2023-09-13 11:58:03
In the win against France, the German national team under interim coach Rudi Völler scored for the first time in months – or even years? – for real enthusiasm. But the DFB wouldn’t be the DFB if it didn’t result in a new problem. A comment.
After Germany embarrassed themselves 4-1 against Japan on Saturday, a very strange situation emerged. Secretly it was clear: a win against France would complicate the coaching question – regardless of the situation.
At this point there was no longer any hope of a successful future with national coach Hansi Flick, and even a success against the runner-up world champion would not have changed that. In this case, however, a dismissal would have been more difficult to communicate. Understandably, the DFB took the extremely unusual step of changing the coach during an ongoing international match phase. Especially since it was the DFB’s first dismissal of a national coach.
Of course, no external solution could be found in such a short time, so sports director Rudi Völler quickly appointed himself interim coach. The 63-year-old wasn’t thrilled about it and, by the way, he was only available for this one game. It happened as it had to happen: The DFB team presented a much improved performance against France (also thanks to facilitating circumstances) and won a game for the first time since March. This made it clear that the team had problems with Flick; there is no other explanation for this sudden increase, especially in terms of commitment. But Völler and his potential successor now have a problem.
First of all, Völler has to deal with a campaign that he actually has no desire for and which he rejected immediately after the France game: he is told not to continue. “Rudi, give it a try”, was already emblazoned in the picture. Chief TV expert Lothar Matthäus had already emphasized before the game: “If Rudi wins, then he can’t ruin the euphoria and has to stay.” The Rudi Völler chants from the Dortmund stadium still echo in the back of my mind.
If Völler doesn’t allow himself to be persuaded – it wouldn’t be the first time in his career – he would leave his successor an ungrateful situation: With every negative sporting experience, calls for Völler would be loud, as sports director he would be an omnipresent shadow national coach.
© getty
DFB team: Who can be considered as Völler’s successor?
By the upcoming international match phase in October, Völler wants to have found a new national coach together with DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and deputy Hans-Joachim Watzke. Jürgen Klopp’s dream solution has once again canceled. Julian Nagelsmann is now the favorite, but signing him would involve risk – on both sides.
Nagelsmann’s time at FC Bayern Munich also came to an end due to disagreements with parts of the team, especially Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller are said to have viewed him critically. Nagelsmann would meet both of them again in the DFB team. Neuer is still nominal captain and should return soon after his rehab, Müller has been considered a beacon of hope since his gala performance against France at the latest. Should Nagelsmann accept the suicide mission and fail, he would significantly damage his young coaching career.
Völler’s assistant coach from the France game, the impulsive Sandro Wagner and the analytical Hannes Wolf, make a harmonious duo. However, their enthronement as a permanent solution would also be risky due to a lack of experience at the highest coaching level. In a sense, they would also represent the DFB clique that has been in power for years – similar to the former U21 coach Stefan Kuntz, who was also traded. All the Rudi hype from players and fans also revealed the need for an all-encompassing luminary.
During the France game, two world champions from 2014, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger: Louis van Gaal, promoted this. The 72-year-old Dutchman himself has already signaled a general willingness, Neuendorf explicitly did not want to exclude a foreigner. Van Gaal has already proven that he can build successful teams in a very short time and under difficult conditions. He likes to cause a ruckus with his argumentative nature, but things could go well for nine months – and certainly no one would deal with calls for Völler as quickly as the tulip general.
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