According to Bild, German Football Association sporting director Rudy Völler stated in Mainz that the German team's biggest need is to improve its defense.
At the BDFL (German Football Coaches Association) international coaching conference in Mainz, Völler took a clear stance and criticized World Cup runners-up Argentina. The 1990 World Cup champions didn't understand why so many people used Argentina as a defensive model. "I've said that as the German team, we must defend better. Many people use Argentina as an example. I think it's a very bad example. Argentina has suddenly become the standard by which everything is measured, and I think this discussion is a bit hypocritical," Völler said.
He then put it more bluntly: "I don't want a team that plays like Argentina. That's not football at all." This remark drew applause from the audience, which included many well-known coaches and other figures from across Germany. Völler also emphasized that he acknowledged Argentina's achievements but didn't understand the high praise given to their tough, sometimes not-so-clean, style of play: "Yes, they are world champions, and this time they were runners-up in the World Cup. But I really don't understand the praise they're receiving."
According to Völler, the German team should learn from other teams, especially Spain and England. He believes that these two teams demonstrated at the World Cup how to maintain their own style of play while also doing a good job defensively: "Spain deserves these praises, and England's defense is also excellent."
