‘We’re a football dwarf ’ – angry verdict back home

Germany’s humiliation in Qatar could spell end of road for head coach Flick but he vows to fight on

Germany’s humiliating exit from the World Cup provoked an immediate backlash back home, with the country’s media describing the team as a “football dwarf ” and writing that their failure in Qatar marked the end of a “once great soccer nation”.

In the aftermath of a dramatic and painful night for Germany, newspapers said the team’s performance at this World Cup was even worse than their shambolic exit from Russia 2018.

Reporters from Bild, the tabloid newspaper, wrote: “After Russia 2018 we thought: it can’t get any worse. Today we know: it gets worse. The football world used to tremble in front of us. As a ‘tournament team’ we were praised. Now Germany is just a football dwarf.”

In another scathing article, Bild said: “On Dec 1, 2022 we witnessed the end of a once great and proud soccer nation. The fact is: none of us are world class any more.”

Germany coach Hansi Flick, meanwhile, called for an overhaul of his country’s academy system and demanded a return to “the basics” of player production.

Flick’s future as head coach is in serious doubt, despite the former Bayern Munich manager only taking the role in August last year.

After the match he said he wanted to remain in the job.

“I believe that for the future of German football we need to do things differently with training,” said Flick after the 4-2 win over Costa Rica, which was not enough to send them through to the knockout stages.

“For years we have been talking about new goalkeepers, new wingbacks. What was always good in German football was that we were able to defend well. We need the basics.”

The one encouraging aspect of Germany’s World Cup has been the sparkling performances of Jamal Musiala, the former England youth international now starring for Bayern Munich.

“It is unfortunate that such a player cannot continue to play in this tournament,” said Flick. “Jamal has been trained in England, not Germany.”

Thomas Muller hinted that his long international career might now have come to an end. “If that was my last game for Germany, it has been a tremendous pleasure, thank you very much,” he said.