After a torrid 2018, Germany are aiming to end on a high note as they look to get their fans back onside. Head coach Joachim Löw wants to build on positive signals in the final two games of the year.
Image: picture-alliance/M. Gilliar
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Three wins from a possible 11 and a World Cup title defense that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons: 2018 has been a miserable year for the German national team.
With Thursday's friendly against Russia then the Netherlands UEFA Nations League re-match, Die Mannschaft have two chances to end the year on a positive. "Of course it would be nice to close the year with a success," head coach Joachim Löw said. "I think that would do us good."
The problem for Löw is that, after the loss to France last month, Germany's fate in the Nations League is not in their hands. While the result against Russia is already inconsequential, the Netherlands match could follow suit.
If Ronald Koeman's charges beat France on Friday, Germany will be relegated before meeting their old rivals - a blow they can ill afford at the end of such a turbulent year. "We naturally want to end a not-positive year well. We want to win both games, that is the clear goal," said captain Manuel Neuer.
Germany go back to school as part of charm offensive
On Tuesday, Neuer featured in a large-scale press conference at a local school in Leipzig as part of Die Mannschaft's attempts to re-establish the connection to the fans that has been lost in a sea of marketing and poor performances since the 2014 World Cup triumph.
Team Manager Oliver Bierhoff and players Timo Werner, Julian Brandt and Leroy Sane joined the Germany captain in fielding questions from local school children and journalists, but it was Leipzig's star striker who was on the mic most often in his adopted hometown.
"Being able to play in Leipzig is really special. I got my first call-up to the Germany national team playing here," said Werner. "We've got two good games ahead of us. The more important is against Holland but against Russia we should get a bit of momentum so we can play a good game on Monday."
Werner already has 21 caps and eight international goals to his name, but aged 22 is part of the new generation charged with freshening up the squad and getting the fans back onside. While more intimate press conferences will help reduce the distance, it is performances on the pitch that will truly win the supporters over and positive results against Russia and the Netherlands are a must.
German national team: Winners and losers post-Russia 2018
Joachim Löw has named his first squad since the World Cup. DW looks at the winners and losers of the disaster that was Russia 2018, as well as the fresh start that the Germany coach is now attempting to embark upon.
His absence through anything but injury would have been unthinkable during Germany's run to the 2014 World Cup title. However, in recent months he has been out of form both for Juventus and Germany. Joachim Löw was right to leave him out of Germany's second group-stage game against Sweden. Now he's been left out of the squad for the latest international break.
Having been ommitted from Joachim Löw's final World Cup squad at the last minute, Leroy Sane has ironically ended up being one of the only German players to come out of the tournament looking good. The Manchester City winger is in Löw's squad for France and Peru and could be a key part of the rebuild.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Hassenstein
Winner: Julian Brandt
After hitting the post twice after coming off the bench in Russia, Julian Brandt is one of the few German players who can look back positively at his World Cup performances. The 22-year-old has become an essential part of Heiko Herrlich's Bayer Leverkusen side and now, with his eye for a decisive pass, he should be just as important for Joachim Löw and Germany.
Unlike his namesake in Leverkusen, Julian Draxler's progress in recent seasons has been less impressive. Having struggled to nail down a starting position with both Paris Saint Germain and Germany, the former Schalke forward has even been linked with a move to La Liga side Sevilla. Could a leading role in Joachim Löw's Germany rebuild help Draxler reignite his career?
Image: picture-alliance/GES/M. I. Güngör
Winner: Marco Reus
Marco Reus, on the other hand, is predestined to be a big part of the rebuild. Having missed both the World Cup in Brazil and Euro 2016 in France, the tournament in Russia was just the second major one of his career. The Dortmund captain still has time to win titles with Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/I. Fassbender
Loser: Sandro Wagner
After failing to make the 23-man squad for Russia, Sandro Wagner burned a lot of bridges as he retired from the national team, meaning a return is all but out of the question. That's too bad for Joachim Löw, as following the retirement of Mario Gomez, Germany could do with an out-and-out striker.
Image: picture-alliance/sampics/C. Pahnke
Winner: Thilo Kehrer
Joachim Löw has given the 21-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender his first call-up to the national team for the current international break, and he could play a key role going forward. Last season, he was Schalke's second-best in terms of tackles won - behind the veteran central defender Naldo. Now Thomas Tuchel is aiming to turn this diamond-in-the-rough into a star.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Woitas
Winner: Nils Petersen
With Sandro Wagner and Mario Gomez no longer available for selection, Nils Petersen has been given another chance to take the No. 9 role. He may not be a candidate to start regularly for Germany, but at Freiburg he has also proved his effectiveness coming on as a sub.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Klamar
Loser: Sebastian Rudy
For the moment at least, Sebastian Rudy has to go down as one of the losers following Germany's disastrous World Cup. In the recent past he had been one of Joachim Löw's favorites, in part due to his versatility. However, the coach wants his team to be faster in the future, which may have been a factor that led to him leaving the newly signed Schalke midfielder out for France and Peru.
Image: picture-alliance/Bild-Pressehaus
Loser: Mario Götze
What a difference four years makes! Having scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final in Rio, it's been pretty much all downhill for his career ever since, particularly when it comes to the national team. At 26, there is still time for him to make a national team comeback - Joachim Löw has said as much - if he can rediscover his form of old for Dortmund.
