Journey’s hit tune “Don’t Stop Believin'” was playing in the background. Probably no coincidence after this dreary evening in Gelsenkirchen. It was the fitting anthem to the voices after the disillusioning 0:2 (0:0) of the German national soccer team in their home game against Colombia.
“The situation is not critical. She is dramatic. You have to say that very clearly,” stated midfielder Leon Goretzka and reported from the inside of the team: “We have big plans again. Our training sessions are of a high standard. Difficult to explain why we didn’t get that on the pitch again, but it’s really lacking in every nook and cranny. You can also find positives in this game, but all in all that is of course far too little.”
The self-critical Goretzka was unable to say exactly what went wrong and what was lacking, but the hope for improvement was still there: “It’s all useless now. We will continue. I can’t say that the spirit isn’t there. We looked at each other in the dressing room and wanted to throw everything in again.”
Ilkay Gündogan apparently has more knowledge in this regard. The midfielder, who had captained the team onto the field, refrained from making a public analysis: “Personally, after the final whistle, I knew exactly what wasn’t good. And that has to be addressed.” In the dressing room he wants to choose clear words, on the microphone he only hinted at the deficit: “We didn’t manage to get into the rhythm. I think people noticed that we weren’t brave enough.”
Not a question of courage, but of class, on the other hand, recognized Rudi Völler and defended the national coach, who had come under criticism after the poor results: “Hansi Flick tries everything. He’s the poorest sow,” said Völler and took on the players: “The overall package in these three games was simply not enough,” said the DFB sporting director and asked the question of quality.
“At the end of the day, we may have underestimated that the quality isn’t what it was a few years ago. They all got involved, but it’s a question of quality,” emphasized Völler, who also criticized the attitude: “That was a bit too little for me. If we want to play a good EM, we have to burn a little more.”
Clear words, combined with a call for personal consequences on the pitch: “One or the other has reached his limits despite all efforts. I don’t want to name names, but that will be seen in the next nomination. It’s just not enough.”
