India, June 30 -- Germany's decline over the past decade has been impossible to ignore. Since lifting the World Cup in 2014, the four-time champions have endured one disappointing campaign after another at both the World Cup and the European Championship, with each setback exposing deeper problems within the national team. Their Round of 32 exit to Paraguay only reinforced the feeling that Germany have struggled to rebuild since the glory days of Brazil 2014. That title-winning side produced one of the greatest World Cup runs in history, crushing Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals before defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final.

It was a golden generation that defined an era, but replacing those players proved far more difficult than Germany had ...