeses, but they did so as the underdogs. This
Netherlands team has been resurgent ever since missing out on a spot at the
2018 World Cup and, led by players such as Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong,
Matthijs de Ligt, and of course, superstar defender and team captain Virgil van
Dijk, have re-established themselves as a genuine force in international
football.
Another point of note about Germany’s win is the fact
that none of their three goalscorers were part of the team that suffered an
early World Cup exit last year. Besides Schulz, Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry
found the back of the net for Germany.
Löw’s decision to bring a premature end to the
international careers of veterans Thomas Müller, Jérôme Boateng, and Mats
Hummels signalled the beginning of a new era for Germany. Though the decision
to permanently drop the Bayern Munich trio was initially viewed with skepticism
by many, the move appears to have paid off.
This phasing out of the old guard has paved the way for
these young rising stars to emerge as the backbone of what looks like a
promising, up-and-coming German team.
Leroy Sané is beginning to emerge as a superstar before
our very eyes. He has begun to prove that he may very well be the player around
whom Germany should build their team of the future. The standout performer in
Germany’s victory over the Oranje, Sané has been in the midst of a breakout season.
His performances have made major contributions to Manchester City’s Premier
League and Champions League title bids.
However, this team is not just about Sané. The likes of
Thilo Kehrer, Gnabry, Niklas Süle, Antonio Rüdiger, and others will form a solid
supporting cast, both for the present and in the years to come.
The success of Germany’s under-21 team also bodes well
for the senior team’s future.
The under-21 team have not lost a match for almost one
and a half years. The reigning European junior champions have a plethora of
young talent at their disposal, many of whom will surely be called up to the
senior team before too long. This is a team containing players such as Mahmoud
Dahoud, Luca Waldschmidt, Levin Öztunalı, and Pascal Stenzel. All of these
players have already begun making names for themselves at their respective
clubs and eventually be part of a team that makes deep European Championship
and World Cup runs.
This may initially sound like a strange thing to say, but
the fact that these players have either never played in a World Cup or only made
minor appearances in it could end up working in Germany’s favour.
This is because they did not have to bear the brunt of Germany’s
failure in Russia last year. Such an occurrence would have been likely to leave
a psychological mark on the players involved. This may have been one of the primary
reasons behind Germany’s dismal Nations League campaign. Now that many of their
main players are not burdened by the legacy of their doomed World Cup campaign,
they should be able to play with a level of mental freedom which the players
who played heavy minutes during the World Cup would not have.
After enduring a slump of more than a year, it looks as
though Germany are ready to write the next chapter of their storied football
history. While it’s too early to say that they will clinch their fifth World
Cup title in 2022, such a scenario is definitely possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment