DFB captain Kimmich: “We have to improve everywhere!”

Alexander Nübel and Joshua Kimmich both admitted Germany fell short in their 1-0 defeat to Greece. While Nübel criticised the lack of chances, Kimmich acknowledged Germany's struggles against Greece's deep defensive block but backed Jürgen Klopp's ideas.

Joshua Kimmich.

Photo: Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images.

Alexander Nübel and Joshua Kimmich have called for improvement after Germany's 0-1 defeat to Greece in Augsburg.

Nübel, who started in goal after replacing Marc-André ter Stegen, highlighted Germany's lack of clear opportunities. "We created one or two chances – all from outside the box. No chances inside the box. That's not enough," the goalkeeper said. "In the end, we simply didn't create and shoot enough."

Nübel also pointed to the short preparation time and the number of new ideas introduced by Klopp. "A lot came at us this week, with many ideas and new plans in the game," he explained. "We have two more games to show more from ourselves and put in better performances," Nübel added.

Kimmich was similarly critical of Germany's display but felt the result was harsh. "It wasn't a good performance from us. It's unfortunate that we ended up losing – that wasn't necessary," the captain said. "We struggled against Greece's deep block, but they didn't have dozens of chances either. A 0-0 would have been deserved."

Kimmich also stressed that Klopp is trying to implement a different style of play compared to Germany's approach at the World Cup.

"It's a different way of playing to how we wanted to play at the World Cup. But we still weren't creative enough going forward," he said.

Despite the disappointing result, Kimmich remains convinced that Klopp's ideas will work.

"We have to improve everywhere. We need to understand the coach's ideas better and implement them better," he said. "He helps us a lot and his ideas are good. It just doesn't happen overnight."