Year 1983
The
Germans started the New Year just like the previous one with a Friendly against
Portugal on February 23rd, 1983 at Lisbon.
In
yet another poor display, the Germans were defeated (0-1).
Hamburg’s
Wolfgang Rolff and Werder Bremen’s Jonny Otten made their debuts.
The
Germans won their first Euro Qualifier at Tirana vs. Albania on March 30th
(2-1) with Rudi Völler scoring his first
ever goal for his Nation.
For
this match Derwall could not call upon Wolfgang Rolff, Jurgen Milewski, Holger
Hieronymus, Lothar Matthaus and Wolfgang Dremmler (all injured).
As
always Schuster and Stilieke were not released by their Spanish clubs.
In April the Germans played
two more away qualifiers within days.
On April 23rd they
faced Turkey at Izmir and comfortably won (3-0) with a Rummenigge double
strike.
On April 27th,
they earned a precious away point after a scoreless tie with Austria at Vienna.
 |
Photo From : L'Annee du Football 1984
(Jupp Derwall) |
In fact, Rummenigge scored a goal
disallowed for offside in the 69th minute.
After
the match, he claimed that even some of the Austrian players had told him it
was a valid goal.
Despite opposition from most of the players, Bernd
Schuster played in both matches as both Derwall and DfB President Hermann
Neuberger overruled the protests.
Internazionale
Milan had initially refused to release Hansi Muller for these matches (as well
as the previous match vs. Albania), however they were forced to do so due to
UEFA regulations.
The
Germans played a Friendly vs. Yugoslavia on June 7th at Luxembourg
for Luxembourg Association’s 75thAnniversary.
The
Germans won (4-2) with Hamburg goalkeeper Uli Stein and Bayer Leverkusen
striker Herbert Waas making their debuts.
The
Fall season started on September on September 7th with a Friendy at
Budapest vs. Hungary.
The
Germans came away with a tie (1-1) from a Rudi
Völler strike.
On
October 5th, they defeated Austria (3-0) in a key qualifier at Gelsenkirchen with a
Rummenigge goal and a double strike from Völler
within the first 21 minutes.
Bayern Munich’s Klaus Augenthaler made his
debut for the National Team.
At
the end of the month on October 26th, they won another qualifier by
defeating Turkey (5-1) at West Berlin with both Rummenigge and Völler scoring twice each.
Bayer Uerdingen’s Matthias
Herget and Bayern Munich’s Michael Rummenigge (younger brother of Karl-Heinz)
made their International debuts.
Derwall
and Germany’s qualification hopes hinged upon two matches in November played
within days.
On
November 16th, the Germans lost at home to Northern Ireland (0-1) at
Hamburg. This was West Germany’s first home defeat against a European opponent
in 9 years.
It
also temporarily dented their qualification hopes.
It
all came down to the final qualifier on November 20th vs. Albania at
Saarbrucken.
The
Albanians gave the Germans a scare by taking the lead by Genc Tomorri. Despite
a quick Rummenigge equalizer, the Germans were in near danger of losing out on
the Euros at the expense of Northern Ireland.
West
Germany’s winning goal was scored in the 80th minute by Strack.
The
Germans qualified but their campaign had been anything but convincing.
They
had found a genuine goalscorer in Rudi Völler,
but Derwall was unable to convince the German public and press. The team
appeared in decline with Derwall unable to stop the slide.
Year 1984
Derwall’s
final year in charge of the National Team started on February 15th,
1984 at Sofia vs. Bulgaria.
Derwall
was intent on much experimentation with the Euros on the horizon.
Internazionale
Milano based Hansi Muller was essentially out of National Team contention.
Hamburg’s
Dietmar Jakobs rejected his call up, declaring that he needed to concentrate on
his club.
Derwall
chose to drop Briegel and Dremmler for this match.
For
this match vs. Bulgaria, Derwall handed out debuts to Fortuna Dusseldorf’s
Manfred Bockenfeld and Rudi Bommer, as well as, Kaiserslautern’s Andreas
Brehme.
The
Germans won (3-2) with Stilieke scoring a rare double strike.
On
February 29th, the Germans played at Brussels vs. Belgium. The match
turned out to be Bernd Schuster’s last match for his Nation.
Wolfgang
Rolff had to withdraw, as he was flu stricken.
On
the days prior to the match, Manfred Kaltz indicated that he might be
interested in a National Team return. However, Jupp Derwall must make the first
move to clear the air (which did not happen).
In
addition, there was a statement by Horst Koppel (one of the National Team’s
Assistant Managers), whereby he raised the possibility of Schumacher’s
exclusion from the team, due to the controversy surrounding the Battiston
incident at the World Cup. A clearly angry Schumacher demanded a one on one
with Hermann Neuberger to discuss this situation which was resolved with his
spot safe.
The
Germans won through a penalty kick by Rudi Völler.
Borussia
Mönchengladbach’s Hans-Günter Bruns made his debut for his Nation.
The
Germans continued their preparations with a Friendly on March 28th
vs. the Soviet Union at Hannover.
The
Germans won their third straight Friendly of the year (2-1) with Brehme scoring
his first goal for his Nation.
Stuttgart
goalkeeper Helmut Roleder made his debut in that match.
The
German absences included Rummenigge (out with the flu), Schuster (out with a
broken toe), as well as Bernd Forster, Wolfgang Dremmler and Gerhard Strack
(all injured).
Stilieke
was not released by Real Madrid for this match.
The
next Friendly was on April 18th at Strasbourg vs. the Euros host
Nations of France. It was the first encounter between the Nations since the
previous World Cup’s classic semifinal.
West
German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher received a predictably hostile reception
from the French fans, still remembering the Battiston incident.
In
the end the French won (1-0) to inflict on the Germans their first loss of the
year.
On
May 20th, 1984, Bernd Schuster was injured playing for Barcelona.
His absence spelled a catastrophe fot Derwall’s plans.
They
played their last Friendly prior to the Finals on May 22nd at
Zurich, Switzerland vs. Italy. It was a Prestige Friendly to mark FIFA’s 80th
anniversary and featured the last two World Cup Finalists.
This
time the Germans came out as winners through a Briegel strike (1-0).
Stuttgart’s
Guido Buchwald made his debut for the National Team. He would become Derwall’s
final debutant.
Before
the Euros, Derwall lamented the absence of midfield organizers. Though, he
played down the absences of Hansi Muller and Magath claiming they were not the
type of players suited for a Tournament of such difficulty.
However,
it’s clear that if he could have at least Magath would certainly have been part
of the National team set-up.
He
also felt some of his young players were not yet ready.
Derwall
also had made an adjustment to Rummenigge’s role in the team. He was the third
striker as well as the ‘brains’ of the team, charged with organization.
The
Germans started the Euros in an unconvincing fashion with a scoreless tie vs.
Portugal on June 14th at Strasbourg.
They
appeared to be getting back on track after defeating Romania on June 17th
(2-1) at Lens through a Rudi Völler double.
The
Germans were favored in their last Group match vs. Spain on June 20th
at Paris.
They
were unlucky to hit the post three times during the match. Briegel struck the
post off of two headers in the 2nd and 20th minutes,
while Brehme hit the post in the 26th minute.
The
Spanish themselves squandered an opportunity when Francisco Carrasco missed a
penalty kick in the 44th minute.
With
only a minute remaining and the Germans seemingly qualified, Antonio Maceda
headed in Spain’s winner (that Schumacher handled but could not stop).
The
Germans eliminated from the Euros in disgrace having left a negative impression
for their disappointing displays.
The
elimination was portrayed as a catastrophe for German Football. Jupp Derwall
resigned after six years in charge, which will largely be remembered as mostly
negative due to the events of 1982 and beyond.
To
stop the decline DfB’s Hermann Neuberger made the uncongenial move to appoint
Franz Beckenbauer (unlicensed) and only retired some two years before.
 |
Photo From : France Football, Issue 1997, July 17,
1984
(Jupp Derwall’s
replacement by Franz Beckenbauer)
|
The
Derwall reign started on a positive note. He made the West German squad a
strong and winning team after the disappointment of the 1978 World Cup.
There
was the 23 match unbeaten run and the 1980 UEFA European championship triumph
that placed West Germany at the top of the continent once more.
He
had introduced youth to the team and it was during his reign that Karl-Heinz
Rummenigge was at his peak and one of the greatest players of the game.
His
first three years were positive despite the losses vs. Brazil.
Many
of the greatest German National team players also made their debuts under him,
such as Briegel, Schuster, Littbarski, Schumacher, Voeller, Matthaus and
Brehme.
While
Karl-Heinz Foerster did not make his debut under him, he became a regular with
Derwall.
The
cracks started to appear from the 1982 World Cup and afterwards confusion
reigned within his selections.
The
controversies surrounding West Germany’s performances in 1982 would continue to
haunt him despite a runner-up place.
It
became a confused team with many question marks. His inability to properly
install a libero was also a source of criticism.
Hannes,
Hieronymus, Strack, Aughentaler, Bruns, Herget and Stilieke were all tried in
the position.
His
treatment of Magath, Kaltz, Allgower and Dietz should also be questioned who
were shabbily treated by him.
In
retrospect, Bernd Schuster was not a problem of his doing and became an
unnecessary source of stress on the team.
He
gambled on the inclusion of Breitner and according to many lost his authority.
This
was Dietz and Schuster’s contention and Harald Schumacher essentially confirmed
it in his very controversial Autobiography.
Schumacher
claimed in his autobiography, that in the lead up to the 1982 World Cup and
during the tournament, many players were drinking heavily, gambling, etc.
mainly under the influence of Paul Breitner, who was the kingpin of the team
with Derwall having no authority over him.
Many
even claimed that Breitner’s Bayern Munich teammate Wolfgang Dremmler was in
the National Team as his ‘water carrier’ at the behest of Breitner himself.
According to some sources,
pressure had been mounting to such an extent that Derwall had wanted to resign
months before the 1984 euros.
However,
Hermann Neuberger had ruled out a
managerial change before the Euros.
After
the 1984 Euros, Derwall joined Turkish club Galatasaray. Many credit him for
introducing the modern game to Turkish Football. He won a Cup title in 1985 and
the League title with them in 1987.
He
retired from the game at afterwards. He passed away on June 26th,
2007 at the age of 80 after a heart attack.
Note:
For
More Detail, see:
References:
Arthur
Rotmil columns on West Germany in World Soccer Magazine, from December 1978 to
1984
Onze,
Issue 59, November 1980 (‘Magique Derwall’ By Alain Leiblang)
Mondial,
new series, issue 23, February 1982 (“Rummenigge et les siens’ By Francois
Sorton)
Foot
Magazine, Issue 9, January 1982 (‘Allemagne-Vers un Troisiem Couronne?’ By
Christian Hubert)
Onze,
Issue 100, April 1984 (‘R.F.A.: Les Grandes Manueuveres’ By Alain Leiblang)
Onze,
Issue 102, June 1984 (‘R.F.A.: Tout ou Rien!’ By Alain Leiblang)
No comments:
Post a Comment