Former Germany captain, part of the 2008 runner-up squad Micheal Ballack (former Chelsea star) slammed former national manager Joachim Low’s decisions during the team’s game versus England. Germany was knocked out by England on Tuesday. Low was sacked as the German manager after a stint that lasted 15 years.
Germany had ‘no courage to go forward’ and were hampered by ‘a lack of ambition’, several former players said following their Euro 2020 exit.
What Michael Ballack, who was overlooked for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is a former Chelsea star and he stated on MagentaTV
Late goals by England’s Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane saw Germany knocked out. The game put an end to their struggling and fluctuating Euro 2020 campaign.
“[It was] sobering, unconscious. The first half showed that we had no answers, that we had withdrawn unnecessarily. I do not understand why he waited so long to make his substitutions.”
Low managed the team for a decade and a half. The 61-year-old drove Germany to a World Cup in 2014. However, Low’s managerial time in national colours did not get the fairytale finish he would’ve hoped for.
Another former player, Fredi Bobic, a part of Germany’s 1996 World Cup-winning squad echoed Ballack’s criticism when he said, “Even in the past, his changes have been questionable.”
“[Elimination is] absolutely deserved. We had no courage going forward. Even after going a goal down, we offered nothing, except for one chance. It was very passive. It is a shame we missed this opportunity.”
Lukas Podolski, a member of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning side, said that he did not feel they showed the capacity to score against England.
“There was a lack of ambition. That is what I saw, a lack of fighting spirit. It all seems so bleak when you see the faces of the players; there’s nothing that moves.”
The former star who has been managed by Low added, “A fire could break out in the stadium. They would stay on the pitch. We are missing the absolute will to score a goal.”
Stefan Kuntz; German U-21 had this to say about the performance
More criticism came from Stefan Kuntz, Germany’s U-21 coach. He said that Germany’s defence too was lacklustre.
“Our defence was never really good. A back three could not truly convince that it was stable. It has to play on one line; when it is not possible, you confuse everything. You can only drop deeper and deeper. That was a problem we had right throughout the tournament.”
The German team, after letting go Joachim Low, have also lost the services of Tony Kroos, after the midfielder announced retirement on Friday.
The team will be on the path for Qatar 2022 World Cup qualification in September. They are scheduled to face Liechtenstein in Switzerland before games against Armenia and Iceland round off their first batch of autumn games.
After Low, it is Bayern Munich’s decorated former coach Hansi Flick, who is expected to take charge of the German national team.
