Trouble brews for Germany as unhappy players add fuel to fire

The German national team has lost two in a row, and the players are supposedly quite unhappy and worried about manager Julian Nagelsmann.

When it comes to bad press, Germany are shattering records left and right. Despite the loss being perceived as deserved, the midweek’s 2-0 loss against Austria was the sixth loss in eleven games in 2023.

The last time this occurred was in 1931, the second consecutive loss to Austria. This is their second straight loss under new coach Julian Nagelsmann, who has the monumental challenge of turning this squad around in time to host Euro 2024.

How have Germany fared under Julian Nagelsmann?

For a while now, Germany have lacked the traditional characteristics that have led them to four World Cup victories and three European Championship triumphs. Since their 2014 World Cup victory and 2017 Confederations Cup win, the team have floundered aimlessly without a strategy and, more crucially, a guiding ideology.

Presently, the squad captained by Ilkay Gundogan is producing almost nothing.

There has never been a time in modern history when they were so disorganized and out of touch with their audience as they are now.

Numerous international players hail from this nation and play a regular role in the Champions League for teams like as Real Madrid, Bayern, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, and the promising Leverkusen.

A combination of controversy in governance, historically poor technical choices, and a string of terrible tournament results has cemented the apathy. Also, not bad players per se, but a general lack of teamwork is to blame.

That same sense of unity that previously made the Germans tournament nightmares. Lately, Austria and Turkey have been using Die Mannschaft more as a sparring partner to fix their damaged qualifying campaigns.

It was Nagelsmann’s goal to alter that. Even though the European Championship is just around the corner—and Germany will be hosting it—the German Football Association (DFB) is surely looking for more than just results and confidence in the lead-up to the tournament.

Why are Germany players unhappy?

Now German news outlets suggest players are unhappy with manager Julian Nagelsmann’s teaching style, which doesn’t help things.

The 36-year-old is starting his first global coaching position, and according to the newspaper BILD, the German players have a number of complaints about his management.

The squad still has faith in his tactical competence, and the attitude is generally favorable towards him. However, there is a desire for him to simplify his ideas, considering the limited time available for training at the international level.

Some players feel excessively demanding and think Nagelsmann is better suited to lead a club rather than an entire national team, according to the article. Even more perplexing is the tendency to put players in positions they aren’t accustomed to.

While much of his career has been spent in the attacking or midfield positions, Kai Havertz began the previous two games for Germany in that position. The fact that Havertz was assigned to play left-back versus Turkey without any previous preparation in the position was said to be a huge surprise to the team.

Additionally, Leroy Sane has been shifted to the right flank, despite the fact that he has mostly performed well on the left side for the national team on previous occasions. Reports also indicate that he relies heavily on video sessions, and sometimes interrupts training in order to point out flaws.

However, as a result of Nagelsmann seeming to attempt to resolve several problems simultaneously, the national team players are now feeling exhausted.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Laci Perenyi