Germany latest failure is mighty but cosmetic problems may be fixable

02-Dec-2022 15:38:53 | The Guardian

A little more preparation and a departure from Hansi Flick’s style could breed success for Euro 2024 in Germany

There was to be no melodrama. There were few tears and even fewer words. “Dead silence,” was how Jonas Hofmann described the Germany dressing room in the aftermath of its most Pyrrhic victory, a 4-2 win over Costa Rica that still led to their elimination. “It’s so bitter, I have no words,” said a crestfallen Serge Gnabry. Ilkay Gündogan, his belongings wrapped in a bin bag, dragged himself through the mixed zone mumbling a few things about disappointment. Kai Havertz posed with his unwanted player-of-the-match award like a man clutching his divorce papers.

Others were simply mourning, wondering what more they could have done, what it all meant. “I joined in 2016,” Joshua Kimmich considered. “Before that Germany was always in the semi-finals. Then I come along and we are eliminated twice in the preliminary round, and last year in the round of 16. I’m personally connected to this failure.” The next few days will be the toughest. Germany will grieve. Germany will reflect. The really interesting part is what Germany does next.