Hansi Flick: 'There must never be so much pressure again'

Ahead of the announcement of his first post-World Cup squad for friendlies against Peru and Belgium later this month, Germany head coach Hansi Flick has told German media that he feels off-field distractions affected his team's performances in Qatar.

After an unexpected 2-1 defeat to Japan, a 1-1 draw against Spain and 4-2 victory over Costa Rica, Germany were left third in Group E on goal difference and exited the tournament in the group stage for the second consecutive time.

And Flick feels the political debates off the pitch had an adverse affect.

Flick: Germany players felt abandoned

"We felt like we weren't allowed to look forward to this tournament, or enjoy the fact that Germany were taking part in this World Cup," said in an interview with Kicker sports magazine and daily broadsheet Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) on Monday.

"Kai Havertz said clearly during the tournament that he didn't feel much support from back home. Of course we all have our criticisms of the human rights situation in Qatar, we've always said that. But the team felt like they couldn't just play football in peace, that constant statements were expected of them, that they simply couldn't please everyone."

After FIFA threatened sporting sanctions if European captains wore the "One Love" armband in protest at Qatar's criminalization of homosexuality, the German players demonstratively covered their mouths ahead of the opening group match against Japan, as if to say they were being muzzled.

"Let's be clear again, that decision was made on the Monday and the Japan game was on the Wednesday," recalls Flick. "You could see how much of a burden it was for [captain] Manuel Neuer. As the wearer of the armband, he would have been the face of the protest for the entire world. And I think he felt abandoned.

"There must never be so much pressure again, neither on individual players nor on the team. That was simply not good and I hope that we learn from this situation."

Flick admits defensive errors

Nevertheless, Flick also insisted that Germany's poor performance wasn't just down to off-the-pitch issues, and admitted that his failure to effectively explain and translate defensive strategies in theory onto the pitch had proved costly to the team. Including the defeat by Japan, Germany had deployed 12 different defensive units in 17 matches, with no settled right back in the three games leading up to their World Cup opener.

"I know in hindsight that the practical defensive preparations weren't sufficient," he said. "We need to focus more on our patterns when playing four at the back."

In the fallout from their disappointing showing, sporting director Oliver Bierhoff permanently ended his contract with the German Football Federation (DFB). 

"The pressure on Oliver was enormous," said Flick. "But it was debilitating for me, too, because I'm friends with him. He's a good person and I sympathized."

Former Germany striker and coach Rudi Völler was announced as Bierhoff's replacement in January and Flick praised the 62-year-old.

"Rudi was a fixture in German football over the past decades," he said. "He has experience, he knows which levers to use. I enjoyed the exchange with him, we are on the same wavelength."

Flick's future: winning back the fans

Now, ahead of the announcement of his first post-Qatar squad for friendlies against Peru and Belgium later this month, Flick is seeking to get the fans back on side, saying:

"We want to make Germany and the fans proud again, we owe them that. It's not just about playing to our full potential on the pitch; it's also about showing greater identification. Don't get me wrong, though: it's not as if our players were lacking identification at the World Cup – maybe we just didn't see it enough.

"The most important thing is that we play good, passionate football. When the fans realize that we are giving our all for Germany and playing with a lot of heart, then the mood can quickly change again."

Edited by Matt Ford