Former Germany coach Joachim Löw considers the demand for so-called German virtues in the national football team to be the wrong approach.
After setbacks, there are always calls for more commitment, discipline, and heart, "but no one asks, what is the quality of our solutions on the pitch? Our football quality?" he said during the sports TV show Doppelpass.
Germany will not be able to keep up with top teams such as Spain, Portugal, or Argentina through fighting spirit alone.
"We need to move away from this mindset and these fighting talks. That's basic knowledge in football," said Löw, who led Germany to the World Cup title in 2014.
However, he added that the team needs to improve its "playfulness and intelligence."
To make matters worse, almost all national teams now compete with a high level of running and commitment, Löw said. "We no longer have exclusive rights to German virtues."