Opinion: Germany needs our support and we should give it to them

I will be honest with you, I felt empty when Germany got eliminated by the narrowest of margins. It was like I expected this to happen and that I couldn’t get rid of the nasty thought of us going out this early. I was both hopeful for a different outcome and expecting the expected or unexpected elimination (depends on how you look at it).

It all hurts, I know; I felt some sort of connection with Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich when he said what he said. But if we turn on the team now, we really can’t expect much improvement from them. Head coach Hansi Flick and the players made errors, but we can be sure that they will learn from it. The players are fueled by the support of their fans and as soon as they lack that, there is nowhere to go but down. Our belief in the team means a lot to them and I think we should have some.

Now, I’m not promoting blind optimism or something like that, but we should be backing the boys. If this was me from a few years ago, I would be raging for days on end, but now I’ve developed more of a calmer approach (although I’m certain that there’s a comment that I’ve done on here that disproves that). I know that not everyone can take our elimination so easily, but I’ve said that we shouldn’t let it be the only thing you’re thinking about. Accept it (even if it takes some time) and move on.

To round off my speech, I would like to say that despite everything, Germany needs our support and that we should give it to them; no disingenuity. If you were in their place and needed something to lift your spirits but instead get nothing, even hate, from the supporters; it’s not a great feeling. We can’t thrash the team forever. Germany are our team to stick with through thick and thin. As Chelsea FC’s Kai Havertz said — our support matters. He thanked us for it; let’s not let that be for nothing. Onwards and upwards!

“If you can’t support the team when they’re doing terrible, then don’t support them when they’re doing well.” – James Redmond, Liverpool FC fan

And in case you haven’t listened to it yet, here’s a special edition postgame + weekend warm up podcast to get you ready for the weekend! We look at Germany’s shortcomings, Hansi Flick’s approach, Japan’s wonderful run...and close out with some classical music talk! Listen below or on Spotify.

As always, we appreciate all your support!