Hey, maybe losing in the most painful way imaginable was a blessing in disguise? Had Germany scraped through and been beaten by France in the last-16, the DFB may have been able to persuade themselves that the team was mere fractions away from being competitive.
Perhaps they might even have claimed that the scent of progress could be detected in the wind. After two group-stage eliminations at World Cups, at least we won a tie here. And we only lost to Spain in extra-time two years ago, guys. Probably that’s what Jonathan Tah was thinking as he hoofed his penalty back over the Atlantic Ocean.
Germany cannot escape their own reflection now. The only thing worse than not playing knockout matches at World Cups is playing them as heavy favourites and being humiliated. And they lost on penalties at a World Cup for the first time too, so the stereotyped jokes at the expense of others don’t even work anymore.
Jurgen Klopp has been everywhere during this tournament – he’s surely too obvious not to appoint? (Photo: AFP)
This is a national emergency for the DFB. Their team will go at least 16 years without ranking in the top 16 of any World Cup tournament. Once they were giants, then champions, then contenders and now has-beens and when-will-they-be-agains. The list of nations to win a knockout tie since them: Canada, Russia, Sweden, Morocco, Croatia.
When Germany hit their nadir at Euro 2000, it prompted a systemic overhaul of the production line of technical footballers and of the coaching pathways that allowed the talent to flourish. That is not needed now. The under-21 group is strong. This is not the end of Germany’s academy revolution.
In a way, that makes it worse. In 2000 there was a shopping list; blueprints had been created and timeframes agreed. Then there was things to do and smiling, eager faces to do them. What about when it’s just an uninspiring team doing uninspiring things?
This is now an environment where the shine of youth is dimmed before it can make the room itself brighter. Watch Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz during this tournament and try to disagree.
At the same time, Germany are between eras. Manuel Neuer is 40 and shouldn’t have been here at all; it was a dim mistake from Julian Nagelsmann. Antonio Rudiger is 33, Joshua Kimmich 31 and Leroy Sane 30. Those four outfielders could make the next European Championship at a push, but is the longer-term plan not the right one now?
Watching Germany on Monday evening – and I’ll happily concede that this brings me some degree of pleasure to write – reminded me of England against Iceland at Euro 2016. The older players look weary. The younger players look overawed. The rest just look wholly beaten up by the experience itself, as if ignominy has become fated. Germany are in their England 2006-2016 age here.
Nagelsmann will surely be sacked – how can he not be and the DFB still call this a culture of excellence? Still just 38, his career is at a crossroads but he is not the only one who may feel better away from this bin fire rather than being burned by it. There’s a guy at Barcelona who could probably offer some thoughts on that.
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The obvious answer is Jurgen Klopp, who has spent this tournament offering punditry that often strayed – understandably – into what he might do differently as Germany head coach. It makes sense. Again like England in 2016, German players have forgotten what enjoying playing for your country is like. The pressure is too much. The punishment for losing has more mental real estate than the reward for winning.
Klopp is also no guarantee. You cannot see off the long-term manager, the Bayern Munich and Barcelona supercoach and the nation’s next big thing and expect certainty. That is the true price of repeated failure: the shape of your reputation shifts and warps against you.
Germany are not what you remember, merely ghosts of glorious history. The muscle memory of winning is no more. Muller, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Kroos, Neuer – the last one fell upon his sword in Foxborough and there are few male heirs to continue the bloodline. Es tut mir leid – you’re just not special anymore.
