Germany and Arsenal star Kai Havertz has responded to criticism from former England striker Gary Lineker, who described the current German side as 'one of the weakest national teams ever'. Julian Nagelsmann's team is preparing to face Paraguay in the World Cup Round of 32, aiming to continue their tournament bid.
Germany were stunned in their final group match against Ecuador, losing 2-1 in one of the biggest World Cup shocks in history. The FIFA-ranked 23rd nation came from behind to beat Germany and qualify for the knockout stages, with Gonzalo Plata scoring 13 minutes from time after Nilson Angulo cancelled out Leroy Sane's opener.
Lineker's brutal verdict
Lineker did not mince his words when assessing Germany's chances in an interview with French outlet L'Equipe. The former England striker, who saw Harry Kane break his record as the most prolific Englishman in the competition, dismissed the four-time winners' chances.
Lineker said: "I think, I could be wrong, that this is one of the weakest German national teams I've seen. France can qualify for the quarter-finals without any problem. Remember that they didn't even make it out of the group stage of the last two World Cups. So I think you can sleep soundly."
Havertz responds: 'I couldn't care less'
Havertz quickly addressed and rejected the comments from the former BBC Match of the Day presenter. He bluntly admitted he does not care about external opinions.
Havertz said: "Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I didn't even notice it myself. Of course, at a tournament like this, a lot of people start talking about you. I don't think anyone really pays much attention. We already have plenty of experts in our own country – if it starts happening in other countries too, then at some point enough is enough. It's always easy to criticise us from the outside. But I really couldn't care less."
Germany's tournament so far
Germany ended their unwanted record of failing to progress from the group stage in each of the last two World Cups. The 2014 winners avoided that fate this time, beating Curacao and Ivory Coast, though they needed two goals from substitute Deniz Undav to overcome the Ivorians and qualify for the latter stages.
Ecuador's 2-1 win brought them back down to earth, and they now face another tricky South American test in Paraguay.
Nagelsmann under pressure
Head coach Julian Nagelsmann has faced scrutiny over his position, with Jurgen Klopp widely tipped to be his successor. The former Bayern Munich boss faces a crucial tournament to prove he is the right man to guide the German national team back to the top.
When asked about expectations, Nagelsmann said: "At least it's always about winning when you talk about the German national team, it's always about trying to win every game. Tomorrow it is about winning the game, to deal with expectations is to have self-confidence, have a good plan so the players can feel comfortable on the pitch, to do the right things, to show they are good players. It's all about winning, if you win everything is perfect, if you lose everything is s***, so we have to win tomorrow."
