'We are no longer a top team' - Bastian Schweinsteiger tears into Jurgen Klopp's struggling Germany after historic Greece humiliation
Historic Augsburg defeat stuns hosts
Germany suffered a humiliating 1-0 defeat at home to Greece in their latest UEFA Nations League fixture in Augsburg on Sunday night. Dimitrios Kourbelis' 74th-minute strike, which took a wicked deflection off Joshua Kimmich, sealed a historic victory for the visitors. The shock result marked Die Mannschaft's first-ever defeat against Greece across 11 competitive meetings between the two nations.
Pundit laments drop into mediocrity
Speaking to ARD presenter Esther Sedlaczek after the final whistle, the former Germany captain pulled no punches over the hosts' toothless attacking display.
Lamenting the national side's alarming slide in standards, Schweinsteiger said: "We're no longer a top team, we've settled into mediocrity. We haven't managed to put the pressure on the opponent in a way that would cause any problems."
Contrasting the performance with their previous outing, the Bayern Munich legend noted that Die Mannschaft "didn't generate enough pressure," though he conceded they "did better" during Thursday's 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.
Match winners missing from frontline
Addressing Klopp's extensive rotation across a bloated 44-man selection pool, Schweinsteiger argued that Germany lacked decisive match-winners to match Greece's Konstantinos Karetsas, Christos Tzolis, and Vangelis Pavlidis.
He pointed to Karim Adeyemi being deployed on the right flank rather than the left, where the forward has thrived for his new club. Assessing the former Dortmund star's role, Schweinsteiger observed: "He's had an incredibly good start at Barcelona, his strengths are being utilised well there. He's playing on the left there, and that's where I see him playing."
However, the former Germany captain refused to point the finger at the manager, demanding personal accountability from the squad instead: "Klopp isn't a magician. It's hard work. But the players also need to ask themselves a little: Is this all there is?"
Manager seeks urgent turnaround
The shock loss leaves Germany winless in four outings since the 2026 World Cup group stage. Die Mannschaft need a quick response when they host Serbia on matchday three on Thursday, October 1. Klopp's men then head to Greece three days later, needing to avenge their Augsburg setback to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
