"We can’t afford to make those errors" – Völler warns Germany over midfield lapses | OneFootball

After Germany advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup in first place in Group E with two wins and a loss, Rudi Völler has analysed the team’s performances so far.

“Even when things got tricky, we showed tremendous passion and fighting spirit. In the second and third games, however, we gave the ball away unnecessarily in midfield when looking to go forward,” Völler said at a press conference on Saturday ahead of Monday’s round-of-32 clash with Paraguay, referring to Germany’s 2-1 win over Ivory Coast and 2-1 defeat to Ecuador.

“Teams such as Ivory Coast and Ecuador are capable of punishing those mistakes. Not everything will always come off, but we can't afford to make those errors in crucial areas. We have players whose strengths lie in creating chances, dribbling and taking risks, and we want them to do that, provided it is balanced with the necessary discipline," added Germany's director of professional football.

The German team have come in for criticism after their loss to Ecuador, but Völler believes the defeat should be put into context, pointing out that Julian Nagelsmann’s side were already assured of top spot in the group before the game.

“We went into the Ecuador game knowing we had already qualified. We wanted to maintain our momentum, so we made relatively few changes, which was the right decision," Völler said. 

"Like Ivory Coast, Ecuador were opponents we knew would pose a difficult challenge. We made several substitutions in the second half with the knockout stages in mind and rested a few players. That was also the right decision, regardless of the result. 

"We would obviously have liked to win, but we can take the defeat in our stride and put it into context. We remain a team capable of beating anyone when we perform at our best.”