Germany's loss to Paraguay and elimination in the first elimination round of the World Cup is not a sensation. It is a regularity. The result of years of wandering, wrong decisions and a lack of a clear football identity. Paraguay simply dealt the final blow to a colossus that has long ceased to look like a colossus.
The most worrying thing is not the elimination itself. Germany is already used to this. In 2018, it was eliminated in the groups. Then Löw remained coach despite logic, after leading the team to the world title in 2014 (ed. – 1:0 over Argentina after extra time) In 2022, history repeated itself. In 2026, he reached the first elimination match, but again left far before the battle for the medals, now with Nagelsmann. For a country with four world titles, this is no longer an accident. This is a diagnosis.
When you look at Argentina, Spain, France or Brazil, you see teams with character, and Germany supposedly competes with them.
Teams that know how they want to play. Whether they win beautifully or hard, they have an idea. They have a structure. They have a face.
With Germany, you see the exact opposite.
Yes, the Germans have the ball. Yes, they pass a lot. Yes, the statistics are often in their favor. But all this seems sterile. The instinct of the great champion is missing. The confidence that this team controls the match is missing. Against Paraguay, Germany had a huge advantage in possession of the ball, but almost never looked like a team that knew how to achieve victory.
Here the question of the coach inevitably comes up.
Julian Nagelsmann is undoubtedly one of the most talented representatives of the new generation of German specialists. He thinks modernly, looks for new solutions and obviously works a lot. But a national team is not a laboratory for experiments like Nagelsmann.
The national team needs a leader who brings calm, authority and knows how to turn individual qualities into collective strength.
So far, Nagelsmann has failed to do this. His youth and the constant search for the "perfect idea" seem to prevent the construction of a simple, clear and winning model.
Germany has enormous talent - Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and a number of other quality footballers. But a collection of good players does not automatically make a great team. A great team has a face. It has character. It has a coach who inspires confidence.
So the question is no longer whether Germany should make a change.
The question is who can make it.
And there seems to be only one answer.
Jürgen Klopp.
He is the man who has repeatedly proven that he can build a team of personalities. The man who creates an atmosphere, discipline and a winning mentality. A coach who does not just invent tactics, but makes the players believe in them.
Germany does not need another football revolution. Nor another tactical experiment.
It needs a man who will bring back the German identity – aggression, discipline, confidence and a winning mentality.
If the German Football Association continues to believe that the current model will yield a different result, another European and another world disappointment will probably follow.
Sometimes the hardest decision is also the most obvious.
For Germany, it has one name - Jürgen Klopp.
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Tagesschau writes: “third German failure at the World Cup“, and the team is described as “too unimaginative to beat the underdog Paraguay“.
Die Zeit summarizes the international reactions under the eloquent headline “Germany is no longer Germany“. The publication notes that the elimination against Paraguay is perceived as one of the big surprises of the championship, and in the first hours after the match, speculation began as to whether Julian Nagelsmann's time had run out and whether the time had come for a figure like Jurgen Klopp.
SPORT1 published a review of the international press under the title “Nothing left of Germany“, highlighting this line from the Spanish newspaper Marca as the most characteristic of the mood after the defeat. According to the Spaniards, Germany has lost not only the match, but also the aura that for decades made the Bundesteam a symbol of tournament football.
RND also focuses on the end of an era with the title “End of the German myth“ and emphasizes that respect for Germany no longer comes automatically just because of history, because the current team does not demonstrate the qualities of the great German teams.
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2018 World Cup (Russia)– Joachim Löw. Germany was eliminated in the group stage, after losses to Mexico (0:1) and South Korea (0:2) – the worst performance of the Bundesteam at a World Cup since 1938.
2022 World Cup (Qatar)– Hansi Flick. Germany was again eliminated in the groups, despite a victory over Costa Rica in the last match.
2026 World Cup (USA, Canada and Mexico) – Julian Nagelsmann. Germany passed the group stage, but was eliminated in the first elimination round (1/16-final) after losing to Paraguay on penalties (1:1 in regular time, 4:3 on penalties). This is the third consecutive World Cup in which the Bundesteam has not reached at least the round of 16 (in the new format - it has not reached the last 16 teams).