"Amateurish": Lothar Matthäus takes DFB players to task

Players and Coach Held Accountable

After the defeat, former Salzburg player Karim Adeyemi came under criticism (read more here >>>).

Lothar Matthäus, who won the World Cup with Germany in 1990, was also displeased with the DFB players' performance. About Adeyemi, he wrote in his "Sky" column: "He has the right to dribble, but he also has the right to score from chances that he recently converted at Barca."

Felix Nmecha's tackling behavior before Greece's goal was "amateurish." Matthäus also posed the question: "Why doesn't Joshua Kimmich play for the national team like he does in Munich?"

test — Dortmunds Felix Nmecha absolvierte am Sonntag sein 14. Länderspiel.
Foto: ©IMAGO / MIS

Matthäus holds not only national coach Klopp but also the players accountable. "They bring quality and experience, but if they don't show these qualities, it doesn't work."

New Faces in the DFB Team

A statement by Klopp bothered Matthäus. "In the 15 minutes after halftime, we showed what we want," Klopp said after the match against Greece. Matthäus on this: "If the automatisms worked in those 15 minutes, then why not in the other 75 minutes?"

For the DFB team, the international matches against Serbia (Oct 1) and in Greece (Oct 4) are on the schedule for the second Nations League week.

As planned, Klopp is calling up a second squad with new faces for the two matches. Among others, captain Joshua Kimmich will leave the team camp. "Of course, I would have liked to stay, but I also understand that the coach simply wants to get to know other lads," said the Bayern veteran.

Matthäus also commented on this issue: "I would have kept him (Kimmich, editor's note) in the squad for all four matches so that the newcomers could get to know him too."