Germany are not accustomed to experiencing defeat at the World Cup and have no intention of reflecting on their experience at Russia 2018 as they get ready to start their campaign against Japan in 2022.
The German national team, known as Die Mannschaft, has won the World Cup a record-setting four times, and they have also advanced to the semifinals or higher in at least four of the five tournaments that have taken place since the turn of the century. This is more than any other country has accomplished in this time frame.
The only time this didn’t happen was in 2013, when defending champion Germany was eliminated in the group stage after suffering defeats at the hands of Mexico and South Korea.
It was the first time since Germany had skipped the World Cup altogether in 1950 that they had been eliminated in the first round of competition in the tournament.
Niklas Sule, a defender, has only competed in one championship game to far, and it was a loss to South Korea by a score of 2-0. He is not eager to relive that experience in any capacity.
He said to the media that “it does not matter anymore.”
“We live in a culture where there is little time to reflect on one’s achievements or one’s shortcomings since everything happens so quickly. In addition to that, I highlight the accomplishments. What occurred the day before no longer piques anyone’s curiosity.
However, despite being placed in a difficult group that also included Spain and Costa Rica in addition to Japan, Germany bounced back admirably in the qualifying process.
Hansi Flick’s team was the first to clinch their spot at the championships, following in the footsteps of hosts Qatar. Only England (39) scored more goals in the European qualifications than their team did (36).
Jamal Musiala, who is making his first appearance in the World Cup, said that “We have the quality to go far.” “We enter this competition with the intention of taking home the championship. We are all believers in it, and we can’t wait for it to get started.
Opponents Although Japan have only won one of their past eight World Cup matches, that one triumph was enough to advance them to the round of 16 the last time they competed. That success came in their first encounter against Colombia in Russia.
Although the Samurai Blue have plenty of experience on the international stage, having competed in the finals for the seventh consecutive year, they have never gone to the second round in back-to-back competitions.
Who to Keep an Eye On
Germany: Jamal Musiala
Thomas Muller has been the most important player for Germany in recent World Cup competitions. Since making his first appearance in the finals in 2010, he has amassed the most points of any player with 10 goals and six assists in a total of 16 matches. For them, only Miroslav Klose (16), Gerd Muller (14), and Jurgen Klinsmann (11) have scored more goals in World Cup competition.
In contrast, Flick’s younger squad has Bayern Munich teammate Musiala as its face, which means that Muller’s status as a starter is no longer a given.
This season in the Bundesliga, the 19-year-old, who might have been playing for England in Qatar instead, has scored nine goals and assisted six more for his club, so he is more than capable of taking up the slack. His 15 goal assists are the most ever recorded by any youngster competing in one of Europe’s top five divisions.
Jamal Musiala Bundesliga 2022-23
Japan: Takumi Minamino
Although he was included in Japan’s preliminary team as far back as 2014 for the World Cup, Minamino is also in the running to make his first appearance in the tournament.
The attacker’s lackluster time spent at Liverpool hampered his growth at club level, and he has scored only one goal for Monaco so far this season. He has been restricted to just 333 minutes of Ligue 1 action over nine outings.
Minamino, on the other hand, was Japan’s most important player throughout qualifying. He scored 10 goals and assisted on four others, a level of play that he will be hoping to maintain going into the finals.
Minamino Japan
Prediction
Although this is the first time that Germany and Japan have competed against one another at a World Cup, Die Mannschaft has never been defeated in either of their two previous matches against Japan in friendly competitions, and the prediction model used by a supercomputer anticipates that they will keep their undefeated streak intact.
Flick is given a chance to win his first game as Germany’s head coach in a big event, and the odds are in his favor 65.4% of the time.
It is estimated that Japan has a 14.1% chance of winning, while the draw has a 20.5% chance. This is a result that Germany may not be able to afford with Spain left on the schedule.
