Former Germany captain Philipp Lahm said that a lot is expected of new national team coach Julian Nagelsmann.
"Julian Nagelsmann was given the task of giving the team balance, stability, hierarchy, continuity and style, as well as exploiting its enormous potential," the 2014 World Cup winner wrote on Sunday in his column for the Die Zeit weekly newspaper.
"All of that has lacked recently," he added. Lahm said that former Bayern Munich coach Nagelsmann has already shown that he's "extraordinarily talented, but he hasn't yet proven that he can develop a top team."
Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick, who was dismissed earlier this month after a series of bad results following a second straight group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Lahm also stressed that the German Football Federation (DFB) should take fewer financial risks in the future when hiring a coach.
"There's probably nothing you can do about the economic dynamics in the clubs that compete for the best players and coaches. But associations like the DFB should oppose the salary excesses," said Lahm, who's the tournament director of the Euro 2024 in Germany.
"More than €2 million ($2.12 million) a year, or a little more depending on success, is not necessary," he wrote.
Nagelsmann had a contract with Bayern until 2026, but the German record champions terminated the deal without charging a transfer fee. According to reports, the coach accepted a pay cut to take the job at Germany.
