India, June 15 -- Few would have rated Germany as contenders before the commencement of this summer's FIFA World Cup. At least, not serious contenders. Despite their nine-match winning streak coming into the tournament, even the most diehard German fans would grimace in pain and admit they had been off the pace for more than a decade since their last World Cup trophy in Brazil in 2014.

Indeed, their start to the qualification cycle for North America 2026 was disastrous beyond measure, as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat to Slovakia. The manner of that galling defeat stung deeper, though - tepid in attack despite 70% possession, lacking their traditional authority and dominance, and registering only 4 shots on target from 14 attempts. Slovaki...