It's baffling really, that Germany, of all the teams, would succumb to the so-called “champion's curse” and exit in the group stage. For a team that has been so dominant under Joachim Loew in the last 12 years, not even the best pundits would have predicted the defending champion's exit.
This happens to be the only shock exit at this World Cup, after Argentina managed to avoid elimination the previous day. This is the first time Germany has lost out in the group stage since 1938 and the only time Loew's side has not finished in the top four.
For the South Koreans that beat Germany, it was sweet revenge. They were already out of the tournament, having lost to both Mexico and Sweden but they were taking the Germans down with them. After all, it was Germany who coolly dismissed the emotional Korean charge in 2002, beating the host country in the semifinal.
But Germany paid for their own mistakes and sense of entitlement. The only time the side looked like the Germany of old was in the second halves of all their three group games, where they went into panic mode and slammed the emergency button repeatedly. Sweden caved in to a Toni Kroos wonder goal, but the Koreans and the Mexicans would have none of it. It was a largely passive performance from the side, with no real intent to prove themselves. Thomas Mueller, after the Mexico game, admitted that his side had been caught sleeping.
For all the youth development and the structured academy systems, this comes as a rude shock to the efforts and systems in place that have set the country apart in terms of its famed efficiency. Remember, Loew had taken a completely reserve squad to the Confederations Cup last year and won it.
There were, though, several controversies that hampered the team before the tournament started. Mesut Ozil was at the centre of one political quagmire, when he and Ilkay Gundogan posed with the president of Turkey for a picture. It sparked a massive protest against the two players, questioning their loyalty to the German team—both players are Turkish origin—that deeply disturbed them and their manager. Loew was said to be furious, but he later doused the flames instead.
A growing sense of unrest and lack of cohesion in the German camp was also reported, though it was not proved. The build up to the tournament seemed very lackadaisical, as it seemed like Loew's overconfidence was papering over the poor performance in the friendlies before the Cup. Since March, Germany lost to Brazil, drew with Spain, lost to Austria and barely managed to beat Saudi Arabia.
After the Korean loss, Loew took stock of the situation: “This is historic. I am sure this will create some public uproar in Germany.... We fully deserved to be eliminated.... We have turned up with a sense of arrogance... We thought we could just turn a switch after the bad friendlies.” He made no excuses and he whole-heartedly, albeit with a heavy heart, congratulated the two teams that qualified.
Markus Dethlefsen, a German fan who was lingering around the Brazil game later that night in Moscow with a couple of friends, said that he felt the team was not working properly as a unit. “I have never seen them play like this before. It's so embarrassing for us. People will look and laugh now. How this happened? We still don't know.”
As well built the youth system is in Germany, a model that is studied and followed by many countries including India, there was a growing concern that the team failed to produce many new faces since the last Cup. It was a similar case with Spain in 2014 and Italy in 2010. Too many old faces made the game predictable for the three reigning champions, whose opponents thoroughly studied their movements and vulnerabilities, as both Mexico and South Korean coaches revealed after their games.
The omission of Leroy Sane from the squad received brickbats, but Loew was firm with his decision. Despite the young winger's stellar season with Manchester City, his performances for Germany failed to convince Loew. In hindsight, though, perhaps Loew will realise that the critics were right. Timo Werner, the striker that Loew always wanted, did not get enough support from the wings, though he did spurn the half chances he got. If the tireless and energetic Sane was there to help him out from the left wing, perhaps Werner's turnover would have been much better.
Loew's tactics of pressing high up the pitch left his team vulnerable. That was how they conceded against Mexico and that was how the foolhardy goalkeeper Manuel Neuer paid for his often successful but highly risky decision to play upfield in the dying minutes of the game against Korea. That was the final nail in the coffin and one that will haunt the mentally strong Neuer all his life. But, that doesn't deny him being one of the best sweeper keepers of all time.
The team will be left to do some soul-searching now, as the machinery of the German footballing system rings in the changes and roars back to life to begin the preparation for the next World Cup. Loew will definitely be around next time. He has a contract that runs till 2022 and looks unlikely to end his illustrious career in such fashion. The exit shows Germany's lack of preparation for the grand stage, but more than that, it shows the ruthlessness of the tournament. The Germans don't always win.