Even if they were able to bounce back from the firing of coach Hansi Flick with a 2-1 victory against their neighbors France in Dortmund on Tuesday, serious problems still remain for the country that will host Euro 2024.
France did not bring their typical level of passion to Tuesday’s friendly match, despite the fact that the game was between two of the proudest footballing nations in Europe, with a combined total of six World Cups and five European Championships.
Didier Deschamps, the team’s manager, made six substitutions from their previous match, which was a 2-0 victory over Ireland. One of those adjustments was to bench star attacker Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe was left on the bench by Deschamps during the majority of the second half as France chased the game. The manager later explained that “we didn’t want to risk him in this game”
The manager of France revealed that he made his lineup adjustments with an eye toward the future, including starting Randal Kolo Muani up front despite the fact that he “hasn’t played for a while, hasn’t trained, and isn’t in top form right now.”
Deschamps thanked his “old friend,” Rudi Voeller, who had been appointed as the caretaker successor to Flick. He described Voeller as a “unique and rare coach,” and he told reporters, “I’m not happy we lost, but nonetheless I’m happy for him.”
Immediately following the match, interim coach Voeller referred to the victory as a “emotional release.” It was Germany’s first victory since March and only their second victory since the humiliating departure from the group stage at the Qatar World Cup.
“What I liked the most was that we brought good energy onto the field,” the player said during the post-game news conference, adding that “it’s not just about the result; it’s also about the style and manner of the performance.”
Thomas Mueller, a veteran striker for Germany who had not been in the starting XI since the match against Qatar, scored the opening goal after only four minutes had passed.
The captain of the team who won the World Cup in 2014 described their victory as a “emotional liberation.” However, he told German television that “it was fun, but we don’t need to overstate it — we still have a long way to go.”
Finding a new manager will be Germany’s first order of business, as interim manager Voeller has reiterated his intention to stand down as coach after the game.
After the game, Voeller stated that “ideally we’ll have it done before the next international break” while disclosing that recruiting a German speaker was a priority. Voeller has not coached at any level since 2005, therefore he was responding to rumors that he might remain in his current position.
According to Voeller, he had a conversation with Flick before the game and was quite kind of his predecessor. In particular, he lauded Flick for selecting Pascal Gross of Brighton, who made his debut for Germany while wearing their colors when he was 32 years old.
Gross was called into action in the middle of the first half after Ilkay Gundogan, the team’s captain, sustained an injury. Voeller noted that Gross “had a wonderful game.”
“It was his idea, and a wonderful decision, to invite Pascal Gross, who many people didn’t know at all.”
Germany, who will host Euro 2024, will not compete until their matches against the United States of America and Mexico during their tour of the United States in October. There will almost certainly be a new figure in the Germany dugout during those matches.