Germany reached the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, but defeat to Ecuador in the final group stage match raised fears that Germany were ill-prepared for a strong showing at the tournament.
Those fears were confirmed after Paraguay kicked the Germans out of the tournament on penalties. Former World Cup winner Toni Kroos feared an early exit for the national team from the World Cup unless two conditions were met – which they clearly weren’t.
“Playing against us should be a dream – we should be able to defend well and make life difficult for our opponents. We don’t do that,” Kroos stressed on his World Cup show with his brother Felix (via Sky Sports Germany). “We need Musiala and Wirtz in top form, which we don’t have right now. If neither of those things change, it won’t last long.”
As it turns out, this is not the case.
There is no doubt that Musiala and Wirtz are two of Germany’s brightest talents, but one is coming off a long-term injury and the other is having a disastrous club season. Both players are out of rhythm and Julian Nagelsmann has not yet managed to make them click, nor has he provided stability in the national team.