According to an opinion piece in Bild, the German national team is currently only at a mediocre level and may continue to decline further in the future.

After Germany's 0-1 loss to Greece, Schweinsteiger stated, "We have fallen to a mediocre level."

Bild then opened a discussion around this assessment.

Honestly, I don't know what there is to discuss. When we can't even reach the quarterfinals in three consecutive World Cups, that's mediocre. What else could it be called? Elite? World class? That's just wishful thinking.

Yes, we are mediocre! And it could get even worse.

Don't believe me? Just look at Italy! They were once very strong, winning the World Cup four times, just like us. Now they have missed three consecutive World Cups and have completely lost their standing. As everyone knows, this status is below mediocre, and such a decline can happen very quickly!

We no longer have a single truly world-class player, nor do we have any natural leaders! Who can the team look to for leadership? At most, only Kimmich comes to mind. Perhaps that's a bit harsh, but in my opinion, his commendable drive resembles more of a Duracell bunny than that of a truly composed leader.

There are no longer those distinctive players we once had. For example, Brehme, Matthäus, Effenberg, Kahn, Klinsmann, or Schweinsteiger. The list could go on and on.

Then there's the issue of the attitude of these highly paid stars. When Wirtz arrived for his first training session under Klopp, which was in a sense "ground zero" for German football, he carried a bright pink Louis Vuitton luxury bag worth over 10,000 euros, which I find completely unacceptable. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but if it were me, I'd choose an Adidas sports bag. Especially when your own performance isn't exactly luxurious.

Klopp is undoubtedly the most suitable person to coach the German national team right now and get things back on track. But those who believe that German football's problems cannot be solved by him alone are also right. The problems run much deeper, for example in youth development.

That is why I am shocked by World Cup winner Mertesacker. Although the problems have long been well-known, he won't officially take up the role of sporting director for the German Football Association until January 1st. Until then, Andreas Rettig can continue to make things worse.

Sadly, the entire German Football Association is also only at a mediocre level!

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