summer break? Not for the best footballers on the continent. Because it's time for the Nations League. The competition, the meaning and relevance of which can be discussed, actually has an important function this summer: it serves as a testing ground for the coaches for the World Cup.
In public, the Nations League is - let's just say it like it is - a competition that occupies a low profile on the scale of football seriousness that is so gigantic. And that's still the truth in beautiful. The fact that the relegation of the German national soccer team was corrected in the first edition by simply increasing the number of participants in the elite circle of the continent did not necessarily increase credibility. That too is rather the truth in beautiful. But well, football is known to involve a lot of money. And the Nations League should become the new cash cow.
But the idea of this competition in the form of a tournament is also phenomenal. In a concentrated form, teams play against each other at (supposed) eye level in different groups and can even be promoted or relegated (unless this competition is reformed again). It's about a trophy, whatever it looks like, and not about being friendly. For the Nations League to rob players of urgent recovery after a draining season, well, that's part of the minor collateral damage. Something is always. And the tournament this summer a new importance! With the Winter World Cup in Qatar looming, excuse me, the coaches of the national teams don't have much time to prepare their squads for FIFA's flagship project.
The Nations League is rapidly climbing the gigantic scale of football trivia. And you can actually assume that players and coaches will really be interested in this competition in the summer of 2022. The DFB team has four games in eleven days. The game will start off against Italy, the European champions, who collapsed completely after the intoxication at Wembley last summer, and will not be traveling to Qatar in November. The game will be played on Saturday in hot Bologna (from 8.15 p.m. on RTL and in the live ticker on ntv.de).
Duels with England, Hungary and a reunion with Italy follow. What a program! "We want to get back among the best in the world. We are well prepared and now have to see what the four games can do. Then we'll see what we have to do better for the 2022 World Cup," says the national coach. First, however, it's about beautifying the shabby statistics a bit. The German record in the Nations League - under Löw - is clearly expandable. Two wins and five draws in ten games are not enough for the four-time world champion. But well, the mood has long since changed.
"You can feel that something is developing there, and I rather perceive a spirit of optimism," said DFB director Oliver Bierhoff to "Spiegel" in an interview. "We need emotional moments now." Against national teams like Liechtenstein, Armenia or North Macedonia, the audience "may miss the highlights", but against the top-class players, Bierhoff said, "the fans will get excited again."
For Hansi Flick and his footballers, there is now an opportunity to get rid of the biting adage that the great performances of his era have so far been shown almost exclusively against smaller (r) opponents. Of course, the national coach knows that this is not an invention of the tabloids, but reflects reality quite well, but he does not want to be talked into the successful reconstruction of the starving "DieTeam" (the slogan is fortunately about to be disposed of). "The team has shown in the games against smaller teams that they are fully committed. We stand for that and we want to continue on this path. We want to try to make a development that takes us back to where Germany should be : among the best in Europe and the world!"
This path will also decide who gets the German tickets for the big Infatino show in the desert state. But the casting for the squad places is probably not that extensive, many places seem definitely taken. Manuel Neuer will get the regular place among the titans. Kevin Trapp, the Europa League winner from Eintracht Frankfurt, will duel with Marc-André ter Stegen for the role of crown prince. Things are likely to be tight for Bernd Leno and Oliver Baumann, even if Hoffenheim is now there due to Ter Stegen's break.
There are also few surprises lurking in the central defender. The most exciting thing is likely to be whether Mats Hummels, who is currently feeding the entertainment rather than the sports department with news, will return again. The new Dortmunders Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck should fight for the regular places with the new royal (Real Madrid) Antonio Rüdiger. Matthias Ginter will be there, but more at the back.
Not much new in midfield either: Joshua Kimmich, despite all the criticism as to whether he is a real six or not, and Leon Goretzka form the power house in the center. Thomas Müller sneaks around in front of him, always looking for Müller's ways. Serge Gnabry, who is currently at odds with FC Bayern and would rather switch to Real Madrid, should be set, as should Kai Havertz. The Londoner, from Chelsea, possibly as a striker. All-round talent Jamal Musiala is vehemently pushing into the team, he could oust Leroy Sané, who is once again more of a puzzle than a solution. But if anyone knows how to deal with the controversial winger, it's Flick. Other players who can be sure of their cause, the ticket: İlkay Gündoğan, Timo Werner, Karim Adeyemi and Marco Reus, if he is fit. They are all candidates who alternate between the first eleven and the first substitute.
Things are a bit more exciting on the defensive flanks, where David Raum from 1899 Hoffenheim and Thilo Kehrer (Paris St. Germain) were the last to get stuck. Jonas Hofmann from Gladbach, who is more of a winger, also had good scenes as a right-back. Filling the lanes is likely to be the most exciting challenge for Flick. All candidates, which also include EM discoverers Robin Gosens, Lukas Klostermann, Marcel Halstenberg and Benjamin Henrichs, bring their qualities with them. But probably none is the perfect overall package that Philipp Lahm once was. You don't have to pull yourself up from the past, but the Bayern legend was the last German world-class man to hold that position. Point.
Those candidates who can hope but have to fight include Jonathan Tah (participating), Robin Koch (not present), Julian Brandt (participating), Anton Stach (participating), Julian Draxler (not present), Lukas Nmecha (participating) and Simon Terodde (not present). No joke: Flick had only spoken a few weeks ago that the door was not closed to any player and if the Schalke giant performed well, which he now absolutely has to prove in the 1st Bundesliga, then he can hope for a hangover. A little bit at least. How are the chances of assignments in the squad now distributed? Not clear. "I think from game to game. First up is Italy. After the game we have to see to what extent everyone is recovering," says Flick. "Wednesday is another important game against England, but we want to win against Italy with the best team possible."
"Ultimately, that's a good sign," said Flick. The cheerful national coach clearly likes the intense competition less than six months before the World Cup, especially on the offensive. "We're just happy because of the flexibility and variability we have in the squad. That's exactly how we envision it as a coach." Indeed, the Nations League occupies a prominent place on the gigantic scale of football seriousness. Crazy.
