Germany's little lesson: Argentina not a model after World Cup loss

Today at 08:40, Rudi Völler, sporting director of the German FA DFB, warned that after three consecutive World Cup failures Germany cannot look to Argentina as a model, noting the Argentinians’ frantic border‑crossing attempts in North America ended in a final defeat to Spain.

Völler stressed that the string of three missed World Cups demands a major overhaul within the German setup. He said the federation must rethink its approach to regain competitiveness on the global stage.

During the knockout phase in North America, the Argentinians repeatedly pushed beyond the sidelines in a desperate bid to retain the title. Their aggressive tactics, however, failed to translate into success.

The campaign culminated in a final where Spain proved too strong, handing Argentina a decisive loss. The defeat underscored the limits of Argentina’s strategy.

"I do not want to play like Argentina. That had little to do with football," Völler told . "Spain deserves much praise for their collective defending, and to a lesser extent England as well," he added.

Germany’s own exit came in the round of 16 at the hands of Paraguay, prompting a critical review of the squad. The loss highlighted gaps in the national team’s depth.

Völler observed that Germany does not possess as many absolute top talents as France or other leading nations, but still boasts quality players. He cited Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and Kai Havertz as world‑class performers who, for various reasons, could not showcase their level at the World Cup.

In a parallel development, Jürgen Klopp has been appointed to replace Julian Nagelsmann as head coach. Nagelsmann had faced media criticism for rarely appearing at matches.

Klopp is expected to visit stadiums more frequently, though Völler noted that this will not explain Jonathan Tah’s missed penalty against Paraguay. He suggested that Nagelsmann struggled to inspire the team and that criticism quickly turned negative.