Philipp Lahm stated to “Zeitmagazin” that the German national team has long lacked a solid core. The former World Cup winner and football player lamented that in recent years, the squad has lacked an answer to the question, “Who is this team?” He suggested that the sporting leadership failed to give the team a clear identity. Despite this, he maintains that Germany remains among the nations capable of winning titles.
Meanwhile, former national player Paul Breitner referenced past formulas for success. He recalled the 1974 World Cup team, calling the cohesion “rather simple” because they “dominated the team with six players from FC Bayern”. He noted that for decades, the national team relied on having a Bayern bloc, which was “naturally only useful if they were the best”. When these players were of high caliber, they were accepted by the others. “Then they would say: How must I adapt to the playing style of this block? That makes everything much easier”. Breitner argued that this kind of dynamic is missing in the current national squad.
Stefan Reuter, who won the World Cup in 1990, responded to “Zeitmagazin”‘s inquiry about the hierarchy in the current national team by stating, “I cannot really say that-perhaps the answer lies in that itself”.
