Germany were beaten 1-0 by Mexico in their opening match of the World Cup.
The defending champions produced an extremely poor performance as Hirving Lozano scored the only goal of the match.
Germany are still among the favourites to win the World Cup, and it’s worth remembering that Spain lost their opener in the 2010 competition to Switzerland before going on to lift the trophy.
But they will have to improve if they are to stand a chance of becoming champions this time around.
Joachim Low’s side were ineffective going forwards and conceded a number of chances.
Mexico could have scored three or four goals.
Low introduced Marco Reus, Mario Gomez and Julian Brandt from off the bench but Germany were unable to find a way through Mexico’s defence.
Ferdinand nails Sane opinion
It’s left football fans wondering just why Germany didn’t take Leroy Sane.
The 22-year-old winger enjoyed a wonderful season for Manchester City but he was left out of Germany’s 23-man squad.
And after watching Sunday’s defeat to Mexico, Rio Ferdinand can’t understand why.
“They didn’t do enough, and that’s not what you normally see from this German team,” Ferdinand, a pundit for the BBC, said.
“It begs the question, Sane. He’ll be watching this thinking, ‘I reckon I could have done something.’
“He’d have given them something different, a bit of pace.
“They looked leggy today, this German team. They looked laboured in all areas of the park.
“Someone like Sane, I know it’s with hindsight, but he has that genuine pace that will scare defenders in situations like this.”
It’s hard to disagree with Ferdinand.
Sane was excellent for Man City, helping Pep Guardiola’s side win the Premier League title and claiming the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Yet Low decided to leave him at home.
That decision looked strange at the time and the Germany coach will have to defend his choice once again.
Germany will look to bounce back when they play Sweden next Saturday before taking on South Korea in their final group game.
Die Mannschaft have been imperious in international tournaments over the years, but there’s certainly a fragility to this team.