Germany lost 0-1 to Greece in Jürgen Klopp’s home debut. Former Bayern star Bastian Schweinsteiger delivered a sobering assessment afterward.
The German national team is still waiting for its first win even after its second game under Jürgen Klopp. Following a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, the DFB team lost 0-1 to Greece on Sunday evening in the Nations League.
Dimitris Kourbelis scored the only goal of the evening in Augsburg in the 74th minute.
After the final whistle, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s assessment was clear. The former Bayern star believes the German national team is currently far from the top of European soccer.
“We’re no longer a top team. We’ve become mediocre,” Schweinsteiger explained on ARD.
Schweinsteiger misses the players who make a difference
The 2014 World Cup champion sees a key problem in the lack of individual quality needed to decide close games. He believes Germany currently doesn’t have enough players who can make a difference in decisive situations.
Schweinsteiger therefore believes it’s the right approach for Klopp to try out numerous players at the start of his tenure. The national team coach must first figure out which players he can use to build a team that will eventually play at a higher level again.
Schweinsteiger explicitly excluded Joshua Kimmich from his criticism. The FC Bayern captain was absent against Greece. “The only one who’s a sure starter for me is Kimmich,” said the 42-year-old.
For the remaining positions, however, Schweinsteiger sees many unanswered questions. In particular, the offense lacks players who can consistently decide games. At the same time, he cautioned against expecting too much after just two matches under Klopp.
Schweinsteiger also cited Florian Wirtz as an example of a player whose qualities need to be utilized properly. Germany must now continue to develop its existing players in order to get closer to the top of international soccer again.
In any case, following the draw in Amsterdam and the loss to Greece, the start of the Klopp era has been a failure.