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Joachim Loew defends Germany against critics

Germany coach Joachim Loew has fended off sharp criticism of his team, who are still struggling to shake off the aftermath of their 2018 World Cup debacle.

A full-strength Germany scrapped a 2-1 win against Ukraine in Kiev last Saturday, after three straight draws where the Germans leaked second-half goals on all three occasions.

TV pundit Bastian Schweinsteiger, a key part of Loew's 2014 World Cup team, told broadcaster ARD he feels "the public can no longer identify 100 per cent" with this team.

After last week's 3-3 draw with Turkey, Lothar Matthaeus, who captained West Germany to their 1990 World Cup win, slammed Loew for fielding players like Nico Schulz, who struggles to get a game for Borussia Dortmund.

"That is precisely why nobody turns on the television to watch Germany any more," he wrote in his column for Bild.

But Loew said: "The experts have to express their opinions and that is completely fine...

"What is important is that we criticise ourselves internally and we do that." - AFP

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