Bayern Munich Alumni: Philipp Lahm offers thoughts on new look German national team

Former Bayern Munich and Germany captain Philipp Lahm has seen enough of Hansi Flick’s German national team to get the feeling that the squad is headed in the right direction.

“We’re back on the right track as a national team. Getting the fans excited is extremely important. You have to work for that again — especially the players, of course,” Lahm said on Bild TV’s “Bayern Insider” with Christian Falk. “When you see that they enjoy being on the pitch and representing Germany — that was always the most important thing for me.

Lahm noted that he sees the players taking the pitch with more vim and vigor.

“You have to give everything. You have to see what it means to play for the national team. Then the fans identify with the team. First and foremost, the enthusiasm has to spill over to the fans,” Lahm said. “They missed some of that at the European Championships and now it is back again. But we don’t want to exaggerate either — the players have to do that every time! It is also important to the fans that they show responsibility and think about other issues next to the pitch. The leadership has to demand this again and again.”

One area of the squad that does concern Lahm, however, is the striker position.

“We’ll keep bringing out talent because we’re a football nation and we’ll have a striker again. Karim Adeyemi, for example, would not have been a player I would have liked to have against me — light-footed, fast,” Lahm noted.