Germany beat Paraguay X-X in the Round of 32 in the World Cup and — if things go to plan — France awaits in the last 16 should Les Bleus overcome Sweden in their match. Former World Cup winners Toni Kroos and Lukas Podolski have been critical of Germany’s performances at the tournament so far but still have enough faith in the national team to hold their own against one of the favorites to win the tournament.
“I stand by what I said: I believe that when it comes to the game against France, if everything
comes together, we can beat them,” Kroos said. Similarly, Podolski said that “there’s no need to just talk everything down right now. Let’s cheer the guys on.” (as captured by Sky Sports Germany)
Germany has the tools to be a solid team in the World Cup, but it’s simply disjointed and several players are out of form. If Julian Nagelsmann can somehow conjure something that will result in one of the biggest upsets of the World Cup should Germany end up playing against France, then he can build on that so he could save his job and the reputation of Die Mannschaft.
