The year is 2004, and the German football team is in the dumps. The once unstoppable international force has just been eliminated in the group stages of the European Championships. It is the second time in three tournaments that they have fallen at the same stage. While some initiatives have already been implemented, there is little overall hope for the future. Changes are needed. Fortunately, those changes were afoot.
As Raphael Hönigstein explains in his book, Das Reboot: How German Soccer Reinvented Itself and Conquered the World, the powers that be put together a plan that eventually culminated in Die Mannschaft lifting the greatest prize of all, the World Cup, in 2014.
Football had moved on since the days of sweepers and pure physicality. A more intricate and technical approach was needed. With the help of perhaps underappreciated visionaries such as Jürgen Klinsmann and Ralf Rangnick, this minset was embraced to help make the national side what it once was. From Klinsmann himself, the trendsetter back in 2004, to Joachim Löw, who was part of his team and eventually carried on his work following the 2006 World Cup, there are many different people and initiatives to thank for where German football found itself in Brazil four years ago.
We talk about the many different aspects regarding this interesting topic as we chronologically take you from Euro 2000 and before to the present day. Where, ironically, we find German football in a similar situation to that of 18/14 years ago. Following their 3-0 and 2-1 losses against the Netherlands and France respectively, does German football need another reboot? We debate what the future holds.
As always, a very special thanks to our friends ‘Phre The Eon’ for the new theme music. Anyone interested can find them on Facebook.