Hansi Flick's Germany fail to stop alarm bells ringing
June 16, 2023
Germany 0-1 Poland
(Kiwior 31')
Germany's Joshua Kimmich is a player that knows what it takes to succeed at the elite level of football.
After all, he plays for Bundesliga record titleholders Bayern Munich. Ever since he joined the Bavarians in 2015, he has never failed to win the league title and has lifted every trophy there is to lift at club level after winning the sextuple in 2020.
Hansi Flick was Bayern head coach at the time and Kimmich was his second in command. While their roles remain the same with the German national team, their story could not be more different.
Success continues to prove elusive for the EURO 2024 hosts and Germany's match against Poland was no exception as their crisis deepened courtesy of a 1-0 loss in Warsaw.
Captain Kimmich produced a typically stubborn performance and was brought off 10 minutes from time in a rare substitution.
"We have three matches so it was never planned for Jo to play the whole match," said Flick at the post-match conference. The coach also downplayed his squad's recent negative results. "Today we have earned valuable lessons, we'll try to work on that and end these June internationals positively against Colombia."
Getting used to the whistles
While the match against Poland was nothing but a friendly, Germany were under pressure to perform and deliver a positive performance. But Flick's squad not only faced an inspired and gritty Poland side, but also a hostile atmosphere.
Warsaw national stadium's almost 60,000-strong crowd roared every chance they could, pushing their team forward. It was the type of backing Flick’s charges haven’t felt in a long time, while their every action was whistled.
Nothing new for Germany though given that they were on the receiving end of boos and whistles during their recent 3-3 draw against Ukraine in Bremen. On Friday night, however, they didn’t have the excuse of a well-natured charity match to paper over the cracks of outing that lacked authority, creativity and, above all, synergy.
Connection with the fans
The absence of synergy stretched beyond the pitch too. Despite having a fan-friendly kick-off time on a Friday evening and taking place in a neighboring country, not many Germany supporters made the trip to witness the national team’s latest encounter.
But nobody would blame those that stayed home.
Germany have only won once in their last four internationals and that victory came against a humble Peru side in their first match of 2023. Hansi Flick's squad has faltered when it faced elite European sides such as Belgium or deep-lying opponents like Poland. If they want to hold any title aspirations at EURO 2024, they will have to beat that caliber of opposition.
"We know that we have a year's time [until Germany hosts EURO 2024] but I think that's enough time to prepare the team so we can perform at the EUROs," assured Flick.
Hosts under pressure
The mounting pressure was more than evident even before losing to Poland as Flick spoke to journalists during a press conference a day before the game.
"We need every player to be at their best during the EUROs. But that can only happen if the players have a certain amount of support," said Flick. "You are more than welcome to criticize me but leave the players alone," added the Germany coach.
It's been almost nine years since Germany won the World Cup in Brazil and they will enter EURO 2024 having been eliminated in the group stage in two of the last three major tournaments they've competed in.
After the exit at Qatar 2022, Kimmich described it as the "worst day of my career" and was open in talking about his fears of "falling into a hole" due to having Germany's failing "connected to me as a person." If they’re to stand any chance of atoning for the error of their ways next summer, they desperately need to get the fans back on board and current results aren't helping the process as alarm bells continue to ring.
"The fans want to feel the enthusiasm and connection with these players which lately has been missing," former World Cup winning captain Philipp Lahm told Sportschau. "As a fan, I have not felt that our players sacrifice themselves for each other on the pitch. We have now gone three tournaments without any success so that's why it's so important that the players show that commitment."
With less than one year to go before Germany host EURO 2024, the national team desperately needs to tap into the power that German fans can provide. Week in and week out, Bundesliga clubs are pushed to greater heights by their supporters.
If the national team can use the next 12 months to miraculously harness the type of energy that Poland enjoyed on Friday, they could make a deep run at the European Championships on home soil next summer. If they can't then Flick and Kimmich may end up being linked forever with one of the most unsuccessful eras in national team history.
Edited by: James Thorogood