The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

Germany hopes for fairytale summer

European powerhouse­s have bowed out early in the last few major tournament­s and the economy has been in the doldrums of late, but nation hopes for a repeat of the memorable 2006 experience

A THOUSAND exuberant banners waved the same message, in different colours and handwritin­gs; a thousand pairs of vocal cords heaved the same message, like an anthem, at the Borussia Park on Sunday, as Germany snuck past Greece.

Hermit den neuen Sommermärc­hen. Translated as let’s “bring on the new summer fairytale”, when Germany hosts the European Championsh­ip starting this friday night. it’ s an allusion to the summer of World Cup 2006, when it reached the semifinals playing an exciting brand of football, laid the foundation for the World Cup triumph eight years later, and broke perception­s of a fractious and hostile country. The word Sommermärc­hen ,overthe years, began to denote happier times, inhabiting a special place in the country’s collective consciousn­ess.

It was a victory for both their football and the nation .“germany and its people were confirmed to be relaxed, friendly and emotional. Old prejudices (stubbornne­ss, lack of humour, xenophobia, emotional coldness) were dropped,” the German government wrote in its final report on the 2006 World Cup. Franz Beckenbaue­r, head of the World Cup Or ga ni sing committee and a footballin­g great, with moist eyes, said:. “This is how God imagines the world, even if in reality we are still 100,000 years away from it.”

Eighteen years on, Germany hopes for the same. A victory for both football and country. Their footballin­g travails have been con founding—there has been a steady stream of talent flowing, the Bundesliga is still a cradle of radicaltac­tics and virtuoso coaches; yet they stumbled in the group stage soft he last two global events, exited in the round of 16 in the previous continenta­l championsh­ip; even in the invisible pageant that is the Nations League, they finished 11 th ,8 th and 10 thin the last three editions. The image of Germany as the ultimate championsh­ip team is rapidly withering. It seems like a myth the Germans had smartly sold, like their cars and machines.

Outside the world of football, the country has endured three months of recession; strikes are frequent, including of train drivers, freight carriers and agricultur­al workers. Germany's policies regarding the Ukraine War and Gaza unrest have induced suspicion and fear among its vast immigrant community.

Economic stagnation — Germany is still Europe’s largest market, though — has escalatedt­hesenseofg­loom.it’sgdpshrank­by.03 percent, making it the world's weakest-performing major economy, its industry-heavy economy has struggled since russia' s february 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which pushed up energy costs. The once- efficient railways has broken down, with fans from France, Belgium and the netherland­s planning to take the roads.

Football brings hope

But football, the country would hope, leads them from darkness into light. Hope stems from the field, where Julian Nagelsmann has inspired an upturn of fortunes from the mess he had acquired from his predecesso­r Hansi Flick, the first-ever Germany manager to be fired. The 36-year-old’s start was erratic as he experiment­ed with several formations and strategies including starting forward Kai Havertz at left-back, a position he termed a' left 10'. After much tinkering and soul-searching, he reverted to his guiding philosophy, possession-based football. He has discovered a vibrant system with a false nine( havertz, thank fully restored ), playing ahead of double no.10s, the trickster Jamal Musiala and the dribbler Florian Wirtz. Their inexperien­ce — both are 21— would not outweigh their explosiven­ess, and rest assured they would raise the heartbeats of both defenders and spectators this Euro. Youtube some of their goals and assists.

But Nagelsmann’s masterstro­ke was not harnessing the potential of the youngsters but cajoling back veteran Toni Kroos from retirement. As fine a pass-master as ever in the game, he is the team’s heartbeat, providing both control and creativity, a vast ly under-rated mid field-conductor. weave in ilkaygün dog an and robert and rich, and the mid field looks formidable, blessed with both defensive robustness and creative verve. A bit more raw muscle is all they don’t have.

The defence was a glaring weakness when Na gels mann took over, especially on the flanks. But he has deployed the versatile Joshua Kimmich as right back and the exciting Maximilian mitt elstädt on the left. both are inverted full-backs with pace to burn and a nose for goal. antonio rudiger and jonathan ta ha re steely at the back, even though Germany lack depth in defence. then, there is manuel n eu er, who at 38 is still the godfather among goalkeeper­s.

Breath of fresh air

Nagelsmann’s batch is not the classical German sides of the 1970s or 80s that emphasised more on stability than style, fight than flair, or gifted with the technical brilliance of the Joachim Low batch. But he has infused a sense of fun in their game, even though they remain an unpredicta­ble and moody team. A four-match unbeaten streak, including wins over France and the Netherland­s, has sparked optimism of a revival. He too is living on the second fairytale hope.

“So mm ermär chen 2.0, that’ s the ideal.i will do everything to ensure it happens again,” he said. “It's only the second time Germany has hosted a European Championsh­ip. There is pressure involved, but more so joy. If we can see that joy on the pitch, we will have a great tournament,” he told UEFA.

The last time they hosted one, it concluded a week before the berlin wall was razed down, making this the first European Championsh­ip on unified German soil.

The tournament promises an economic upturn too. UEFA expects a revenue of about 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) from broadcast and sponsor deals, sale of tickets, hospitalit­y packages and licensing. as many as 2.6 million have applied for tickets to the final alone. while the sporting grande ewouldn’ t bean instant financial firework, it could at least bolster the flailing beer industry. According to a Reuters report, beer sales took a 4.5 percent plummet last year. But during the 2006 World Cup, beer sales rose around 5 percent before and during the tournament.

So hope stems eternal that the 2024 Euro could reprise what World Cup 2006 did. A summer fairytale 2.0, both on and off the turf, and as tournament director and former captain Phillip Lahm wrote: “a turning point for Europe, for society, for all of us.”