‘FIVE WINS IN A ROW’ AGAINST CRUMBLING GERMANY NEXT, FRANCE COACH FLECK’S FATE IN DOUBT

The German national soccer team is no longer a European powerhouse if recent results are any indication.After finishing third in last year’s UEFA Nations League (UNL) League A with one win, four draws and one loss in six games in Group 3, the team was completely lost at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.They won one game, drew one and lost one in the group stage, finishing third in the group behind Japan and Spain. It was their second consecutive failure to reach the round of 16 since the 2018 World Cup in Russia.The fact that “after the knockout rounds” is even worse, German soccer fans are crying.There was a glimmer of hope in March when they won their first post-World Cup A-match, a 2-0 victory over Peru.But since then, the team has drawn one and lost four. After losing 2-3 to Belgium in March, Germany struggled to a 3-3 draw with Ukraine in June. Even then, a late Joachim Kimmich (Bayern Munich) penalty saved them from defeat.They then lost to Poland (0-1) and Colombia (0-2).Desperate for a turnaround, Germany welcomed Japan home on Sept. 10, but were brought to their knees in a stunning 1-4 defeat. The result was especially stinging as the team had hoped to “avenge” their World Cup defeat in Qatar.After three straight losses, Germany’s next opponent is France, a team that once contended for European supremacy. The two teams will face off at 4 a.m. ET on July 13.France has been on a roll since the World Cup in Qatar, where they narrowly missed out on the title.They thrashed the Netherlands 4-0 in their first game after the tournament, and then took all four games in March and June.The German soccer world was shocked by the loss to Japan before the high-flying French.Captain Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona) told RTL after the loss: “They were clearly better than us in the air. We made too many mistakes that we shouldn’t have made in a game of this caliber.””Everyone is a little bit shocked,” said German national team coach Rudy Föhler, adding that the 1-4 defeat was an embarrassment.Pöller was also unable to give a firm answer when asked about the future of Hanji Flick as coach.Despite the World Cup group stage exit, the German Football Association has shown confidence in Flick to lead the national team through to the European Football Championship (Euro 2024).When asked if Flick is the right man for the job in the build-up to Euro 2024, Pöller said: “We have to go home, calm down a little bit and get back to training tomorrow. We have a difficult game against France,” he said.”We have to reflect a little bit and think about the next game. We’ll see what happens next,” he said.Lothar Matthäus, a “legend” of German soccer with 150 caps for the national team and a football commentator, had some sharp criticisms for Flick, as well as the national team and the entire federation.According to local media outlet Bild, Matthäus said, “I know what has 바카라사이트 been going on in the DFB for months.