Matthaus backs Klopp to restore Germany’s winning mentality

Lothar Matthaus has rejected Bastian Schweinsteiger’s criticism of Germany, insisting the national team still has enough quality to succeed under new head coach Jurgen Klopp.

Germany began Klopp’s tenure with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands before losing 1-0 to Greece in the group stage of the Nations League. Those results have renewed debate about the strength of the team, with Schweinsteiger questioning whether it remains among Europe’s elite.

But Matthaus believes Germany’s main weakness is psychological rather than technical.

“Our national team is not average,” Matthaus told Bild. “We have enough players capable of changing the course of a match, and they prove week after week at major clubs such as Bayern Munich and Barcelona and Arsenal that they possess outstanding quality.”

Schweinsteiger, the 2014 World Cup winner, made his assessment after the defeat by Greece while working as an analyst for ARD.

“We are no longer a top-level team,” he said. “We have reached a modest level. We no longer have the players who make the difference.”

Matthaus strongly disagrees, pointing to several members of the current squad as evidence that Germany still possesses elite talent.

“The national team players do not have a problem with quality, but with their mentality,” he said. “Germany needs to recover the resilience and winning mentality that used to intimidate everyone.”

The 1990 World Cup winner believes Klopp is the right coach to bring that character back to the side.

“If there is someone who can instil that spirit in this team, it is him,” Matthaus said.

He highlighted Kai Havertz’s role at Arsenal, describing the forward as a player whose position at the club was fully deserved. Arsenal are the English champions and runners-up in the Champions League, according to Matthaus’ assessment.

“​Kai Havertz does not play as a striker for Arsenal, the English champions and Champions League runners-up, by accident,” he said.

Matthaus also praised Karim Adeyemi, saying the player is at the peak of his form with Barcelona. He added that Germany had exceptional quality in attack through Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, while Joshua Kimmich provided the team with “a real leader”.

His positive view extended to the defence, particularly Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah.

Matthaus also singled out Yann-Aurel Bisseck, who has established himself at Inter Milan. He cited the opinion of his former team-mate Giuseppe Bergomi, the former Inter player, who had described Bisseck as a world-class footballer.

“My former team-mate Giuseppe Bergomi praised him and said he really is a world-class player,” Matthaus said. “When an expert like him tells me that, I believe him.”

Although Matthaus and Schweinsteiger differ in their assessment of Germany’s current squad, both agree that Jurgen Klopp is the correct choice to lead the national team back to success.