<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Huang Sijun</h1>
Also the first defeat, the second game win, the final round of draws, the German Olympic team failed to qualify in the group like the German national team at the European Championship, but ranked 3rd in the group, ended the Trip to the Tokyo Olympic Games early, and the goal of winning the medal was disappointed. After these three games where the fans were tired and the players were more tired, the German team, which was not well-organized, ill-prepared and uncomfortable, did not survive the group stage (and then unexpectedly won the silver medal) as it did five years ago, which was a completely logical result. And Kuntz, who has won the European Championship as a player and coached the U21 team and won the European Youth Championship 2 championships and 1 Asia, will he leave the German Football Association?
Richter regretted after missing a good opportunity, and the German Olympic team was out of the group.
The impact of Dorsch's withdrawal from the team is significant
Since Côte d'Ivoire drew 0-0 with Brazil in the second round, the probability of "death" was significantly greater than that of "life" before the german team started this life-and-death battle. Captain Arnold returned from suspension and main centre-back Pipper was suspended for a red card, so coach Kuntz replaced Levine with Arnold and Torunarigha replaced Pipper. Since Torunarigha and Udiokai are both left-footed players, Udookai, who played as a left centre-back in the four-back system for the first two games, switched to right-centre-back. Richter, who sat on the bench in the last round due to a minor muscle injury, replaced Tojcht as the right wing.
Germany put up a formation closer to the 442 double-backs, with Kruezer teaming up front with Aher and taking the initiative after the opening to form a series of threatening shots, in which Richter's right-footed shot in the center of the box in the 11th minute was saved by goalkeeper Ira Thape.
Richter took the lead in completing a threatening shot with his foot.
Côte d'Ivoire, which was tied and ready to qualify, was relatively conservative, patiently waiting for the opportunity to counter-attack until the 23rd minute: Kwame shook off Udaokai one-on-one and then deflected his right foot off the right post on the edge of the penalty area. Three minutes later, Germany created their best chance of the first half: Kreuzer started from the left and Aher jumped high in the edge of the penalty area to force Singh and Dabila to throw their heads over the crossbar, almost scoring three consecutive goals.
Since then, however, Côte d'Ivoire has gradually gained momentum, and the German defenders have begun to feel the pressure. Before half-time, Arnold, who had a yellow card on his body, stepped on the ankle of the fallen Kwame as he scrambled. Fortunately, Uruguayan referee Leodan Gonzalez, who has been very determined to play cards before, has been merciful this time, the Wolfsburg midfielder has avoided repeating the mistakes of the first round against Brazil, and the German team has avoided the embarrassment of being sent off in three consecutive games. Immediately after half-time, Kuntz replaced Arnold with Levine.
Ah showed enough effort but failed to score three goals in a row.
There is no doubt that as the leader of the team, Arnold's performance at this Olympic Games has lived up to Kuntz's expectations of him, and he has not been able to play a leading role like the 2017 U21 European Youth Championship. Of course, if Dorsch had not retired from the team at the last minute due to the transfer to Augsburg, Arnold would have played the No. 8 position in the national Olympic team that was more suitable for his own characteristics, rather than taking on such heavy defensive responsibilities. Looking back, doshi's absence from the "iron waist" that emerged from the U21 European Youth Championship this year did cause irreparable losses to the national Olympic team.
"The Bundesliga is responsible for the exit"
In terms of the overall technical and tactical level, as well as the competitive state of the vast majority of players, the performance of this German Olympic team is completely failed. The only thing worth affirming is the spirit of not accepting defeat in the face of difficulties. In the first match against Brazil, who were 3-0 at half-time, Germany once pulled 2-3 in 10-11, preserving the suspense until the last moment; in the second game against Saudi Arabia, Uduaoke won the game with 10-11; and in this match with Côte d'Ivoire, although Henriques unfortunately shoveled a shovel in front of Dao's goal in the 67th minute, forcing the unwinnable Germany team to the edge of the cliff, Leuven equalized 1-1 with a wonderful arc free-kick just 6 minutes later.
However, spirit alone is not enough. We always say that we will not fight unprepared battles, but the German Olympic team is precisely participating in this Olympic Games without preparation. Not only are they not prepared for their tactics and physical fitness, but they have not even done a good job of studying their opponents. Whether it was the first half against Brazil or the seemingly weak Saudi Arabia, the German players were obviously not ready to meet the difficulties, and even did not expect that the difficulties would be so big.
Dao's shoveling shot in front of the goal was blocked by a double of Henrix and Uduocher, which eventually caused Henrix to swing himself.
In the life-and-death battle with Côte d'Ivoire, the German team actually played the highest level since 3 games, creating more scoring opportunities than their opponents, the effective time of the game increased from 29 minutes in the previous two games to 34 minutes, and the possession rate was also superior for the first time (53%), but it was still not enough to win. Especially in the final 20 minutes, when the German starters had little physical strength left and only one of the four outfielders who could come off the bench, Kuntz was really powerless – in the final moments, he had to let substitute centre-back Kevin Sloterbeck play a cameo high school striker. Kuntz said after the game: "Our options, especially in terms of positional flexibility, are of course limited, but the lads are very committed to the Olympic Games and really tried their best. So I want to thank them, and you can be proud of them. ”
Although it is a big disappointment to get out of the group, considering the difficulties faced by this team, it is quite decent to be able to get 4 points, and it is definitely not a shame. Before the national team was out of the 1/8 final of the European Cup, and then the national Olympic team was eliminated, even if the U21 team turned decay into a magical championship, it could not hide the current problems of German football. Sport1 editor-in-chief Gott Schalke pointed out: "The Bundesliga is responsible for the Olympic exit. In his opinion, Bundesliga clubs are usually not willing to let the international play in the Friendly matches of the German national team, "so you will not be surprised that the underprepared national team loses people in the World Cup or the European Championship." And if Kuntz gives up and ends his youth training at the German Football Association, you won't be surprised. You can fully understand him very well. ”
Will this be Kuntz's last game against Germany's national team?
After leading the German U21 team to the final of three consecutive European Youth Championships and winning two championships, Kuntz had to participate in the Olympic Games with a stomach full of resentment and ended up in the group. The 1996 Euro 1996 winner signed a contract with the German Football Association after the 2023 U21 European Championship, but the 58-year-old said a few days ago: "After the Olympic Games, I will calm down and seriously consider it." I also have to think about what to do next to be logical. Do I still appreciate what I'm doing so far? Am I going to keep doing it? Or do I need a new challenge, or is it challenging enough to bring a new age? I also have to weigh what I would get for doing my current job and what I would give up if I did something else. ”