He finds clear words. After the shameful exit of the DFB team from the World Cup 1/8 finals against Paraguay (4:5 n.d.) we are talking about the future of coach Julian Nagelsmann. And also about troubleshooting. During the preliminary report on VMTV pundit Bastian Schweinsteiger (41) makes this clear in the round of 16 between England and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2:1).
Schweini on ARD: “My former colleagues tell me that we have lost our DNA. Many years ago we made the mistake of looking only for football solutions. We abandoned or neglected our own strengths and virtues for which we were respected abroad. Now we no longer have football solutions in games – and we can no longer keep up with reliability and intensity. Mexico, for example, has this more than us. We’ve made big mistakes in the past and now we’ve been eliminated three times. such an early World Cup is no longer a coincidence.”
This sentence reveals it: The expert is sure: Klopp will be the national team coach!
07/01/2026
Germany’s gloomy forecast from Schweini
Could the situation change for the next European Championships in Great Britain and Ireland in 2028? Schweinsteiger: “At the moment I don’t have much hope, we are mediocre, that’s the truth. Now we have to analyze and build everything again, and that requires energy and strength. The German Football Association has to ask itself whether Julian Nagelsmann can do it or if someone new will come in to replace him.”
Nagelsmann has been heavily criticized since his early departure, with public calls for Jurgen Klopp (59) as his successor growing louder. In the coming days, DFB officials around President Bernd Neuendorf (64), Vice-President Hans-Joachim Watzke (67), Sporting Director Rudi Völler (66) and Managing Director Andreas Rettig (63) want to discuss the future at the summit.
“I also have to hold the players accountable.”
ARD presenter Esther Sedlacek asks Schweini: “If Jurgen Klopp had agreed, would the DFB have had to do everything possible to get him?” Schweinsteiger: “Well, Germany can imagine Jurgen Klopp as national coach and of course him too. If you are Jurgen Klopp, what improvements? Julian Nagelsmann has a contract, we must respect that too. The president and his colleagues must ask themselves the question: can Julian Nagelsmann create an atmosphere of optimism, and also do you allow the ghost of Klopp to wander around?”
Julian Nagelsmann came under fire after leaving the World Cup
He continues: “Of course, he made his mistakes, including in communication. There were a lot of construction sites where he could have presented himself differently. I have worked with coaches who were a little calmer in situations, and this also affects the team. But the question is also who can guarantee us that we will be more successful with a new coach, what kind of game material do we have? I also have to hold the players accountable, what they did was not very good either.”