Four years ago, Germany were the then reigning World Cup champions, only to suffer an embarrassing early exit as they were eliminated at the group stages.
As such, the pressure is on die Mannschaft to make amends this year in Qatar. Now under the guidance of Hansi Flick, Germany were the first team to automatically secure qualification to this competition, but had a poor Nations League campaign and there have been major questions about whether the four-time World Cup winners can re-assert themselves on the biggest stage.
Well, on Wednesday, Germany took on Japan in their group stage opener, but despite taking an early lead through Ilkay Gundogan, Flick's men ended up losing 2-1. Japan's win means that Germany will have it all to do on matchday two against a Spain side that cruised to a 7-0 win over Costa Rica, and safe to say, Germany's fans and the media have not been left impressed by the team's performance in Qatar.
The criticism has clearly gotten to some of the team's players, including Kai Havertz, who recently lashed out at the perceived negativity and "lack of support" from fans and the media.
Indeed, the Chelsea player, who has received his fair share of criticism due to his lack of consistency for the Blues, and has been under fire recently for his poor showing during Germany's loss stated that he was "full of rage" after the match and noted that "there are always a lot of shots fired against us and that not everyone is behind us".
Despite his frustration, 23-year-old nonetheless hopes that the team will receive all the support they desperately need as they prepare to face Spain in a game that will likely decide whether Germany ends up being eliminated from their second consecutive World Cup at the group stages.
