Uli Hoeneß has criticized national team coach Julian Nagelsmann in unusually clear terms – and identified several areas of improvement in the German national team
In the podcast „Auf eine weiß-blaue Tasse“, the honorary president of FC Bayern made it clear that he is not satisfied with the current development at the DFB. The 74-year-old is particularly annoyed by the handling of personnel issues, external communication and the lack of continuity in the team
A key issue for Hoeneß is the goalkeeping discussion surrounding Manuel Neuer. In his view, Nagelsmann should have moderated the situation much more calmly and clearly. „I would have said quite clearly: we’ll play with Baumann or Nübel now and wait and see how things develop,“ explained Hoeneß. At the same time, he emphasised that Neuer could have been integrated easily even at short notice before a tournament – without the public debate
„Too much talk about the media“
Hoeneß was even clearer in his criticism of Nagelsmann’s communication style, saying that the national coach runs the risk of discussing too many topics in public and thus creating unnecessary unrest. „Many things are talked about in the media,“ said Hoeneß, adding that problems should be solved internally – not in public. He cited Bayern coach Vincent Kompany as a positive counter-example, saying that he never makes negative comments about his own players
Hoeneß is also critical of public criticism of players such as Deniz Undav and even says that he has been „discredited“ as a result
In addition to the communication, Hoeneß criticized the sporting line above all. He said he lacked a clear core formation that could settle in. „That’s what I’m missing at the moment: continuity,“ he stated. Instead of constantly testing new players, Nagelsmann should concentrate on a fixed axis
As an example, Hoeneß also mentioned Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic, who together should form the center of the DFB team for him
Hope with a view to the World Cup
Despite the criticism, Hoeneß still sees chances for a successful 2026 World Cup. However, the prerequisite is that Nagelsmann creates a clear structure in good time and commits to a fixed core
„If he says from the outset: this is my team, then we can play a good tournament,“ said Hoeneß, adding that a semi-final appearance is certainly realistic under these circumstances
Hoeneß also sent a clear message away from the sporting side of things: the World Cup must focus on soccer again. He rejects political discussions surrounding the tournament
His conclusion is clear – and typical Hoeneß: less public debate, more focus on the essentials. This is the only way the national team can be successful again.