Jupp Derwall - at The Helm of Germany

At The Helm of Germany

Derwall's first major tournament as manager was Euro 80 in Italy, and under his guidance Germany won the championship in impressive fashion, winning four out of their five games and finishing with the tournament's top scorer in Klaus Allofs. Confidence was high going into the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Derwall was heard to have said before the first match against Algeria, "If we don't beat Algeria I'll take the next train home!" As things turned out he didn't stick to his promise. After a shock 1-2 defeat by Algeria in the first match, Derwall's Germany regained their composure and progressed all the way to the final after some tough matches, including the infamous 1-0 win over Austria ("The Shame of Gijón") and the more memorable semi-final against France, where the Germans came back from 1-3 down to tie 3-3 and win on penalties. In the Final itself, Germany lost 3-1 to Italy. The stars of this side were Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Paul Breitner.

Notwithstanding this setback, Derwall remained a highly-regarded coach and Germany were still counted among the favourites for Euro 84, but their performance in France was not impressive and Derwall's team were eliminated in the first round. Public opinion in Germany turned against Derwall rapidly. It reached an absolute low point when people would begin to yell angrily at Derwall had they spotted him in public. Derwall in the end of what amounted to a public campaign was forced to resign his position, being replaced by the hitherto-untested Franz Beckenbauer who acted as team manager.