BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER reckons that Pep Guardiola is to blame to the German national team's downfall.
Since winning the World Cup in 2014, Germany have flopped at a number of major tournaments.
The four-time world champions were dumped out in the group stage in 2018 and 2022, and crashed out of Euro 2020 to England in the last-16.
Ex-Manchester United star Schweinsteiger was a key man for Germany in 2014, and played for his country 121 times.
Quizzed why his national team have struggled in recent years, the former midfielder pointed to changes inspired by Guardiola.
Schweinsteiger, 38, played for the Manchester City boss at Bayern Munich between 2013 and 2015 – before leaving his boyhood club for United.
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He told talkSPORT: "When Pep Guardiola joined Bayern Munich, when he came to the country, everyone believed we have to play this kind of football, like short passes and everything.
"We were kind of losing our values.
"I think most of the other countries were looking at Germany as a fighter, we can run until the end and everything.
"The strengths got lost through the last seven, eight years.
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"We forgot about that and were more focused on playing the ball nicely to each other. That's one of the reasons."
Germany were booed off by their own fans after losing 2-0 to Colombia last month.
Hansi Flick's side, who host next year's Euros, had a disastrous international break – also losing to Poland and drawing 3-3 with Ukraine.
Guardiola, 52, won three consecutive Bundesliga titles and two DFB Pokal's during his time at Bayern – but didn't manage to triumph in the Champions League.
He moved to City in 2016 – where he has won five Prem titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups – in addition to that elusive Champions League triumph.
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