Arsene Wenger, Giovanni Trapatonni and Ottmar Hitzfeld are all invited to volunteer, though it may take the reintroduction of conscription to fill one of the most daunting posts in world football.

Returning Germany to a position of global dominance, without a great pool of playing talent, is a job more suited to a magician than a manager.

Which is, perhaps, why Arsenal boss Wenger has already knocked back the German Football Federation, while Hitzfeld doesn't sound too keen - leaving Italian legend Trapatonni apparently the only interested candidate.

As the German newspapers lambasted the team as 'the worst in living memory', Bayern Munich president and double World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer ruled out the possibility of Bayern boss Hitzfeld doing both club and national jobs.

'It would be impossible,' said Beckenbauer, entering the debate on who might replace Erich Ribbeck when his contract expires next month. 'Two days before a big game for Bayern, we might have a huge international.

'The German Federation has to look seriously at where we go from here. We must start from the bottom up. At Bayern we have invested heavily in football schools for youngsters. All of Germany needs to follow that so we develop better players.'

Germany must beat Portugal and hope Romania beat England by fewer goals to avoid an early exit from an event for the first time in 16 years.

Scotland coach Craig Brown, one of many around the world to base his strategy on the German playing system, believes that it is a lack of talent - rather than tactical mistakes - that explains their plummet.

'It was probably inevitable that Germany would suffer a downturn at some point, said Brown. 'They've had two decades of just being able to reach out and find world class talent.

'Now it's obvious that the quality of players just isn't there. When you haven't got the players, you're up against it.

'But there isn't an excuse because the Bundesliga should be strong enough to produce a good national team. I think what the performances of Germany and Spain show is that international football is far beyond the level of even the Champions League.

'Germany had five Bayern Munich players in their team. That's five guys who have been good enough to reach the Champions League Semi-final this year and the final last year. But at this step up they haven't excelled.'

Meanwhile, German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has still not given up hope of reaching the Euro 2000 Quarter-finals, despite the apparent miracle his side require.

'Everything's possible in football, why shouldn't we get our own slice of luck here at Euro 2000?' he said.

Germany's hopes have been given a fillip with the news that already-qualified Portugal are set to field a weakened side. Luis Figo and Rui Costa may start on the bench as coach Humberto Coelho gives his fringe players an outing.

Lothar Matthaus will earn his 150th cap if he plays and the pressure on Ribbeck to drop the ageing 'libero' has been eased after his assured dis-play against England.