Germany’s national football team suffered a significant defeat, falling 4-1 to Japan in a friendly match in Wolfsburg. This loss marks Germany’s fourth defeat in their last five games, creating a difficult situation for coach Hansi Flick. Flick was appointed in 2021 to succeed Joachim Low but has already faced elimination in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The upcoming match against France in three days is a high-profile clash for Germany, as it could potentially determine Flick’s future as coach. The dissatisfaction from fans has been growing louder at the end of each Germany match in recent months, and this was evident in Wolfsburg, where some supporters even left the stadium before the game’s conclusion.
Germany’s recent performances have been disappointing, with defeats against Belgium, Poland, Colombia, and now Japan, and only one victory against Peru since their elimination from the previous World Cup. This record will be challenging to improve upon in the upcoming match against France, who have had an impressive qualifying campaign for the Euro Cup with five wins and have not conceded a single goal.
In the match against Japan, Germany once again exposed their defensive weaknesses, particularly on the right side, where Nico Schlotterbeck struggled against Yukinari Sagawara and Junya Ito. Ito’s goal in the 11th minute opened the scoring, and although Leroy Sané managed to equalize for Germany in the 19th minute, Ayase Ueda quickly restored Japan’s lead.
Despite goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen’s efforts to prevent further goals, Japan managed to score two more, with Takuma Asano and Ao Tanaka sealing the victory. Flick attempted to make tactical adjustments, including positioning Joshua Kimmich on the right side of the defense, but Germany lacked a strong leader on the field.
With Euro 2024 just nine months away, Flick’s position as head coach appears to be precarious. However, the German Federation has typically shown patience with their coaches, so it remains to be seen if Flick will be given more time to turn the team’s fortunes around.