Doha, November 08 (QNA) – Germany national football team, a four-time World Cup champions, are seeking to make up for their failure at Russia 2018 when they were knocked out in the first round for the first time in 80 years and are now looking to take their tally to five titles at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, to catch up with Brazil at the top.
However, the task will not be easy for German coach Hansi Flick and his players, especially since Germany’s failure at the World Cup was followed by a decline also at the European level after the team were knocked out of the 2020 Nations League from the quarterfinals by England (2-0), which will increase the pressure on the team during Qatar 2022.
Germany, the first team to officially qualify for Qatar World Cup, will play in Group E alongside Spain, Japan and Costa Rica. According to sports forecasts, Germany is expected to occupy the first or second place in the Group and qualify for the second round.
The German national team will start its World Cup journey in Qatar by facing Japan on November 23 at Khalifa International Stadium.
The team will then clash with its Spanish counterpart on November 27 at Al-Bayt Stadium, then conclude their group stage matches against Costa Rica also at Al-Bayt Stadium also on December 1.
The German Football Association (DFC) chose the Zulal Wellness Resort as the headquarters of the team during the tournament. Training sessions will take place at the stadium of Al Shamal SC.
The German team are eager to win due to the pressure they face from the fans after their swinging performance up and down over the past months. After three draws, the team managed to achieve a big victory over Italy (5-2). In comments, coach Hansi Flick said: “I need players who are physically ready and can deal with various circumstances during the Qatar World Cup.”
Flick, who began his career as coach and player in 1996 for FC Victoria Bammental, hopes to lead the Germans for the second time to win the World Cup, having contributed to winning the title eight years ago when he was assistant to coach Joachim Low at the 2014 World Cup Brazil.
Germany’s qualification to Qatar World Cup was not difficult. The team topped Group X of the European qualifiers – which included Romania, North Macedonia, Armenia, Iceland and Liechtenstein – with 27 points, winning nine games and losing one game to North Macedonia in Berlin (1-2).
Flick won seven titles during his career with Bayern Munich. Being at the head of the technical management of the Germans, his quest for achievements and winning titles and his strong desire to succeed with the team, all constitute a strong and influential factor in Germanys journey in Qatar World Cup, especially as he still remembers his failure in the Nations League.
Flick is counting a lot on the young rising players among the ranks of the national team. These rising stars are special, and many of them will have a great future given their brilliance with their clubs in various major European leagues.
The current generation of the German national team includes elements that combine strength, talent and youth, and play in prominent clubs that offer many chances for participations and gaining experience. They also have the desire to shine and restore the glories of their country globally.
At the forefront of the German team come Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, the only two players of Germany’s squad who won the 2014 World Cup.
The German squad also include Borussia Dortmund striker, Marco Ruiz, and the rising star Chelsea striker, Kai Havertz, both of whom have no better chance than the World Cup to prove themselves.
Flick has a near-perfect squad to compete and achieve the first target of the tournament, which is to regain the title that the team failed to defend in the last edition in Russia when they bid farewell to the competitions from the first round, an incident that has not been repeated since the 1938 World Cup in Italy.
Germany is one of the strongest and most prestigious countries in the world in football, having participated in all World Cup editions except the two World Cups held in Uruguay first in 1930, which was the first-ever edition of the World Cup, and the second in 1950.
The German national team is one of the most successful football teams. It is ranked second after Brazil in the number of times it has won the World Cup title. The team clinched the title four times in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014; and won the second place 4 times, as well as the third place 4 times.
Germany played 109 World Cup matches in its previous appearances, scoring 67 victories, 20 draws and 22 losses. It scored 226 goals and conceded 125 goals.
Germany, which has joined FIFA since its founding in 1904 in Paris, is considered the largest football team in history in terms of achievements and records. It is the team that has won the most World Cup matches, maintained its technical level in the World Cups, won the Confederations Cup title in 2017 and finished third in 2005, and won the title of the 1976 Summer Olympics.
At the European level, Germany is the continent’s most successful team in the UEFA Nations League, holding the record for the number of times they have won the title after winning it three times in 1972, 1980 and 1996, on an equal basis with Spain. Germany was also runners-up three times in 1976, 1992 and 2008.
Germany played 53 games in the finals of the Nations League during their previous participations, during which they managed to achieve 27 victories, 13 draws and 13 losses, and scored 78 goals and conceded 55 goals.
Throughout its history, Germany has introduced some of the most prominent players, led by Franz Beckenbauer, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Gerd Müller, Lothar Matthaus and Oliver Kahn, along with Miroslav Klose who scored 16 goals in the World Cup.
(QNA)