• World Cup 2022

‘This is vital’ – Hansi Flick reveals what Germany must do to become an elite force

Hansi Flick, Bayern Munich
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The three-time world champions crashed out of the World Cup group stages for the second time in a row on Thursday.

Germany manager Hansi Flick has called for changes to be made in the way football is coached in the country.

The 57-year-old’s comments came after the national team’s exit from the 2022 World Cup. Despite claiming a 4-2 win over Costa Rica on Thursday, the Germans ended up third in Group E following Japan’s shock 2-1 victory against Spain.

Now Flick has admitted Germany must undergo wholesale changes to their coaching methods, suggesting a back-to-basics approach is necessary.

“We have players who play at top clubs; we have the qualities,” Flick said in a post-match press conference.

“I believe that for the future of German football, we need to do things differently in training. For years we talk about new goalkeepers or new wing-backs, but what was always very good in German football was that we were able to defend well.

“We need the basics. Even though Spain lost against Japan, they are very good in defense, and they focus on training the youngsters to those tactics. For the future, even for the next 10 years, this is vital.”

Germany will now prepare to host the Euro 2024 tournament, hoping for a much better outcome than their World Cup showing.

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