Erik Meijer and Frank Wormuth have been critical of the state of German football ahead of the Nations League match against the Netherlands. In an interview with the NOS, the two discussed why Die Mannschaft has been in decline in recent years. Meijer knows what the problem is: 'There's been a lack of a true leader on the pitch and off it for years', he said.
Meijer believes this is partly due to the current times. 'True leaders are no longer being made. Taking responsibility and handling it well is no longer normal', he stated. According to Meijer, this is also reflected in the way young players are being taught. 'If you teach children to play football like this, you won't be able to succeed in the long term', he warned.
Meijer is also critical of the way the German team is being managed. 'It's unbelievable that Joshua Kimmich accepted that', he said. 'I would have told the coach to go to the World Cup, but I'm going on holiday with my wife this summer'.