Schweinsteiger harsh on Germany: ‘We no longer have players who make the difference’

Germany fell again, this time in front of their own fans. The German national team lost 1-0 to Greece in last night’s Nations League match in Augsburg, with Dimitrios Kourbelis scoring the winner in the 74th minute. It was Jürgen Klopp’s first defeat as Germany coach, in only his second match in charge of the national team.

The performance inevitably drew criticism, and among the harshest voices was that of Bastian Schweinsteiger, a 2014 World Cup winner with Germany and now a television pundit. After the match, the former Bayern midfielder gave a blunt assessment of the national team’s current level: “We are no longer a top-level team. Now we are an average team.”

“We no longer have players capable of making the difference. Greece also have Karetsas, Tzolis and Pavlidis. For me, they are players who can make the difference. I hope Jürgen Klopp can build a team capable of playing Klopp football,” he added.