Kimmich admits mentality problem as Germany crashes to Slovakia

The German national team returned home in near-silence after a historic defeat that has plunged the 2014 FIFA World Cup winners into crisis.

The team's 2-0 loss to Slovakia marked their first away defeat in World Cup qualifying and their third consecutive defeat under coach Julian Nagelsmann. The manner of the performance, more than the result itself, shocked supporters and media alike.

Captain Joshua Kimmich admitted the team had "a mentality problem that has accompanied us for a while," while Nagelsmann bemoaned "a total loss of emotionality." Sporting director Rudi Voller was blunter, calling it a "lifeless performance."

The German press reacted with fury. Die Welt described the display as pitiful, Suddeutsche Zeitung called it a disgrace, Focus spoke of "disclosure," and Kicker warned the side was "perilously close to the low point." Der Spiegel wrote that Germany "lost more than a game," while Sport1 said enthusiasm for the national team was "extinguishing."

Slovakia midfielder Ondrej Duda said his team "played with passion," while Germany "were no team on the pitch." 2014 World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger echoed the sentiment on television: "If your team lacks passion and desire, tactics don't matter. I am shocked. This was no national team."

Nagelsmann, who had restored Kimmich to midfield from full-back, saw his tactical tweaks undermined by defensive lapses from senior players Antonio Rudiger and Jonathan Tah. Reports emerged of a heated dressing-room debate after the game, and Nagelsmann himself admitted: "Perhaps we should select not the presumed best players, but the most passionate ones."

The humiliation in Bratislava followed Germany's last-place finish at the UEFA Nations League Final Four, where they lost to Portugal and France. With Northern Ireland up next on Sunday, the pressure on Nagelsmann is intense.