What is wrong with the German national team?

 

Japan players celebrate after beating Germany in an international friendly on Saturday. Japan won 4-1. (Photo credit: GOAL)

The sense of crisis within the German national team deepened on Saturday after the Hansi Flick-led side lost at home to Japan in a scandalous manner.

Since winning the World Cup with Joachim Low in charge in Brazil in 2014, the German national team has descended to the lowest of lows, losing out in the group stage at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and failing at the first hurdle again in Qatar last year.

Germany will host the next Euro championships, and with just four wins in seventeen international matches, the place of Hansi Flick is massively threatened, but the former Bayern Munich manager won’t throw in the towel.

You can’t question the amount of talent available for selection in Germany. With Ter Stegen set to take over from the ageing Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Ilkay Gundogan, and Antonio Rudiger are enough to form a competitive core in any team.

"We have to be honest and say that Japan was better. They let the ball run, played in the right spaces, and carved out their goals. They were better," Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan said. "We made far too many individual mistakes. We have to admit that we are just not on the same level with teams like the one today. It is hard, but the trend speaks for itself."

"We have to accept that we are just not good enough at the moment. That's the reality. Maybe we even think we are better than we are."

Junya Ita silenced the home crowd from Japan’s first real chance of the game in the 11^th minute, but a sweet passing move by the Germans led to Leroy Sane’s equalizer. The parity didn’t last long, as Germany was soon behind again, with Ter Stegen wrongfooted by Ayase Ueda.

The Barcelona keeper was Germany’s best player by far, denying Japan time and time again, but he had no answer in the dying minutes as two late goals from Takuma Asano and Ao Tanaka handed Germany their third straight defeat and Japan’s first away win in ten years.