Germany could be a force to reckon with in the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament, being held on their home turf, despite the disappointment of an early group stage exit at the Qatar World Cup but coaching legend Arsene Wenger believes they are in desperate need of a top caliber striker if they are to be competitive.
Wenger, the longtime Arsenal manager who is now global director for development at the ruling body FIFA and also chaired over is Qatar World Cup technical study group, told publishers RND that Germany should be among the favourites for the continental event.
"The team still needs a little time to get back to the top, but it will certainly be one of the favorites again at the 2024 European Championship at home," Wenger said.
"Because of the euphoria surrounding the team, and also because they have world-class players, especially in midfield and on the wings."
Wenger remarked that it was certainly not happenstance that Germany had numerous clear cut chances to find the back of the net during the Qatar tournament's group phase, but that they need to refine their proficiency in the final third.
According to Wenger, there is a systemic issue in the Bundesliga; he believes that there is a dearth of world-class strikers in the league, as the most prolific scorers tend to be from outside the country.
"In the past, every German club had a top striker within their ranks, now FC Bayern has Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Borussia Dortmund has Sebastien Haller and Anthony Modeste, Borussia Monchengladbach has Marcus Thuram, at Bayer Leverkusen Patrick Schick provides the goals and so on," Wenger said.
Germany's only proper striker in Qatar was Werder Bremen's Niklas Fullkrug who had never been called up before. He scored the winner in a tuneup game against Oman and two goals coming off the bench at the World Cup.
