“No World Champions On That Pitch!”: German Press React Furiously To Mexico Defeat

“Please note: Monday is media free. No press conference in Vatutinki media centre. Training not open to media.”

That was the text message received by German journalists in Moscow after Germany’s 1-0 defeat to Mexico, the first time “Die Mannschaft” have lost their opening World Cup match since Algeria in 1982.

The German FA (DFB) are battening down the hatches in Vatutinki but, outside the circle of wagons and back home in Germany, the inquest has begun and the criticism has come flooding in.

“Defensive chaos!” screamed tabloid BILD, declaring: “There were no world champions on that pitch!”

“This defeat has us scared about out World Cup chances,” worried sister publication Sportbild, while a bewildered Spiegel simply asked: “What on earth was that?”

In the broadsheet press, deeper questions are being asked.

Why were Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos so easily overrun in midfield? Why were Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng left so exposed at the back? Why did Germany not play to Timo Werner’s strengths? Why did Joachim Löw wait so long to make offensive changes?

“Complacent, slow, ponderous, uninspiring and in parts simply dumb,” was how Zeit summed up Germany’s performance, under the headline: “The relegation battle begins.”

Hummels’ criticism

Both Hamburg’s Morgenpost and Cologne’s Express focussed on Mats Hummel’s post-match criticism of both his teammates and his coach.

“When we have seven or eight players going forward then it’s obvious that we’re going to lack defensive stability,” the Bayern Munich defender told public broadcaster ZDF. “Jerome and I were left alone at the back. It’s something I’ve spoken about often internally, but it doesn’t seem to have had any effect.”

Indeed, full-backs Joshua Kimmich and Marvin Plattenhardt, the latter a late addition to the starting line-up after Jonas Hector pulled out ill, spent more time on the edge of the Mexican box than their own.

While they slung fruitless crosses in towards the miniature Werner (a pacey striker who plays off the shoulder of the last defender, and certainly not a target man), the gaps they left in behind were ruthlessly exploited by a series of blistering Mexican counter-attacks.

Are Germany past it?

But the biggest question being pondered by the German press the morning after the night before is: is this Germany team already past it? “Yesterday’s victors,” headlined the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

“There are reasons to worry,” agreed Süddeutsche Zeitung, veteran correspondent Philipp Selldorf writing: “The generation of players who appeared so youthful, refreshing and ready to conquer the world in South Africa in 2010, finally doing so in Rio in 2014, now look ready to retire. Some of them probably should have at half-time.”

Deutsche Welle agreed, pointing out that this was Germany’s oldest starting XI since the 2002 World Cup final in Yokohama and asking: “Can Joachim Löw keep faith with his old guard?”

Intelligence failure?

“The Mexicans employed different tactics to what we expected,” admitted team manager Oliver Bierhoff post-match. Germany had expected Mexico to press high and aggressively but, instead, they were happy to let the Germans build-up slowly in the Mexican half before counter-attacking rapidly with Hirving Lozano, Carlos Vela and Miguel Layun.

Spiegel magazine wondered whether the fact that “the whole world knew about Löw’s formation,” had played into Mexico’s hands. “It can be seen as a sign of a clear, reliable plan – but it could also be evidence of predictability and a lack of imagination.”

Meanwhile, broadsheet Welt was left with egg on its face after its hubristic pre-match front page joked about building a wall to keep the Mexicans out – leading to predictable Schadenfreude online.

But the most withering criticism came from Zeit’s Christian Spiller who, referring to Germany’s one win in six warm-up matches, wrote: “If you lose against Austria, you should have stayed at home.”