Klopp Reacts to Compatriots' Debacle, Germany Criticizes Final Venue: "Unworthy"

"We adopted the wrong approach against an aggressive opponent. From the 12th minute onwards, our play lacked depth, and we defended in a single block. Perhaps the coach wanted to test something. You need to combine your qualities with sound tactics. It looked as though Ecuador wanted to win far more than we did. They were much more aggressive," stated Jürgen Klopp.

German journalists were equally critical, yet they also highlighted the organizers' failure regarding the pitch quality, which the French had previously complained about.

"One thing is clear. Before the World Cup final kicks off on July 19th, a new turf must be laid at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, or the final must be played in another city. This dreadful pitch was unworthy of a World Cup, although the same could be said for Germany's performance," wrote the Bild newspaper.

The Kicker portal primarily focused on Manuel Neuer's error leading to Gonzalo Plata's goal. "Nagelsmann's change in the goalkeeper position did not pay off," the journalists concluded regarding the goalkeeper, who returned to the squad specifically for this tournament and received the worst possible rating for his performance against Ecuador.

According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's coach also bears responsibility for the defeat. "He wanted to do something positive and test players from the bench. However, this backfired. Uncertainty suddenly emerged around the German team as several issues surfaced. And the knockout stage is yet to begin," German journalists commented on their team's further participation in the tournament.