Opinion: Disappointment and hope in Germany's World Cup exit

This young Germany squad was not expected to win it all in France, and quite frankly would have been delighted with a semifinal spot. In that sense, this tournament has gone as planned. However, losing to Sweden because of an inability to defend the long ball is concerning.

Gripes can and will be made about VAR and the obvious foul that was missed in the build up to Sweden's goal, but the Swedes created more chances, defended better and had a smarter game plan. They deserved to win.

The main reason for that was because they recognized a weakness that had revealed itself earlier in this tournament. Whether it was misjudged headers or poor positonal play, Marina Hegering and Sara Doorsoun struggled to deal with any long balls over the top. This made Germany vulnerable, and after China and Spain failed to take advantage of a weakness they too had recognized, Sweden did.

This issue also forced Germany to be predictable. Alexandra Popp was asked to perform three different roles in the Sweden game alone. Her talent is undeniable, but Germany's reliance on her was another reason for their undoing.

This defeat spares a Dutch destruction in the semifinal, but it does mean Germany, the current Olympic champions, will not have a chance to defend their title in Toyko next year. That probably stings just as much as the long ball issue.

Once the tournament winners are announced though and the disappointment has been sweated out, Germany will realize that they're not on the same developmental cycle as the US, England or the Netherlands - and that that's okay.

The likes of Popp and Lena Goeßling will move on, and the defense will need fixing, but the early shape of a new core is emerging. Sara Däbritz and Lina Magull have made the midfield their own, while Lena Oberdorf, Giulia Gwinn and Lea Schüller are ready for more prominent roles.

The pieces are slowly appearing for Germany. The two goals they conceded against Sweden were their first of the tournament. They won four in a row. But this tournament also showed Germany that the numbers don't tell the full story. Germany were fortunate to beat China and Spain, and wobbled defensively against almost every team.

Martina Voss-Tecklenburg was never expected to fix all of these issues in time, nor were her side suddenly expected to be brilliant. Now though, they have the time. Now they must.