Germany fans reel as Nagelsmann blamed beyond saving

Germany’s World Cup exit came with a familiar sting — and a new fury. After being held 1-1 by Paraguay and losing 4-3 on penalties, Julian Nagelsmann’s side were branded a “colossal disgrace” as Jonathan Tah’s decisive penalty was ruled against when an extra-t

The noise started before the last thought of the shootout had even faded. Germany’s World Cup ended against Paraguay with a 4-3 penalty defeat after a 1-1 draw, and when Jonathan Tah fired his decisive effort over the bar, it wasn’t just an elimination — it was a public reckoning.

German media landed on the same words, sharp and uncompromising. BILD branded the performance a “colossal disgrace” and said the national team had “embarrassed itself to the bone.” In their view. Julian Nagelsmann’s coaching had been exposed. with the coach accused of “grossly overestimating his team and his own abilities.” Kicker called the defeat an “indictment of German football and Nagelsmann. ” saying Nagelsmann had “not managed to bundle and promote the strengths of his team.”.

The anger also found a specific flashpoint. During extra time. an extra-time goal was controversially ruled out following a VAR review after Tah had put the decisive penalty over the bar later in the match. The feeling among Germany’s supporters and press was that the tournament swung on moments like that — and that the team never fully recovered its footing.

BILD’s condemnation didn’t pull its punches about how Germany started. “In the first half. the DFB eleven presented itself completely without ideas. ” BILD assessed. as they gave Nagelsmann’s side their lowest possible rating. Kicker and other outlets framed the elimination as a pattern of weakness too — and demanded change now.

Nagelsmann, for his part, refused to bow to the immediate calls coming from home. He insisted he would not resign following Germany’s exit, even as the elimination triggered strong reaction and talk of a shake-up.

Die Zeit der Kritik soon sharpened into accusations about what Nagelsmann is doing between matches. Dietmar Hamann. who was part of the Germany squad that reached the 2002 World Cup final. blamed Nagelsmann for the national team’s latest failure. He accused the 38-year-old of “barely watching” matches to analyse players or opponents.

“I believe heart comes from team spirit, from being together, from trusting that your teammates will be there when you need them. I feel that was never the case under this coach,” Hamann said on RTE.

Hamann didn’t stop at the idea of a missing spark. He described an ongoing dip in output. saying Germany had “a few performances that were okay. ” but “on average their performances were disappointing.” He linked those frustrations to Germany’s past major-tournament exits. saying: “They always talk about the atmosphere in the camp – it’s great to say that. but you have to show it!”.

He went further, insisting it’s a coach’s responsibility to bring the group together — and argued Nagelsmann wasn’t doing the groundwork.

“Obviously it’s the coach, it’s a coach’s job to get the lads together. This guy rarely watches games,” Hamann added. “He wasn’t even in Milan to see Bisseck, a player he should have taken to the World Cup. In two and a half years. he never went to Brentford to watch Schade. a player who scored ten goals last season. He probably watches one or two Bundesliga games a month.”.

Hamann also painted a wider picture of missed opportunities. He referenced Champions League matches where Real Madrid played. and pointed to January’s Africa Cup of Nations. saying Nagelsmann “could have seen Ivory Coast or other potential opponents.” He added that he did not attend the Club World Cup where matches were played in stadiums. listing Martinez. Tuchel and Deschamps as being present in contrast to Germany’s coach.

“That’s why I have no sympathy for him. I believe he and the team got what they deserved,” Hamann said.

The criticism then moved from performance to future planning. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung concluded that the relationship was “beyond saving,” describing an expectation that Nagelsmann leaves his position. From there. attention quickly turned to Jürgen Klopp. a former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund coach long-touted as a possible successor.

Klopp was pitchside for the Paraguay match in his role for German broadcaster Magenta TV, and he pushed back when asked about the job. “I have a job that I really enjoy and as far as I know, it’s not a part-time job,” Klopp said.

He also refused to turn his comments into speculation, focusing instead on Germany’s immediate reality. “The fact is. Germany was eliminated today. and this is not the moment for me to think about Jurgen Klopp’s future.” When pressed on becoming head coach. Klopp insisted: “I haven’t thought about that yet. I’ve often been in that situation myself as a coach, where a big dream has been shattered.”.

Klopp added that he understood how the conversation worked — but said it wasn’t the time for it. “I understand that when people talk about the national coach, my name is mentioned. But it’s not the right moment to talk about it, especially not with me.”

The debate about change didn’t stay with the coach alone. Mats Hummels — a World Cup winner — argued that tough decisions are required after a run of failures on the biggest stages. Germany have now had three consecutive early exits since winning the World Cup in 2014: group stage eliminations in 2018 and 2022. and now a last-32 exit this year.

Hummels also pointed to Germany’s exits at the last two European Championships, saying they were eliminated in the last-16 and quarter-finals. He reminded viewers that Germany’s most recent semi-final was in 2016.

Hummels argued that the standards can’t be owned only by leadership. “Hummels insisted that Germany stars needed to take their share of the blame after falling short at major tournaments under several coaches,” the report notes.

He said there is a “need for consequences” and expects several members of the squad to announce their international retirements or be axed by the next Germany manager.

“We’ve had the home European Championship, the home Nations League, and this tournament. In retrospect, the home European Championship is still being talked up too much in terms of sporting performance,” Hummels said.

He also judged the other tournaments harshly. “The other two tournaments were both disappointing. That’s why this needs to be addressed. Both by the national coach himself and by the federation. On the players’ side, I can certainly imagine that some will retire of their own accord.”

Hummels said decisions may also have to involve players who are still only in their early 30s but have missed chances across multiple cycles. “One might also have to address decisions concerning players who are perhaps only in their early 30s now. but have already missed the chance to play a good tournament or achieve good results for Germany in four. five. six tournaments.”.

Because, in his view, the drought since Euro 2016 has been too long to ignore. “Because for me it’s no coincidence that Germany hasn’t had a single strong tournament since Euro 2016.”

He summed up the logic with responsibility on both sides — players and coaches — and said some would step away. “It starts first and foremost with the players, because we’ve had several different coaches in between. And I expect some of them to say themselves. ‘I’m not continuing.’ But I also expect the current. or potentially new. national coach to make some tough decisions.”.

Germany’s World Cup ended on penalties and it started a new fight at home — not just about who should take the blame, but about how far the changes might need to go now that another major-tournament disappointment has been added to the list.

Germany Paraguay World Cup Julian Nagelsmann Jonathan Tah penalties VAR Jürgen Klopp Mats Hummels BILD Kicker Dietmar Hamann