Matthäus rejects Schweinsteiger's mediocrity, stresses mentality

After the 0-1 defeat to Greece, Bastian Schweinsteiger said that the German national team was now just average. Lothar Matthäus strongly disagrees and claims that the team still has enough class. In his view, this is the real DFB problem and he points to a mental weakness.

Schweinsteiger, who appeared as an expert for the ARD programme, criticised the lack of individuality after the start. “We are no longer a top team. We have reached mediocrity. We no longer have those players who make the difference,” he said.

Like Matthäus, the 63‑year‑old record international, told the editorial that the team is not mediocre. “Our national team is not mediocre!” he emphasized, pointing to professionals who regularly play at the highest club level.

The disappointing start under Jürgen Klopp, marked by the 0-1 defeat to Greece, has reignited the debate about the squad’s quality.

Matthäus demands clear support from Klopp for Kimmich

Squad Quality

He cited Kai Havertz, Karim Adeyemi, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and captain Joshua Kimmich as examples. He acknowledged weaknesses, but did not consider them fundamental to Schweinsteiger’s criticism.

Matthäus diagnosed the real problem as mental in nature. “The national players have a mentality problem, not a quality problem!” he explained, calling for a stronger winner’s mindset.

Mentality and Klopp

He placed great hopes in Jürgen Klopp, the new national team coach. “If anyone can transfer it to this squad, it’s him,” Matthäus said, emphasizing that Klopp could instill the missing mentality.

Thus, a clear disagreement remains between the two world champions regarding the quality of the current squad, while both acknowledge the coach’s key role for a sporting turnaround. Both stress that a mental shift is crucial for returning to the international top spot.