Kai Havertz has said Germany are 'not a tournament team anymore' after they were eliminated from the Qatar World Cup 2022 at the group stage for a second successive tournament.
It was a night of horror for Germany. Despite beating Costa Rica 4-2 at the Qatar World Cup 2022, Die Nationalelf were knocked out at the group stage for a second successive tournament after Japan produced an unbelievable 2-1 win over Spain. Following this shocking elimination, Kai Havertz, who scored a brace in Thursday's clash, stated that Germany is 'not a tournament team anymore'.
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Speaking at a post-match press conference, Kai Havertz delivered a brutal assessment of Germany's performance and also discussed how it feels to have been knocked out of the group stage once again. "When it happens this way, it feels like watching like a horror movie," the Chelsea star admitted.
"We learned during the match that Japan were leading, and then the rankings were displayed in the stadium. We still had a little hope that Spain would score. But then we noticed that the Japan match was over," Havertz added.
"When you go out twice in the first round and once in the round of 16 [at Euro 2020], it’s extremely bitter. We have to be honest and say that for four years, everything hasn’t been going well. Now we’ve been knocked out twice in the group stage. I don’t think we’re a tournament team anymore," Havertz concluded.
Meanwhile, Germany manager Hansi Flick stated they have themselves to blame for the shock exit. "I don’t care about other teams because it is all up to us. If you look at the matches and the number of goals, it is our fault. I am convinced we had possibilities and chances in the (last) match against Spain to win, but you have to take those chances and score and then it would have been a different situation for us," he said.
“There are so many reasons (for Germany’s exit), but I am not looking to find excuses. We did not have a lot of time to train, but it is not down to that. We fulfilled our duty today and went off the pitch with a victory, but the result could have been better," he added. Flick was only hired as the head coach of Germany for 18 months after they lost to England in the round of 16 at the 2017 European Championship. But with Germany's second consecutive World Cup group-stage exit, concerns will be raised about his preparedness for the position.
“Honestly, we have just been eliminated, but if you know me and know my team, you know that we can get up quickly and recover from that. That is very important and very decisive for the future. In light of the 2024 European Championship, it is difficult to talk about that right after an elimination. Now we need to assess our work here at the World Cup, head into a different direction, and this is the next step that we are going to undertake and we will do that very soon," Germany's manager said when questioned over his future.