Page 8 - Soccer360 Issue 106

S360 PREDICTION | 2ND PLACE
GERMANY
Germany host Euro 2024 looking to right the wrongs of
the past decade. Stephen Donovan assesses their chances of claiming glory on home soil.
NICKNAME: DIE MANNSCHAFT
EURO APPEARANCES: 13
EURO CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3
FIFA RANKING 16TH
BIDDING FOR REDEMPTION
Such is their formidable status and pedigree in world football, Germany are always marked out as one of the favourites when they enter a major tournament. The team’s reputation for being serial winners with ice running through their veins on the biggest footballing occasions has spanned several generations, but that has taken a hit in recent years and so the current side enters Euro 2024 determined to reverse a decade of disappointments, with the significant added pressure of being the hosts.
It seems a long time since Germany lifted the World Cup in 2014. Since making it to the last four of the Euros two years later, they have managed just three wins from 10 games at major finals, suffering successive group stage exits at both subsequent World Cups. The decline didn’t end there as Hansi Flick became the first coach in Die Mannschaft’s history to be dismissed after a run of humbling defeats, the last
of which was 4-1 thrashing by Japan in September 2022. For all those reasons many supporters are viewing this tournament with some trepidation, but the appointment of Julien Nagelsmann as Flick’s successor has restored hope that they can be contenders to lift the trophy on home soil. They have serious quality in their squad too, with the pace of Leroy Sane, the youthful trickery of his Bayern Munich teammate Jamal Musiala, and the creative talents of Bundesliga winner Florian Wirtz. This time Germany come into Euro 2024 as dark horses at best, but there’ll still be huge expectation on them to progress.
PROBABLE STARTING XI
THE COACH:
JULIAN NAGELSMANN
It looked like the appointment of Julian Nagelsmann was just a short-term fix for
the DFB to lead them at the Euros, but
the former Bayern Munich boss recently extended his contract to 2026. The 36-year- old is widely regarded as one of world football’s elite coaches and his status
in Germany will be forever secure if he
takes the national team all the way here. Impressive friendly victories over France and The Netherlands in March have raised hope, with Nagelsmann set to favour a 4-2-3-1 approach.
KEY PLAYER:
FLORIAN WIRTZ
A rising star and one of the main factors in Bayer Leverkusen’s stunning Bundesliga title success, Florian Wirtz finished comfortably in double figures for goals and assists and Germany’s top-flight in 2023/24 and will aim to continue that form at the Euros. With pace and quality around him, he will be the team’s chief creator and could be one of the stars of the tournament.
THEIR BEST THREE EUROS
1972
1980
1996
1ST
1ST
1ST
UEFA EURO OVERALL RECORD PLD:53 W:27 D:13 L:13
HAVERTZ
WIRTZ
KIMMICH RAUM
TER STEGEN
GUNDOGAN
KROOS
MUSIALA
GROSS
TAH RUDIGER
FACTFILE
POPULATION:
83.8 million
EURO FINALS APPEARANCES: 13
BEST FINISH:
Winners - 1972, 1980, 1996
MOST MEMORABLE EUROS MOMENT: Oliver Bierhoff’s Golden Goal winner in the 1996 final.
HOW THEY GOT TO EURO 2024: Qualified automatically as hosts
LAST EUROS APPEARANCE: 2020 - Edged through a difficult Group F before losing to rivals England in the last 16.
MOST CAPPED PLAYER: Lothar Matthaus, 150 caps
LEADING INTERNATIONAL SCORER: Miroslav Klose, 71 goals
HOW TO FOLLOW:
MIROSLAV KLOSE
VS SCOTLAND VS HUNGARY VS SWITZERLAND JUNE 14TH JUNE 19TH JUNE 23RD 3:00PM | EST 12:00PM | EST 3:00PM | EST
6
SOCCER360 SUMMER 2024
GROUP A - UEFA EURO 2024