Four-time world champions Germany will be determined to make vast improvements on their disastrous group-stage exit in Russia four years ago when they travel to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
Long-standing manager Joachim Low was eventually replaced by Hansi Flick, who steered Die Mannschaft out of a challenging Euro 2020 group including Portugal and France last summer, but they ultimately fell short in the quarter-finals against England, losing 2-0 at Wembley Stadium.
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Flick has acknowledged that expectations are extremely high, but there is still optimism within the Germany camp that their new-look squad is capable of reaching the heights of old.
The likes of Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala will all be looking to light up Qatar when they enter the World Cup stage for the first time, while Mats Hummels – who has been snubbed by Flick – Toni Kroos – who has retired from international football – and injured duo Marco Reus and Timo Werner will all be cheering their fellow countrymen on from home.
Here, Sports Mole previews Germany's chances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
GROUP
Germany will not take any opponents lightly at this year's World Cup after finishing bottom of the group in 2018 behind Sweden, Mexico and South Korea.
Die Mannschaft had finished top of their group in seven successive World Cups prior to their humiliating exit in Russia, and there are no guarantees that they will finish at the summit in Qatar as they have been drawn against 2010 world champions Spain in Group E along with Japan and Costa Rica.
Flick's men begin their group-stage campaign against Japan at the Khalifa International Stadium on November 23, before locking horns with European rivals Spain at the Al Bayt Stadium four days later.
Germany will then conclude Group E with another fixture at the Al Bayt Stadium against Costa Rica on December 1.
FIXTURES
November 23: Germany vs. Japan (1pm, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
November 27: Spain vs. Germany (7pm, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
December 1: Costa Rica vs. Germany (7pm, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
Germany were unable to replicate their perfect record in 2018 UEFA qualifying, but they still managed to secure safe passage to Qatar after registering nine wins out of 10 to finish top of Group J.
Under the tutelage of Joachim Low, Germany made a positive start to their qualification journey with back-to-back victories over Iceland and Romania without conceding.
However, North Macedonia – ranked 65th in the world at the time – inflicted Die Mannschaft's first defeat in qualifying for 20 years when they secured a shock 2-1 win in Duisburg, roughly three weeks after Low announced he would be ending his 15-year reign in charge at Euro 2020.
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The baton was then passed to Hansi Flick in August last year and his Germany side were faultless for their remaining seven qualifiers, claiming 21 points, scoring 31 goals and conceding only twice.
This impressive run saw Germany get their revenge against North Macedonia in emphatic style, with a 4-0 away victory helping Flick's men become the first nation in world football to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
Either side of their victory in Skopje, Germany cruised to a 6-0 win over Armenia in Flick's first home game in charge before demolishing Liechtenstein 9-0 in their penultimate qualifier.
Germany eventually finished nine points clear of North Macedonia in second place, while Serge Gnabry, Ilkay Gundogan and Timo Werner were Die Mannschaft's joint-top scorers with five strikes each.
RECENT FORM
Since succeeding Low in the summer of 2021, Flick has been in charge for 15 international games across all competitions, but after his Germany side won all of their final seven UEFA qualifiers, they have since won only two of their last eight matches, a concerning run of form for the European juggernauts heading into a major tournament.
A 1-1 friendly draw against the Netherlands in March was followed by three successive draws by the same scoreline against Italy, England and Hungary in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League in June.
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Germany then responded with an impressive 5-2 victory over Italy – a game they were leading 5-0 before two consolation strikes in the final 12 minutes – before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat at home against Hungary, Flick's first and only loss since his appointment.
Die Mannschaft played out an entertaining 3-3 draw against England at Wembley Stadium in their most recent fixture in September – the Three Lions came from two goals down to lead 3-2 heading into the closing stages before Kai Havertz restored parity with an 87th-minute equaliser.
Across the previous two World Cup tournaments, Germany have lost just two of their last 10 fixtures, but both were in the group stage four years ago, with a 1-0 defeat against Mexico followed by a 2-0 loss against South Korea.
SQUAD
𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐘 🇩🇪
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) November 10, 2022
Here it is - our 26-man squad for the 2022 @FIFAWorldCup in Qatar 🏆 pic.twitter.com/U3KGoU5lnz
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Defenders: Armel Bella-Kotchap (Southampton), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Christian Gunter (Freiburg), Thilo Kehrer (West Ham), Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Niklas Sule (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Jonas Hofmann (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
Forwards: Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund), Niclas Fullkrug (Werder Bremen), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Mario Gotze (Eintracht Frankfurt), Kai Havertz (Chelsea), Youssoufa Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
STAR PLAYER - MANUEL NEUER
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While the likes of Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich and rising star Jamal Musiala all deserve a mention, veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is Germany's leader with a vast amount of experience and he remains a key cog in Flick's team at the ripe old age of 36.
The Bayern Munich man has shaken off a shoulder injury to make the final 26-man squad, and he has also opened up about his battle with skin cancer, which required three surgeries on his face following his alleged diagnosis in December last year.
Regarded as one of the greatest sweeper-keepers of his generation, Neuer is heading to his fourth World Cup this year as Germany's most capped shot-stopper (113) who has kept a total of 46 clean sheets for his country – only France's Hugo Lloris and Uruguay's Fernando Muslera have kept as many clean sheets as Neuer (seven) at the last three World Cups.
Neuer – a two-time German Footballer of the Year – was Joachim Low's first choice at the 2010 tournament, before he won the Golden Glove in Germany's triumphant 2014 campaign, and he wore the armband between the sticks in Russia four years ago.
Germany's No.1 has won over 30 trophies for club and country during his 16-year professional career and he will be keen to add a second world title to his cabinet in what could be his final World Cup finals appearance in Qatar.
MANAGER - HANSI FLICK
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Hansi Flick has already tasted World Cup glory with Germany, with the 2014 triumph his eighth and final year as an assistant under Joachim Low before he became sporting director at the German Football Association until January 2017.
The former Hoffenheim boss returned to club football 18 months later to join Niko Kovac's backroom staff at Bayern Munich, but he was swiftly promoted to interim manager following the Croatian's dismissal in November 2019.
The 57-year-old eventually took the job on a permanent basis and went on to win seven trophies during his 19-month spell in charge at the Allianz Arena, including a famous Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble in the 2019-20 season.
Born in Heidelberg, Flick failed to make a single senior appearance for the German national team during his playing career, but his record-breaking tenure at Bayern persuaded the powers-that-be to select him as Low's successor, and he has since made his mark on the international scene.
Flick has only had 15 games in charge of Die Mannschaft, including nine victories, but his side have a clear identity, operating with a hard-pressing 4-2-3-1 system – one he also used at Bayern – and with his squad containing an even mix of youth and experience, the German will be confident in his abilities to steer them deep into this year's tournament.
WORLD CUP RECORD
Best finish: Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
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Germany are one of the most successful nations in World Cup history and they head to Qatar with the hope of lifting a record-equalling fifth title, matching the feat of five-time champions Brazil. Die Mannschaft have reached the semi-final stage in 13 of their 19 appearances at the World Cup and they have progressed all the way to the final on eight occasions, more than any other nation.
Formerly known as West Germany, they lifted the Jules Rimet trophy for the first time back in 1954, with Helmut Rahn scoring an 84th-minute winner to seal a 3-2 victory against pre-tournament favourites Hungary.
Twenty years passed before West Germany won a second world title with a side primarily made up of Bayern Munich stars who went on to win three successive European Cups in 1974, 1975 and 1976. Indeed, Bayern duo Paul Breitner and Gerd Muller both scored in a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup final.
After back-to-back defeats in the 1982 and 1986 finals, a third World Cup success was achieved in 1990 under the tutelage of Franz Beckenbauer, one of only three in an exclusive group to have won the World Cup as both a player and manager. Andreas Brehme was the hero as he netted an 85th-minute winning penalty to secure a slender 1-0 victory over Argentina.
Germany's most recent triumph on the world's biggest stage was in 2014, with a remarkable 7-1 demolition of hosts Brazil in the semi-finals followed by a 1-0 victory in the final courtesy of a late extra-time strike from Mario Gotze, the only ever substitute to score in the showpiece event.
There was plenty of optimism about retaining their crown heading to Russia four years ago, but their most recent World Cup finals performance is one every German supporter will want to forget, as they were eliminated in the group stage, becoming the third successive reigning champions to do so after Italy (2010) and Spain (2014).
Germany have played in a total of 109 World Cup finals matches, the joint-most along with Brazil, winning 67, drawing 20 and losing 22.
PREDICTION
Germany's form has not been ideal heading to Qatar, but a number of players in Flick's 26-man squad have been in fine form at club level in recent weeks and should they collectively find the right formula early doors, they could do enough to finish above Spain in Group E.
Securing top spot could result in a last-16 clash with 2018 finalists Croatia, an encounter Die Mannschaft would be expected to win, but a quarter-final showdown with tournament favourites Brazil may be a step too far for Flick's men.
VERDICT: Quarter-finals
Oliver Thomas
