Nagelsmann 'rarely watches games', claims Hamann after Germany's penalty exit to Paraguay

Germany crashed out of the World Cup in the last 32 on Monday, losing to Paraguay on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Boston — and former international Didi Hamann has placed the blame squarely on manager Julian Nagelsmann, accusing him of “rarely watching games”.

Julio Enciso put Paraguay ahead just before half-time, but Kai Havertz equalised early in the second half. Neither side could find a winner in extra time, with Jonathan Tah having a potential goal ruled out by VAR. In the shootout, Havertz missed Germany’s opening kick, and while Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, and Nadiem Amiri all converted, Nick Woltemade and Tah also failed to score, sealing Germany’s elimination.

It marks Germany’s first-ever penalty-shootout defeat and extends a miserable run of tournament exits under Nagelsmann, who also oversaw a quarter-final loss on home soil at Euro 2024. Before his tenure, Germany had gone out in the group stage at the previous two World Cups.

Hamann, 52, was scathing in his assessment, telling RTE: “This is a guy who rarely watches games, rarely watches games. He’s never been once in Milan to watch [Yann] Bisseck play; he should’ve taken him to the World Cup. He’s never been in Brentford in two-and-a-half years to watch [Kevin] Schade, who scored 10 goals last season and 10 goals the season before.”

Hamann went further, contrasting Nagelsmann’s approach with that of rival coaches. “In the Bundesliga, he might be watching one or two games a month. There’s Champions League games where Real Madrid played. [Portugal coach Roberto] Martinez is here, [England coach Thomas] Tuchel is here. [France coach Didier] Deschamps, who’s won everything, is in his mid-60s, is in America for three weeks. Who’s not there? Our man.”

The former midfielder also questioned the team’s cohesion, arguing that Nagelsmann had failed to build the unity required at international level. “Heart and bottle comes from team spirit, from being together, from knowing you can trust your teammates,” he said. “I just feel, under this manager, that’s never been the case really. It’s the manager’s job to get the lads united.”

Hamann concluded without sympathy: “I think the team and he got everything they deserved, and they’re going home tomorrow.”