In 2013, Germany’s manager Joachim Löw said he was not sure it made "sporting sense" to play twice against the likes of "Kazakhstan, Andorra, San Marino or the Faroe Islands".

Three years later, Thomas Müller went a step further, claiming matches with opposition such as the Faroe Islands were essentially pointless.

"I understand that for them it is special to play against the world champions," Müller said at the time. "I understand also that they can only defend with tough tackling. For this reason, though, I wonder if these are not games which bring unnecessary risks."

Müller was later supported by team mate Toni Kroos, who called for pre-qualification to be introduced for teams respectfully described as minnows.

Those who disagree with the likes of Löw and Kroos, and particularly people who have castigated them for their opinions, will have no doubt enjoyed Germany’s shock 2-1 defeat to North Macedonia, 52 places below them on the FIFA world rankings, last night.

But the result does not mean the views expressed by the German manager and some of his players, and others who harbour such opinions, are without merit.

Everyone can agree that the football calendar is ludicrous. If it were a pipe, it would have burst long ago.

The majority of footballers, especially in the top leagues in Europe, have been playing pretty much nonstop since the sport resumed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It brings to mind a sketch from the British television show That Mitchell and Webb Look in 2008, where co-star David Mitchell parodies the amount of football being shown on Sky Sports. "Catch all of the constantly happening football here," is one of his many humorous lines.

With the volume of matches and the congested nature of an already-packed schedule in mind, now is a better time than ever to discuss an option which might limit the number of games being played.

Löw had highlighted the sheer amount of football in 2013. It has only got worse since.

Some might suggest this is an elitist view on the debate, but any parts of the calendar that can be trimmed in any way should be looked at by the likes of FIFA and UEFA.

There is also a precedent for UEFA to follow as pre-qualifying for a place in the main round which has the allure of a World Cup place at stake exists elsewhere, most notably in Asia and Africa.

In June 2019, Asia’s 12 lowest-ranked teams entered the first phase of qualification, involving six two-legged playoffs. The six winners joined the rest of the nations in the second round.

Of course, that has not totally eradicated the competitive imbalance many decry. One of the teams to make it through from the playoffs, Mongolia, were hammered 14-0 by Japan this week.

In Africa, 28 teams have to play a two-legged tie for the right to progress through to the group stages and, as noted by The Athletic last week, this is not just limited to the so-called smaller nations as countries with higher world rankings than San Marino, who sit 210^th on FIFA’s list, must get through the playoff before they can continue with their World Cup dream.

Another argument has been that the likes of Gibraltar, San Marino and Liechtenstein playing Germany, Spain and Belgium, for example, will enhance the standard of their teams.

The evidence suggests this has not been the case. Yes, Luxembourg beat the Republic of Ireland 1-0 in a recent friendly, but drubbings like Denmark’s 8-0 thrashing of Moldova still seem fairly common whenever European qualification for major events comes around.

There have been some examples to the contrary, however. Iceland, quarter-finalists at Euro 2016, were ranked in the 130s in 2012.

North Macedonia, whose victory over former world champions Germany sent shockwaves through international football, have also improved considerably and are set to participate in this year’s postponed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.

The stories in Iceland and North Macedonia can largely be credited to the UEFA Nations League. While it may have appeared convoluted at first, it has gone at least some way to solving this conundrum.

In the inaugural campaign, Gibraltar and Moldova won two matches, while Liechtenstein and the Faroe Islands both claimed one victory - a better return than their World Cup or European Championship qualification groups.

If you subscribe to Müller’s way of thinking, qualification itself is going to become even more "pointless" after the process for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has concluded.

From the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the World Cup is being expanded to 48 teams, making it harder for the top nations to fail to secure a spot.

By having pre-qualifiers, San Marino et al will have better chances of winning matches and therefore the ambition of progressing to the next stage. Surely that is better than being thrashed by pretty much everyone in the currently bloated UEFA qualification process?

These teams deserve the chance to play internationals. No-one is doubting that.

But it is their opposition, and the regularity of matches where only one outcome is likely, that continues to leave football’s decision-makers with food for thought.