'The strengths got lost' - Bastian Schweinsteiger claims Pep ...
AFP
Bastian Schweinsteiger says Pep Guardiola must shoulder some blame for Germany's decline due to his coaching style at Bayern.
WHAT HAPPENED? After having reached the semi-finals in Euro 2016, Die Mannschaft have struggled in major tournaments. They were knocked out of the group stages in the 2018 and 2022 editions of the World Cup and also suffered a second-round exit in Euro 2020. Schweinsteiger, who played under Guardiola at Bayern Munich for two seasons before the coach's departure for Manchester City in 2016, has attributed the loss of Germany's values to Guardiola's coaching style during his time at Bayern Munich. The former Germany international believes the national team became too focused on playing possession-based football and lost sight of their strengths as a fighting team.
WHAT THEY SAID: "When Pep Guardiola joined Bayern Munich, when he came to the country, everyone believed we have to play this kind of football, like short passes and everything. We were kind of losing our values," he said to British radio station talkSPORT.
"I think most of the other countries were looking at Germany as a fighter, we can run until the end and everything. The strengths got lost through the last seven, eight years. We forgot about that and were more focused on playing the ball nicely to each other.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Although Bayern won won three Bundesliga titles, two German Cups and a Club World Cup during Guardiola's tensure, they also lost in three successive semi-finals of the Champions League.
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WHAT NEXT? Germany face the challenge of rebuilding and rediscovering their identity under coach Hansi Flick. With only three wins in their last 11 games, Germany's confidence is low as they prepare to host Euro 2024. The team will need to address the issues highlighted by Schweinsteiger and find a balance between playing attractive football and leveraging their traditional strengths. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola continues to enjoy success with Manchester City, having recently won the treble.
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