🧐 Are the players good enough? Toni Kroos gives brutal Germany verdict | OneFootball

The international matches are behind the German national team. After the bitter 0:2 defeat against Slovakia, there was a 3:1 victory against Northern Ireland, but the team of national coach Julian Nagelsmann did not really convince. For many players, it's now time to lick their wounds.

The question is in the room: Why does the DFB selection struggle even against supposedly weaker opponents? Toni Kroos has a clear opinion - which he revealed in his podcast 'Einfach mal Luppen' with his brother Felix.

"When I look at the squad, I doubt that you knew all the players who were there. Or am I wrong?", Felix Kroos provocatively asked at the beginning. Three, four strong Bundesliga weeks are currently enough to land in the national team, he added.

In response, Toni Kross said: "You have a point. Can you blame me for that?" He also joked that nowadays his brother would have had a chance to qualify for the DFB squad. Felix Kroos made it to 80 Bundesliga games for Bremen and Union, but never as a national player. Today he is a TV expert.

Then the 2014 World Champion got serious: "The fact that we are currently miles away from talking about the World Champion title is true. But: It wasn't this summer, but next summer. As it stands now, we are miles away and really not good. But in the summer - let the right players get fit..."

A sentence that feels like a slap in the face for many of the current national players. After all, key players like Jamal Musiala, Marc-André ter Stegen or Kai Havertz were missing against Slovakia and Northern Ireland. Tim Kleindienst and Nico Schlotterbeck were also injured, Niclas Füllkrug had to leave before the Slovakia game.

Nagelsmann can't "choose from a pot of 50 international top players," Toni Kroos added. "If you now take a step above the international class, it really gets very tight."

But the former Real star doesn't want to accept excuses: "No matter which squad you put there, it should be enough in these games," the Real legend makes clear.

Do you agree with Toni Kroos? Let us know in the comments.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 TOBIAS SCHWARZ - AFP or licensors