Germany have officially become the second team to qualify from the 2022 World Cup, having beat North Macedonia 4-0. Hosts Qatar were the first to qualify, as hosts always qualify.
This didn’t look to be the case early on. After beating Iceland, Germany struggled in a narrow victory over Romania before losing to 2-1 to North Macedonia. Shortly after this, Germany’s manager Joachim Low announced his planned departure after the 2020 Euros. Germany exited in the Round of 16.
Enter Hansi Flick, one of the most successful managers in recent history. In two seasons with Bayern, Flick won the treble (Champions League, Bundesliga, and DFB Pokal), and won the Bundesliga in his second season. He finished his Bayern career with an 81% win percentage.
In five games under Hansi Flick, Germany have won all five. He has also restored the form of several players: since Flick’s arrival, Serge Gnabry has scored four goals in World Cup qualifiers (compared to just one under Low), whilst Chelsea’s Timo Werner has five (none with Low).
Hansi Flick has history on his side. As Joachim Low’s assistant on the German national team from 2006 to 2014, Flick helped Germany finish third in 2010 and win the tournament in 2014. The only World Cup that Low participated in without Hansi Flick was 2018, when Germany stunned the world – by exiting in the Group Stage. Can Flick take Germany to the top as manager, though? Let me know in the comments!
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Image courtesy of Эдгар Брещанов, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons.
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