Kai Havertz's 'rage' as negativity around Germany grows

Kai Havertz and Julian Brandt were caught between Germany's perilous situation and the good-time vibes the pair usually bring when appearing together.

Havertz and Brandt, friends since the pair played together at Leverkusen, did their best to lighten the mood but the Chelsea man in particular didn't shy away from the very real fact that defeat against Spain would end Germany's 2022 World Cup just five days after it began. It would also be the first time ever that Germanyhave lost two straight World Cup games.

"I wasn't in a great mood in the last few days. I was full of rage," Havertz admitted to reporters about the aftermath of the loss to Japan.

"I can understand that there's negativity in the air now, amongst fans and media," the Chelsea player continued. "I also know that there are always a lot of shots fired against us and that not everyone is behind us," Havertz said, bluntly.

Given the sporting situation and the way Ilkay Gündogan and Manuel Neuer spoke directly after the defeat to Japan, it is no surprise to hear Germany's players continue to be so straightforward. Add to it Germany's battle for power with FIFA over the One Love armband and the human rights controversy around the hosts of this World Cup, and there is an enormous amount of noise currently swirling around this team.

Under pressure

Brandt said that in the longer-than-normal team meeting, the group discussed what to do when leading 1-0, or as the Borussia Dortmund midfielder called it, "winning unspectacularly."

Havertz, again somewhat revealingly, added that as a result of the varying perspectives in the 26-man squad, "you also go at each other." That, combined with Ilkay Gündogan's blunt criticizm following the defeat, suggests that there is a degree of frustration inside the team as well. Indeed, in the first 15 minutes of training on Friday, Germany looked a little tense.

Havertz and Brandt were able to sprinkle some joy in, notably when Brandt smiled like a big brother at Havertz answering questions in English, but it wasn't long before frustration was on show again.

"The position question is beginning to annoy me," Havertz said when asked about where he prefers to play. "Everyone knows I can play on the right, left, as a nine or in the 10."

When asked about support and the armband, Havertz was equally as blunt.

"We know that at this tournament we might not have the kind of support we're used to," the Chelsea man said. "In the first game, it felt like a little less, but I would appeal to everyone to support us on Sunday."

On the armband, Havertz said: "I think we made our point. Our focus now is 100% on football."

While certainly a point of discussion in the team, it would be folly to suggest Germany lost to Japan because of the protest. Seventy minutes of that performance were good. The end, and the result, were all that escaped them.

Nevertheless, the need for a positive result now is undeniable. For a four-time World Cup winner, Germany's recent form in major tournaments makes for dramatic reading. Since 2018, Germany have lost five, drawn two and won just once. For a nation often called "a tournament team" in reference to their ability to always do well when it matters, the statistics say otherwise.

That run of form feels more because of how drawn out the end of former head coach Joachim Löw's era was, but another early exit from a World Cupwould open the door for a deeper look at the big-picture issues in German football. Victory against Spain would change all that.