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Flick praises squad's effort in Amsterdam draw: "Courageous, refreshing, and confident."

By Peter Weis   @PeterVicey

Even if his undefeated record as head-coach of the German national team came to an end in Amsterdam on Tuesday night, trainer Hansi Flick had plenty of praise for his team afterward. 

The early editorial view on the pages of Germany's preeminent footballing publication was also largely positive.
Hansi Flick.
Hansi Flick.
A 1-1 draw with the Dutch national team in an international friendly means that German Bundestrainer Hansi Flick is no longer undefeated in his short tenure in charge of the national team. The 57-year-old nevertheless remained quite satisfied with what he witnessed from his team.


"For the spectators, this was a first-rate match with high intensity," Flick remarked in his post-match interview, "Huge compliments to my team. It's simply beautiful how they play; how everyone comes along. Courageous, refreshing, and self-confident."

In their own post-match interviews, Antonion Rüdiger, Manuel Neuer, and goal-scorer Thomas Müller also declared themselves contented with the squad's performance.

"Heading in Qatar, we have to take every test-match seriously," Neuer noted, "This one was very well played for long stretches. The bottom line is that this team is on a good path."

Writing a post-match editorial for the website of German footballing magazine Kicker, Matthias Dersch concurred with the attitude of the players. While he noted the defensive inconsistencies, Dersch specifically referenced Jamal Musiala, David Raum, and Nico Schlotterbeck as youngsters who have helped the team capture a "re-kindled" spirit. Lukas Nmecha--the narrow misser of the game-winning goal--was also referenced.

Naturally, a not-so-subtle jab had to be taken at previous Bundestrainer Joachim Löw, whom many Germans still haven't forgiven for the detour he took the team on by ousting Thomas Müller. Dersch lauded how the youngsters "hungry for success" are well-supported "by veterans like Müller".


There was some light criticism of attackers getting in each other's way.

"This team needs to work on its processes," Dersch wrote, "sometimes the attacking rotations tend to cause confusion in their own ranks."

The last word remained an optimistic one.

"This German team remains on much more stable footing eight months before the World Cup than they were during the 2021 European Championship year," Dersch wrote, "The direction they are taking is the right one, as evidenced by this first real test of the young Flick Era."


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