Hansi Flick’s men are facing their own crisis ahead of Wembley clash after losing to Hungary

The front page of Saturday’s Leipziger Volkszeitung was dominated by Germany’s soccer players, but not for the reasons many imagined.

With the World Cup creeping ever closer, Germany’s final home game before business begins in Qatar was always going to be of immense importance. The expectation was clearly that Hungary would be outplayed extensively and a message would be sent to their rivals.

What transpired, however, was a display so bland and one-dimensional that the 37,000 home fans made their feelings known in shrill fashion, prompting the headline: ‘Verpatzt — Pfiffe in Leipzig.’ Translated, it referred to the whistle of disapproval that erupted at both halftime and the end.

England may have problems, but this first loss of the Hansi Flick era suggested that Germany, who travel to Wembley on Monday, have plenty of problems of their own to sort out if they are to have any chance of conquering the world again.

“It was disappointing because we wanted more from this game,” Antonio Rudiger told The Mail on Sunday. – In the first half we lost the game against them. They won all the duels and second balls and we made so many mistakes.’

Rudiger, now at Real Madrid, will not be involved at Wembley as a booking against Hungary prompted a suspension. But that didn’t stop him from giving an honest assessment of the situation. He kept shaking his head as he talked about the first half that sparked the raucous jeers.

‘Honestly, the corner they scored from? You can’t concede a goal like that at this level,’ he grumbled, referring to the way Hungary captain Adam Szalai left his markers and steered a backheel into the far post, ending Germany’s hopes of progressing in the Nations League.

‘We definitely have some work to do, especially against the teams that sit very deep back and defend. To be fair to them, they defended well. Tactically, they were well prepared. But this was the last [camp] where you can still improve.

‘It’s not like being in your club where you can train every day. After Monday we go back to our clubs for six or seven weeks and then that’s it until everything kicks off. We don’t want to be together too much. So we have to learn from this game, absolutely.’

Listening to Rudiger, it was impossible not to think back four years and remember an interview Mats Hummels conducted with The MoS on the eve of the World Cup in Russia, in which he warned he could feel trouble coming.

“If we want it, we have to work for it and focus,” Hummels said. ‘If we want to win something at the World Cup? It’s possible [we will be OK] but it is not something that comes by doing nothing. We have to improve a lot.’

Germany failed to get out of their group in 2018 and while it would be a surprise if it happened in Qatar, if their form for 2022 continues, Flick will have his work cut out negotiating a way past Spain, Japan and Costa Rica.

From seven games this calendar year, there have been four 1-1 draws. Hungary may be the only loss – and Germany are not the first team to be frustrated by their back five – but the timing was poor.

Timo Werner, hoping to flourish on his home turf, looked like the player who struggled at Chelsea as he ran into spaces but failed to convert. Leroy Sane was worryingly muted, while Kai Havertz had no impact when introduced.

Only the consistently excellent Joshua Kimmich seemed to come close to the levels expected and what will have caused Flick anxiety is how vulnerable Germany looked as Hungary countered late on – something Gareth Southgate will have studied in depth.

What it all means is that the stakes at Wembley have suddenly gone up. England are desperate for a confidence-boosting success, but so are their long-standing opponents.

“For us this is a very, very important game,” Oliver Bierhoff, Germany’s national team director, told The MoS. ‘I know how high the motivation for England will be. They will not lose and this is a prestige game – as it always is between Germany and England.

– It is a fantastic chance for us to gain some confidence and a good result. We have to show everyone that we can do certain things.

‘It will be very important how the players arrive at the World Cup. We only have one week to prepare. I don’t want to overstate the game at Wembley. But I will say this — it is important for the future, for both teams.’