The passionate Jurgen Klinsmann’s bouncing up and down on the sidelines, the bitter rivalry between Jens Lehmann and Oliver Kahn for the starting goalie position, and the hope that Germany would win a World Cup at home after 1974 all fired up the country back then.
The memories have stuck around, even if the dream ended with a heartbreaking loss to Italy in the semi-final. Will this summer see another one of those? Before Friday’s opening match of Euro 2024 versus Scotland, one country is still in doubt.
Few people in Germany actually believe that this summer will be anything like last year.
But during the last six months or so, the atmosphere has generally improved. Following Hansi Flick’s departure, Julian Nagelsmann was named the surprise new manager. The former Bayern manager required a few games to work out some tactical adjustments.
Germany’s victories over France in Lyon and the Netherlands in Frankfurt during the March international break provided the first indications. Those two performances, in contrast to the frequently ponderous campaigns under Flick, represented a sea change for Germany as they played a more direct style and demonstrated increased intensity in counter-pressing and ball recovery high up the pitch.
The addition of Toni Kroos to the squad, who will play his final games at Euro 2024, has also been a huge boost.
