Ilkay Gundogan, the captain of the German national team, has opened up about the team's struggles, describing a lack of confidence and a mental battle within the squad.
Germany suffered a 4-1 defeat to Japan in their recent match, with goals from Junya Ito, Ayase Ueda, Takuma Asano, and Ao Tanaka overwhelming Leroy Sane's lone effort.
Following this disappointing result, manager Hans-Dieter Flick was dismissed by director Rudi Voller, as Germany has won only four of their last 17 international matches. Gundogan's candid remarks shed light on the challenges facing the team.
Quoted by the Daily Mail, Gundogan said: "Very tough one to take. I think the only good situation was the goal, where we played the rhythm we wanted, but unfortunately, we have to admit Japan were defensively and offensively better than us."
"We have to admit that we are just not on the same level with teams like the one today. We are just not good enough at the moment. That's the reality. Maybe we even think we are better than we are."
"I think you can feel that a lot of our players are in a mental fight with themselves - there's no confidence, there's no understanding for the timing of decisions, and obviously these kind of games and results don't help at all."
"So we feel like everyone is fighting with themselves, and that makes it harder to create a spirit and atmosphere. Football-wise, there's a big lack of confidence and that makes it harder to get the results."
Germany are in a tough situation and are eagerly seeking a positive outcome in their upcoming friendly match against France on Tuesday.
