In Germany’s run up to the European Championship in their own country, they are not exactly in good shape. That is the conclusion that German media draw after the exhibition game with Ukraine (3-3). The team of national coach Hansi Flick pulled a draw out of the fire in the final phase, but it felt like a defeat.
German media sound the alarm and do not understand anything about choices ‘inconsequential’
At least that’s what Bild writes in a commentary: “Could we perhaps postpone the European Championship to 2028, dear UEFA…?” The newspaper speaks of a crisis, finds Flick’s choices incomprehensible and inconsistent and does not see any improvement after the dramatic World Cup in Qatar. The fact that Flick chose to put the three greatest talents on the bench with Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala and Floran Wirtz is also met with incomprehension.
The fact that Niklas Süle was openly burned down by Flick is also not accepted by the German media now that Nico Schlotterbeck and Matthias Ginter made an uncertain impression against Ukraine on Monday. And that Leon Goretzka, David Raum and Leroy Sané did get a basic place despite their questionable form in recent weeks, Bild finds inconsistent. TV channel Sport1 also calls the current state of Die Mannschaft alarming.
Hansi Flick does not see a crisis
However, the fact that Germany again conceded three goals and only won three of its last nine matches does not cause panic for Flick. “We have a plan and we will continue with it,” said the national coach, who experimented with a system with three defenders. “I don’t think we’re asking too much of the team. Today it wasn’t right at times, we made a few individual mistakes that we shouldn’t make.”
While time is running out in the eyes of the German media, Flick emphasizes that his team must continue to grind in the automatisms. “We have to work on that during the matches and the training sessions. We must clearly identify the things that we have not done well. We have started a process, we have to deal with these mistakes in the coming duels, we have to defend more ruthlessly,” he said in conclusion.
