Following its Semi-Finals appearance at the 2016 European Championship, Germany encountered difficulties in subsequent major tournaments. In its last 15 official international matches, Germany managed to come out on top four times.

This downturn began during the 2018 World Cup. The defending champions crashed out in the group stage for the first time since 1938. To make matters worse, England eliminated Germany in the round of 16 at Euro 2020. Then, the following World Cup produced another group-stage exit based on goal differential.

Germany World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger points finger at Guardiola

Now, a Die Mannschaft legend with 121 caps blames Pep Guardiola’s spell at Bayern Munich for the German demise. Bastian Schweinsteiger thinks the Manchester City manager’s attitude contributed to the decline of traditional values in German soccer.

“Well, it’s a situation that’s very tricky for the German national team and football in general,” Schweinsteiger said. “I think there has been a lot of change. You know when Pep Guardiola joined Bayern Munich when he came to the country, everyone believed we had to play this kind of football, like short passes and everything.

“We were kind of losing our values you know. I think most of the other countries were looking at Germany as a fighter and we can run until the end and everything.”

Spanish manager brought Bayern great success

Moving to Bavaria from Barcelona in 2013, the Spanish boss won three Bundesliga championships. With Schweinsteiger in the squad, he added two German Cups. Despite the team’s many victories under Guardiola’s tutelage, they were unable to win the UEFA Champions League. It did reach the semifinals on three separate occasions.

The team lost both Schweinsteiger and Guardiola in the period between 2015 and 2016.

PHOTO: IMAGO & Ulmer