Michael Ballack warns Germany not to repeat the mistakes they made after the 2018 World Cup

Michael Ballack has urged the German Football Association not to make the same mistakes they made in 2018 after another dismal World Cup performance.

Germany have missed out on the World Cup in the group stage for the second tournament in a row and Ballack hopes the DFB have learned from four years ago.

speaking to magenta tv, after leaving Germany, Ballack said: ‘This is what happens when there is no self-criticism. We should not make the same mistake as in 2018 again.’

After the World Cup in Russia, Germany stayed with their former coach Joachim Low, something Ballack believes was a mistake.

Ballack continued: “The president just said after the removal [in 2018]: The DFB and the coaching staff will now analyze it, and then Jogi stayed at the end”

Low was finally sacked in 2021, following a 2-0 round of 16 loss to England at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament.

This left current boss Hansi Flick with just a year to prepare for the World Cup, which turned out to be another disaster for German football.

Ballack went on to criticize the style of football Germany plays under Flick, as well as the manager himself, citing the success of other teams with smaller squads.

The former Chelsea midfielder said: “Every position in the DFB must be questioned, including the manager.

‘You don’t get very far with this type of football. We see it in the teams that have less talent than us but give us problems.’

Germany were among the favorites to win the tournament before the World Cup began, but an opening game against Japan derailed their tournament.

Flick’s team improved their results every day, but in the end four points were not enough to ensure qualification for the round of 16.