Germany and the Nations League have never been a good fit. All three editions of the still young UEFA competition since 2018 have ended in disappointment for the national football team. The final tournament has never been reached.
That is set to change in the fourth edition. National coach Julian Nagelsmann has made that clear. The match starts on Saturday (8.45 p.m./ZDF) in Düsseldorf against Hungary. The other group opponents are the Netherlands and Bosnia-Herzegovina. But what went wrong in the past?
Failed premiere 2018
Football Germany is struggling with the historically early World Cup knockout in Russia. Joachim Löw will be allowed to continue as national coach in autumn 2018. The new Nations League competition is intended to contribute to consolidation. A 0:0 draw against world champions France at the start is celebrated as the first step. But bitter defeats follow: 0:3 in the Netherlands, 1:2 in France and finally a 2:2 against Holland.
That means third place in the group. Germany, who are bottom of the table, are relegated to the second-tier B league. But UEFA is helping. The competition is being modified. League A is being expanded to 16 teams and the DFB team is allowed to stay with the best.
There are consequences, however. Löw has realised that simply carrying on as before will not work. Before the next international matches in March 2019, he announced that he would not be playing with the Rio World Cup winners Thomas Müller, Mats Hummels and Jérôme Boateng.
Debacle in Seville 2020
The second edition of the Nations League is marked by the corona pandemic. Games behind closed doors. Endurance mode and little football joy. But the national team has at least consolidated again. After two wins against Ukraine, two draws against Switzerland and a tie against Spain, they head to Seville as the undefeated leaders. One point against the Spaniards would have been enough to reach the final tournament.
But there are six Spanish slaps in the face. 0:6! Manuel Neuer keeps flailing helplessly with his arms. DFB manager Oliver Bierhoff watches the action in dismay from the stands. The national team has never let itself be humiliated like this. The biggest defeat of the Löw era is the last piece of the mosaic for its end. The world champion coach has lost his grip. There are still slogans of perseverance over the turn of the year. But in spring 2021, Löw announces his resignation for the period after the European Championship the following summer.
Hungarian Lesson 2022
Hansi Flick, Löw’s successor, has set a record as national coach with eight victories. Qualification for the World Cup in Qatar went smoothly. But the DFB team has faltered in the tournament year. Four draws in a row, including against the Netherlands and England, are OK, but not good. Everything is overshadowed by a 5-2 win against a desolate Italy.
In the Nations League, everything is still possible before the last two group matches. First place can be achieved on our own. Hungary must be defeated to do so. But a horror game follows in Leipzig: 0:1. No energy. No game plan. The Hungarians win with simple means. First place is gone. After the following wild 3:3 against relegated England, doubts grow about Qatar’s ability to win the title. Two months later, under Flick, the next group knockout at a World Cup is sealed.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240907-930-225657/1
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