A decade in which Germany's national team looked set to establish dominance has instead ended in ignominy. Results in 2020 could define the legacy of head coach Joachim Löw.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
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Given football's turbulent and cyclical nature, a lot can change in the space of 10 years, and the German national team are case in point.
Over the past decade, the DFB-Elf have seen 76 players make their debuts as international careers have flared and fizzled out in equal measure. The results of a long-term strategy culminated in Germany claiming a fourth World Cup title in Brazil in 2014, but the rise and fall of Maracana match-winner Mario Götze is perhaps the most accurate portrayal of how the national team have fared in the past 10 years.
To the pinnacle and back again
At the turn of the decade, Spain were the all-conquering nation others were aiming to usurp and Germany were seen as the most serious contenders for La Furia Roja's throne. Head coach Joachim Löw was four years into his tenure and beginning to harness the collective powers of a crop of players, who will have more than a few chapters dedicated to them in Die Mannschaft's history books.
Back then though, Germany had a recognizable identity as they looked to carve out a path to the pinnacle of the sport. They reached it in 2014, but in the aftermath priorities got skewed as capitalizing on marketing opportunities afforded only to world champions began taking precedence over the progression of the national team.
The shift saw Germany's previously unfaltering stability that followed their post-EURO 2000 revamp shaken to its core. The severity of the subsequent identity crisis was further exacerbated by the embarrassing nature in which Mesut Özil, a pillar of the side during an era of success, was treated in the wake of an ill-advised photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Joachim Löw is under fire and having a hard time guiding Germany through a period of transition.Image: Reuters/T. Schmuelgen
Desperate for a fresh start following a disastrous campaign at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Löw tried to fashion a clean slate with which to work. Ultimately though, he only served to muddy the waters more when Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Thomas Müller, three of the most defining players of the last decade, received an ignominious exit as opposed to a guard of honor.
Löw's approach was as heavy-handed as some of his attempts to adapt his approach to suit modern football and ultimately cast a cloud the current crop of stars have struggled to get out from underneath.
As a result, Germany now find themselves in the throngs of a transition that has further blurred their sense of identity and risks regression. When it comes to the prospects of Germany's next "golden generation" and the legacy Löw will leave behind, there are more questions than answers as we enter the New Year.
'We've improved'
Nevertheless, Real Madrid's Toni Kroos hasn't lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.
"In a lot of games, we were able to put our ideas into practice, against good teams as well, such as the Netherlands," the World Cup winner told the German FA's website, dfb.de. "I think we've improved a lot this year, but in a lot of games, we were unable to maintain a good level for the whole 90 minutes."
Flashes of brilliance from the likes of lkay Gündogan, Serge Gnabry and Timo Werner have not masked the evident flaws in the current Germany setup - a worrying trend ahead of EURO 2020. So too, is the lack of a recognizable first-choice starting lineup, not helped by key players like Niklas Süleand Leroy Sane picking up long-term injuries or Löw's insistence on flip-flopping between a three and four-man backline.
"No [we're not favorites], we have to be realistic, but that's just my opinion as things stand," continued Kroos. "Anyway, that doesn't mean that we don't have big ambitions for the tournament. We want to have our say and we want to go far. It's too early to make predictions, though. One thing is certain: We as a team have to make good use of the time between now and the tournament."
With EURO 2020 fast-approaching, time is not a luxury on the side of the 59-year-old as he looks to try and turn Germany more of a finished product and less a work in progress. Facing more pressure to deliver now than he when he first took the role in 2006, the Black Forest native's legacy is on the line and 2020 is set to be a defining year.
Eagle on the chest: Germany football kits over the years
Germany have unveiled their jerseys for next summer's Euro 2020. DW takes a look back at previous efforts - from the monochrome number worn last year to the one West Germany wore when winning their first World Cup.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/adidas
Horizontal stripes
Aren't horizontal stripes supposed to make you look fat? Then again, that's not a problem for members of the Geman national team. Assuming they are fit next summer (and are selected by coach Joachim Löw), this is what Timo Werner, Serge Gnabry and Nico Schulz will be wearing at Euro 2020, or Euro 2021 as it's likely to be. And no, they aren't all wearing captain's armbands on both arms!
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/adidas
Distinct lack of color
This one won't go down as one of the favorites, but that has nothing to do with the aesthetics of the garment. This was the kit Germany wore in their disastrous bid to defend their World Cup in Russia in 2018. Toni Kroos, Mesut Özil and Mats Hummels were part of a team that disappointed an entire nation. It would also turn out to be Özil's last tournament before he ended his national team career.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/adidas
World Cup winner
The 2014 jersey was inspired by the jersey that Germany wore in in the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Apparently the three shades of red are meant to represent the black red and gold of the German flag. Instead of the traditional black shorts Germany went with white. Mario Götze will be forever held dearly in German fans' hearts for his winning goal in extra time of the final against Argentina.
Image: Reuters
Men in Black
Prior to World War II, Germany played in black, and the color was brought back for the alternate jersey at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Germany finished third in South Africa, partly thanks to a Sami Khedira (right) goal against Uruguay in the match for third place. Per Mertesacker also looks pumped. Wait a minute… aren't players meant to hate playing in third-place consolation games?
Image: AP
Summer fairy tale
The 2006 World Cup in Germany is remembered in the host nation as the "summer fairy tale." With Michael Ballack in midfield, Germany played more attractive football than they had in years. Italy proved to be Germany's nemesis though, knocking them out with two goals late in extra time of their semifinal. As for the jersey, just a splash of gold and red broke up the white - plus the black trim.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M.Egerton
France 1998
While keeping the traditional mainly white home kit, the jersey Jürgen Klinsmann and Co. wore next door in France in 1998 featured the horizontal black, red and gold stripes of Germany's flag across the chest. Another new element was the three stars above the eagle for Germany's three World Cup titles. It didn't end well for Germany though, as they fell to Croatia in the quarterfinals.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O.Berg
Euro 96 champions!
Oliver Bierhoff's golden goal against the Czech Republic sealed the Euro 96 title for Germany at Wembley. The jersey Germany wore when "football came home" to England differed from its predecessors because it featured a white eagle on a black crest.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AFP
Upside down in the United States
Lothar Matthäus and coach Berti Vogts didn't really have a good time in the United States in 1994. The tournament, which saw Steffen Effenberg sent home early, was largely one to forget, with Germany losing to Bulgaria in the quarterfinals.. As for the jersey, one can only wonder who decided it was a good idea to turn the colors of the German flag upside down…
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O.Berg
Italia 1990
West Germany started wearing this jersey in the 1988 European championship, which the still divided country hosted. Two years later, West and East Germany were just months from becoming one country, and players from both sides featured in the national team that won the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Leonhardt
Green
West Germany and Germany have often worn green as their alternate kit. Captain Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and his teammates made it to the final against Argentina in Mexico City's Azteka Stadium in 1986. Rummenigge scored, but his side were second-best to an Argentine team led by a Diego Maradona at the height of his powers. Argentina won 3-2 to hoist the World Cup for a second time.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts
1974 World Cup
In the 1970s West Germany jerseys were an all-but all-white affair. One notable feature of the jersey worn here by Gerd Müller and Wolfgang Overrath was an eagle that is somewhat bigger than the one on more recent kits. This classic jersey is remembered fondly for the fact that Müller and the rest of the Nationalmannschaft earned the right to lift the World Cup in 1974 in Munich.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Baumann
Miracle of Bern
Similar to the 1974 jerseys, were the ones worn by captain Fritz Walter, Horst Eckel and the rest of West Germany in 1954. West Germany upset the magic Magyars led by the legendary Ferenc Puskas in the World Cup final 3-2. The match was played on a waterlogged pitch in the Swiss capital. This World Cup title, West Germany's first, would be dubbed "the miracle of Bern."
