Lahm Criticizes Nagelsmann: Germany Tactics Questioned

Soon national coach Julian Nagelsmann will finally know more. On Friday from 6 p.m., the world football association Fifa will draw the groups for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada in Washington. The opponents, kick-off times and venues of the German selection will be available by Saturday.

Philipp Lahm won the world tournament with Germany in 2014, beating Argentina in the final in Rio de Janeiro. Last year he organized the European Championship in Germany with his team from the German Football Association (DFB). In the interview, the former world-class defender, who recently received the Federal Cross of Merit, talks about the opportunities and problems of the German national team.

Ask: Mr. Lahm, Germany has qualified for the World Cup and is now the group leader. How did you follow the qualification?

Philipp Lahm: In recent years it has never been the case that Germany was able to be kicked out on the last day of the match or that the play-offs were threatened. There must be reasons for this. What was significant for me in qualifying was that there were enormous fluctuations. The positive example was the first half against Slovakia. You put your opponent under pressure with extreme passion and intensity. But there were other appearances like against Luxembourg that made you worry.

Ask: How do you explain these fluctuations?

Lahm: In our history I find teams that have grown together over the years. The 90s previously lost to the Netherlands in the semi-finals in 1988. We 14s had failed twice before winning the title against Spain and Italy. For both world champion teams, there was a core of players who received the reassurance from the coach that they would play. It was clear to them: they had responsibility on the pitch, they were responsible for the result. This meant that others could use them to lift themselves up. This should not be underestimated. I don’t see this development in the current team yet. For me there were too many changes, partly due to injuries, but not only. Now you don’t know: who is the core, who fits together? Julian Nagelsmann now has to get this under control as quickly as possible. In the end it was just too much back and forth for me.

Ask: What are the consequences of this?

Lahm: These many changes do not give the established players the security they need. An example is Leroy Sané. Once he is left at home, and then suddenly he plays twice from the beginning. There is a danger in this. You can burn players. I think the most important thing now is not to rotate so much. A team has to be found.

Ask: Do you see a potential core of established players who could form this hierarchy?

Lahm: Yes. I’m thinking of Jonathan Tah, Joshua Kimmich, Florian Wirtz, Leon Goretzka, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz when they’re both fit again. These are all internationally experienced players who have this recognition and show performance at an absolutely top level week after week. Whether they all play from the start is something else because that is still a coach’s matter. But the German fan doesn’t have to worry about the quality.

Ask: Can we become world champions?

Lahm: Yes, but you need continuity and automatism to develop excellence.

Ask: Continuity has also been missing in the game system so far. Sometimes it’s a four-man defense, sometimes it’s a three-man defense. Julian Nagelsmann argues that a fixed game system is no longer up to date and that flexibility is more important. How do you see that?

Lahm: We are still Germany. Actually, the opponent should be more oriented towards us than the other way around. That’s why I would always prefer an A system. This gives clarity to the players and their positions. Of course you can also play the B system.

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Ask: A symbol of the lack of continuity is Joshua Kimmich, who is pushed back and forth by Nagelsmann between right-back and midfield boss. Where do you see him?

Lahm: I think Joshua Kimmich’s optimal position is eight with a six next to it. Whether we have this classic six next to it is another question.

Ask: Could Aleksandar Pavlović be that number six?

Lahm: Pavlovic is doing quite well in midfield both at Bayern and in the national team. However, I don’t see him as a classic six.

Ask: You didn’t name a goalkeeper for your core players. Oliver Baumann played all qualifying games. Marc-André ter Stegen’s comeback is still unclear. There is also a discussion about whether Manuel Neuer doesn’t have to go to the World Cup after all. Does he have to?

Lahm: Manuel has resigned and as long as he doesn’t say he’s available again, there’s really no debate. We currently have four or even more good goalkeepers. We don’t have a problem with that position. The only question at the moment is: How will Marc-André ter Stegen get back from injury and will he play again? It’s also a fact: We don’t have a goalkeeper who has become world goalkeeper five times. There is only one and that is Manu.

Ask: You listed Kai Havertz in the attack, not Nick Woltemade.

Lahm: Kai Havertz has already proven that he can deliver top performances internationally. He scored the decisive goal in a Champions League final and also had all the experience in tournaments with the national team and in clubs at the highest level. With Nick Woltemade you have to see. You shouldn’t forget that he hasn’t been playing football at this level for long.

Ask: How do you see Florian Wirtz’s low performance after his move to Liverpool FC?

Lahm: You can worry about Liverpool at the moment, but not about Florian Wirtz. He has already proven that he has the quality. He has also proven that he can deal with setbacks such as his knee injury and come back to continue playing at his high level. He will therefore be very, very important for the national team.

Ask: Saïd El Mala or Lennart Karl – does one of these talents have to go to the World Cup?

Lahm: The next six months will show that. Both Karl and El Mala need appearances at their clubs and have to prove that they can always play consistently. You always expect a dip in performance from such young players. But it doesn’t have to come. I would be happy if both of them just continued to play football consistently at the top level. Then they are definitely an option.

Ask: You mentioned the 6-0 win over Slovakia as a positive example. There were five Bayern players in the starting line-up for the game. Is it perhaps that simple: in order to be successful, you field all of Bayern’s German players?

Lahm: At the moment we have to ask the question again: Who should actually beat Bayern in the Bundesliga? And then the potential national players are all candidates for the starting lineup for the national teams.

Ask: In other words: Should Julian Nagelsmann take his cue from Vincent Kompany? The Bayern coach is successful by relying on continuity with players and the system.

Lahm: Vincent Kompany has defined clear roles. Every player, every fan has an idea of ​​who the first eleven are. And when a central defender needs a break, Minjae Kim comes in. Or on the offensive then Lennart Karl. The changes to the full-backs will come to an end as soon as Alphonso Davies is fit again. This means Bayern appear as a team. You can at least develop the fantasy that they will win the Champions League this autumn.

Ask: FC Bayern is considered one of the favorites to win the Champions League, the national team is only an outsider at the World Cup. The core of the players is the same. What does the DFB team need from Bayern?

Lahm: Football class is present in every generation, and we have it now too. German teams were always successful when they showed intensity and passion. And when their players built a shared trust that they could win titles. Julian Nagelsmann now has to develop this trust with the team.

The interview was created for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, “Bild”, “Sport Bild”) and first published in “Sport Bild”.