New Delhi: At the last two World Cups, Germany failed to win their first game and then crashed out at the group stage. It was scarcely believable because this is a team renowned for its machine-like precision and getting out of the group stage almost seemed to
be a given until it was not.
The first game this time around seems less challenging. Curacao’s meeting with Germany (world No.10) in Houston will mark the Caribbean nation’s first-ever World Cup match. Ranked 82nd, Curacao is the smallest country by population to ever qualify for the FIFA World Cup and will run into one of the most celebrated sides in tournament history.
Germany have won four titles, earning runners-up and third place four times each and one fourth-place finish. Germany’s 12 podium finishes (3rd place or better) in 20 tournaments add up to at least three more than any other nation. But for two consecutive World Cups, no one quite knew what had gone wrong.
In 2018, many invoked the ‘The Champions Curse’ as one of the reasons for the exit. You win one and you lose the next. They became the fourth reigning champion in five tournaments (2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018) to exit at the group stage. Beyond that, the team looked unbalanced and struggled with defensive transitions. They also didn’t have the right replacements for stars like Philipp Lahm, Miroslav Klose, and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
At Euro 2020, they even managed to lose to the ‘old enemy’ England.
“Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”
The 2022 tournament showed that Gary Linekar’s memorable quote had perhaps run its course. They started poorly in Qatar with a loss to Japan and bowed out of the World Cup on goal difference despite a chaotic 4-2 win against Costa Rica, with Japan’s win over Spain proving terminal to their hopes. The sight of Germany’s players gazing at a bank of empty red seats stayed with their fans for a long time.
And now, they are back – at another World Cup and one can’t help but wonder whether we will see the old Die Mannschaft or their more recent version.
Quality players have never been a problem for Germany and this squad is no exception. Euro 2024 gave us a glimpse of what the current generation is capable of but that run ended in the quarter-finals against Spain. It wasn’t enough but it was a step forward. It was hope.
Now, Julian Nagelsmann, who is 16 months younger than goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, has brought the team to the World Cup again. The squad cemented their spot in the tournament finals by finishing unbeaten in their qualifying group, which also included Slovakia, Luxembourg, and Northern Ireland. It was no-nonsense, like the Germany of old.
The roster is headlined by captain Joshua Kimmich, playmaker Jamal Musiala (not fully fit), and the 40-year-old Neuer who has made a surprising return – he is the last remaining squad member from the victorious 2014 team. But in Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray) and Denis Undav (Stuttgart) they have real quality up top. Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Musiala (Bayern Munich) and Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) make the midfield one to be reckoned with while Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich, captain) and Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, vice-captain) add steel in the back.
The great record is a thing of the past. While it inspired a generation, it can also very quickly become a millstone around the neck.
Group E starts off easy but Ivory Coast and Ecuador, who qualified with the second-best record in South America, might be trickier. However, given their previous two campaigns, just starting well will take a huge load of the team’s shoulders. After that, the machine might get nicely warmed up for the tougher business ahead.
There may be a potential meeting with France in the last 16 but for now the team –which usually uses a 4-2-3-1 formation with Havertz as the lone striker – will want to focus on the present.