Former Frankfurt manager Bruhagen believes that Nagelsmann and the German team's defeat in the World Cup was due to a lack of ability, rather than the various reasons speculated by the outside world.
According to the former Frankfurt manager, the primary reason for Germany's and Nagelsmann's crushing defeat at the 2026 World Cup was the simply insufficient quality of their squad. In an interview with Sport1, Bruhagen said the former German coach "didn't get a good team from the Bundesliga."
"We don't have a full-back on the right wing, nor on the left, and we don't even have a center forward of international caliber," said Bruhagen, listing the team's personnel shortcomings. The 78-year-old stated that the team "has too many flaws."
Bruhagen believes that the off-field issues surrounding the German team during the World Cup did not cause Nagelsmann to stumble. "Whether he and his girlfriend ride bikes or whether his mother comes to visit is irrelevant. The key question is: what kind of team did he build, and what quality did the Bundesliga provide him? Obviously, these are not enough."
Bruhagen also doesn't believe that the World Cup defeat will ruin Nagelsmann's reputation in the long run. "He's still young, he's coached Bayern Munich and has been a national team coach, Nagelsmann has a long coaching career ahead of him. There's no need to worry about these things at all."
As for whether the German team will improve under Klopp's leadership, Bruhagen is unwilling to draw conclusions yet. The new coach also needs to assess whether he has good or bad players at his disposal. "I'd love to see," he said.
