Jude Bellingham has been accused by Dietmar Hamann of lacking discipline in his game, with the former Germany midfielder urging suitors to be aware of the teenager's shortcomings.

Liverpool and Real Madrid are among clubs to have been linked with a move for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, who could move on at the end of the season.

Any potential buyer may have to put up over €100million to prise Bellingham away from BVB, where his performance level has been reflected by him being handed the captaincy at times this term.

Hamann sees flaws in England international Bellingham's game, however.

The former Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich midfielder said: "I'm not quite sure about Bellingham. He's an incredibly talented player who has extraordinary skills. The only thing he doesn't have is discipline.

"If you look at the goals Dortmund have conceded in recent weeks and months, I can tell you off the top of my head five or six in which he played a key role."

Hamann was speaking on German broadcaster Sky Sport before Bellingham helped Dortmund to a 2-1 win over Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, staying two points behind leaders Bayern Munich with seven rounds of the season remaining.

"I would be careful if I'm Real Madrid, Liverpool or Manchester City," Hamann said.

"Of course he's an exceptional player who's still very young. But he's slowly got to get the discipline into his game."

Hamann, who managed English non-league club Stockport County after his playing career ended, said Bellingham would have to "play differently" if he joins a traditional heavyweight.

Clearly, Bellingham is already at a major club, but he could go on to join more of a perennial Champions League contender.

Hamann believes Bellingham is being indulged and can "do whatever he wants" while at Dortmund, with the club "afraid of upsetting him".

A different view was proposed after Dortmund's win by head coach Edin Terzic, who defended Bellingham's role, saying: "Jude is able to intervene very actively everywhere in the game, both when we have the ball and when the opponent has the ball."

Dietmar Hamann worries it is "too late" for this Germany team as he called again for coach Hansi Flick to be sacked following Tuesday's defeat to Belgium.

Hamann was a vocal critic of Flick following the 2022 World Cup, where Germany exited at the group stage for the second consecutive finals.

Former midfielder Hamann wanted the coach to go then, and his stance was not softened by the March internationals.

With Germany hosting Euro 2024 and therefore absent from the qualification process, they played friendlies against Peru and Belgium.

A 2-0 win over Peru in Mainz was followed by a 3-2 defeat to Belgium in Cologne, in which Hamann suggested "it could have been 0-3, 0-4 or 1-5 in the first half".

Speaking to Sky Sport, the pundit said: "Nothing has changed at all.

"The team that started yesterday included eight World Cup players. [Florian] Wirtz and [Timo] Werner were also in the starting line-up, who were not there in Qatar due to injury.

"Marius Wolf was the only one who played against Belgium who wasn't at the World Cup. He did an excellent job in Dortmund in the last few weeks and months.

"So, it felt like there were 10 World Cup players in the line-up, and then I can't speak of a change.

"If [Flick] had let youngsters play and they had gotten under the wheels in the first half, then I would have understood because they would have learned something from it.

"But the way it was yesterday, that they play with the same players and we get served the same c*** as at the World Cup, sooner or later people will turn their backs on the national team."

Hamann felt that performance backed up his argument following a World Cup exit he had described as "pathetic".

"It's too late for me," he said. "I spoke after the World Cup, where it was clear to me that it's difficult to continue working with the coach when you're eliminated from the group for the second time in a row.

"I couldn't imagine it because you need a new impetus.

"They hid in Qatar, they let the team down, they didn't take responsibility. And if the coach doesn't take responsibility, then I can't expect the players to take responsibility.

"That's why I don't think the discussion [around Flick's future] comes too early. It's too late, for me, and they decided to continue with it.

"I have big, big concerns about whether things will get better in the coming weeks, months and then at the European Championships next year."

Harry Kane would be a perfect fit for Bayern Munich and is approaching his "last chance" to join a true European giant, according to Dietmar Hamann.

Tottenham's latest European exit has turned the focus towards head coach Antonio Conte and striker Kane, both of whom face uncertain futures.

Unlike Conte, Kane has a contract with Spurs that runs beyond the end of this season, and that could complicate his prospects of a move away from London.

Manchester United are reported to have Kane on their shopping list, while Bayern are known to be long-time admirers of the England captain.

Hamann, who played in the Premier League for Newcastle United, Liverpool and Manchester City, sees why Bayern, another of his former clubs, would be keen if there was a chance of taking Kane.

The former Germany midfielder said Kane, who this season has become Tottenham's all-time record scorer, "would fit wonderfully into the Bayern team".

"Bayern have many fast wide players who can give them many chances," Hamann told German broadcaster Sky Sport.

He recommended Kane's "good eye for his team-mates and very good technique".

"That's why he could be very interesting for Bayern," Hamann said. "I would like to see him play for a team that can win the Champions League

"He's turning 30 and it would probably be his last chance this summer or next to do anything else."

Kane helped Tottenham reach the 2019 Champions League final, where they were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool.

Spurs have not threatened to repeat such a run, and they bowed out tamely to Milan at the last-16 stage this week after a goalless draw at home saw them lose 1-0 on aggregate.

Bayern, by contrast, won the 2020 edition and have backed that up with three consecutive quarter-final runs, getting past star-studded Paris Saint-Germain this week to reach the last eight.

"If you want to win the Champions League, there are few addresses that are better than FC Bayern," Hamann said. "They are there every year and have a great squad."

Kane this week said Tottenham should be challenging for silverware and that a push for a top-four finish in the Premier League was insufficient.

And if there is a nagging doubt about Kane in Hamann's mind, it is that the man who is England's 53-goal joint-record scorer, alongside Wayne Rooney, has not already won big in his career, notably at international level.

"He's scored in important games for the national team, but the English haven't won a trophy either," Hamann said.

Former Germany international Dietmar Hamann has called for Hansi Flick to be replaced as the team's head coach after overseeing a "pathetic" group-stage exit from the World Cup.

A late double from substitute Kai Havertz helped Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 in their final Group E game on Thursday, but Japan stunned Spain with a 2-1 win at the Khalifa International Stadium to send the four-time winners home.

Germany have now suffered group-stage eliminations from consecutive World Cups, having avoided falling at the first hurdle on each of their last 16 appearances at the tournament before 2018.

The coaches of some eliminated sides – such as Mexico's Tata Martino and Belgium's Roberto Martinez – have already announced their departures, and Hamann thinks Flick should do the same.

Speaking to Sky Sports in Germany, a furious Hamann said: "I think it's impossible that we can continue with the coach. 

"After this debacle, we only have 18 months until the European Championships at home, that was pathetic.

"Costa Rica had one shot on target in the first two games and we made them look like Brazil. In the team, everyone does what they want. I see no reason why Flick should remain as coach.

"When I hear some comments from those responsible [with other teams], I have to say that responsibility looks different. Excuses, excuses, excuses. It's time for a cut."

Germany have failed to keep a single clean sheet in their last 12 games at World Cups or European Championships, their longest ever such sequence. 

The last side to fail to score against Germany in a major tournament match was Slovakia, who were beaten 3-0 by Joachim Low's side in the round of 16 at Euro 2016.

Dietmar Hamann claims "unprofessionalism and arrogance" has seeped into the Germany ranks as he predicted Hansi Flick's team face group-stage elimination at the World Cup.

The former national team midfielder doubts Germany will get the better of Spain in Sunday's second round of Group E games and he suspects another disappointment will prove fatal in the wake of the shock defeat to Japan.

Hamann singled out Antonio Rudiger's conduct as being typical of Germany's approach to the Japan game, claiming the moment where the defender shepherded the ball out of play after a bizarre high-knee run was disrespectful.

It came when Germany were 1-0 ahead, but they went on to lose 2-1 on Wednesday, a staggering result almost on a par with Saudi Arabia's shock win against Argentina.

"That was symptomatic of the unprofessionalism and arrogance in the German game and of disrespect that couldn't be surpassed because he made the opponent look ridiculous," Hamann said of the Rudiger moment.

Slating the team from all angles in his Sky Sport Germany column, Hamann also described Germany as "too soft, too nice and too monotonous", claiming Japan were the fitter side, and saying of Flick's players: "I never had the feeling that there was a team on the pitch."

 

He spared Jamal Musiala from criticism, but Hamann said the Germany team management had "decided to put harmony above all else" when preparing for the tournament, arguing veteran defender Mats Hummels should not have been left out of Flick's squad, pinpointing the defender as a player who "takes responsibility".

"You need friction! This creates stimuli. I feel like we die in beauty," Hamann said.

"I expect Japan to win against Costa Rica on Sunday. A draw against Spain will probably not be enough. You probably have to win, but I don't see that."

Spain were 7-0 winners against Costa Rica on Wednesday, a measure of La Roja's prowess that should focus German minds.

Hamann also suspects Germany were put off by controversy surrounding the OneLove armbands, a gesture of non-discrimination that FIFA has pushed for teams not to wear. Instead, Germany's players posed for a pre-game picture with hands over their mouths, signalling they felt gagged.

"Players can't fix something that federations couldn't do before. They're in Qatar to play football, which may not be an excuse, but of course it's a distraction," Hamann wrote. "The last few days felt more about the armband than about Japan. That certainly didn't help."

Jurgen Klopp's faltering form at Liverpool could lead to discussions over his position at the club, believes former Reds midfielder Dietmar Hamann.

Klopp, who took charge at Anfield in October 2015, has led the club to a modern revival as a Premier League powerhouse, claiming all three major domestic honours and the UEFA Champions League during his tenure.

Last term, an EFL Cup and FA Cup double was almost transformed into a historic quadruple, with the club just edged in the top flight by Manchester City and downed in another European final by Real Madrid.

The potential emotional hangover of that campaign looks to have played a major part in a lethargic start this term that has them arguably out of the title race already, and Hamann fears for the 55-year-old's future.

"At some stage, I think we will have that discussion about the manager, and I'm not sure how far we are off that," he told Talksport.

"What they achieved and what they did last year was second to none. I don't think that will be achieved again, to be within seven days of winning all four trophies.

"I think that psychologically it was always going to be tough this season. This Liverpool team looks tired, they look pedestrian, and they just look flat. I'm not sure where the spark is going to come from.

"[Klopp] said that he still feels that he's the right man to do it, but I see little things.This is something that we haven’t seen at Liverpool for five years.

"The dynamics at Liverpool are no different to anywhere else and if the results aren't there then the manager will come under pressure."

Liverpool great Dietmar Hamann questioned the hype surrounding Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as he insisted Reds' boss Jurgen Klopp ranks above the Spaniard.

City welcome Liverpool to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday in a match widely billed as a title decider, with Klopp's side cutting the leaders' gap to just one point following a 10-game winning run.

Whether it's Trent Alexander-Arnold against Joao Cancelo, Alisson versus Ederson or the influence of Mohamed Salah compared to Kevin De Bruyne, there are battles to be won across the pitch in Manchester.

But there will also be a focus on the touchline, with Guardiola facing old foe Klopp, who has defeated the former Bayern Munich boss more than any other manager in all competitions (eight).

The German tactician has only lost as many matches against Felix Magath (8) in his coaching career as he has against Guardiola, but Hamann placed his backing firmly on the Liverpool manager.

"When Klopp arrived at Anfield in 2015 and Guardiola at City a year later, the Premier League was hugely competitive and hard to win," he wrote in his Daily Mail column. 

"In just a few years they have turned it into a two-horse race. I simply wouldn't have thought it was possible for two teams to dominate the Premier League in the way they have.

"But there are three current managers who I regard as more successful than Guardiola and I still don't really get the hype that surrounds him.

"Jose Mourinho has won league titles in four different countries and the Champions League with two clubs, while Carlo Ancelotti's record is second to none and about to get better if Real Madrid can win La Liga.

"And the third manager? For me, it's Jurgen Klopp. What he has achieved on the budgets he has at Liverpool is remarkable. He is a truly exceptional manager. His great skill is in integrating players which is a talent Guardiola doesn't possess in quite the same way."

Since Guardiola's arrival in England at the start of the 2016-17 season, City have taken a league-high 516 points and Liverpool are close behind with 488 points. Chelsea are a distant third on that list with 427 points.

But Hamann, who played for both Liverpool and City during his playing career, still believes Klopp holds the edge over Guardiola, due to how he adapts to his new signings, such as Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.

"When Klopp signed Diogo Jota last season everyone questioned whether he would get anywhere near the team, but he was immediately involved," he continued. "It's been exactly the same with Luis Diaz.

"In fact, compare the case of Diaz to Jack Grealish and it goes some way to showing the difference between the managers.

"We've seen players come into the Premier League and you often need six to eight weeks to adjust because it's a unique game. Diaz came in and he fired immediately because the style suits him.

"Look on the other side, you've got Grealish, who cost three times as much yet is struggling to make any sort of an impact. He's a £100million player yet he still isn't fully integrated.

"The way Liverpool players speak about their manager, they would run through brick walls for him. I'm not sure City's players would do the same.

"You look at all the teams around Europe and I think Liverpool are the pick of the lot. And I wouldn't swap this manager for any other. Including Guardiola."

Thiago Alcantara is a rather unique breed of footballer, the type of player who will be almost universally enjoyed such are his breath-taking technical attributes.

It's like he rolls the passing talents of Juan Roman Riquelme and first touch of Ronaldinho into a single player and saunters around the pitch ensuring the game is played at a pace dictated by him.

His Liverpool career feels a lot shorter than it actually has been because of his absence through injury, and he'll be hoping his recent return is the catalyst to kick-starting what is resembling a fairly meek title defence.

But while Thiago has shown flashes of his immense ability in his fledgling Liverpool career, it appears not all are entirely convinced.

Former Reds midfielder Dietmar Hamann expressed his reservations in an interview with talkSPORT on Tuesday, suggesting Thiago is detrimental to a key part of Liverpool's play; utilising a quick tempo with hard-working midfielders who look to get the ball forward to the front three as soon as possible.

Hamann urged Liverpool to be cautious about how much influence they let Thiago have, questioning his effectiveness when not in possession and suitability to the Reds' system, concerns that won't have been eased by Thursday's shock defeat to Burnley.

But does this give a fair reflection of Thiago?

An unnecessary luxury?

First of all, there are only so many conclusions you can make regarding Thiago and his time at Liverpool because he has not featured particularly often, as previously highlighted.

But the fact is, Liverpool's record in Premier League games he has featured in is quite poor, with only one of those six ending in a victory.

That win came in his Premier League debut, a 2-0 victory at Chelsea back in September – that's right, it was the game where he completed 75 passes despite only coming on at half-time, a record since Opta began recording such data in 2003-04 among players to play a maximum of 45 minutes.

The hype after that match was stratospheric – the champions had seemingly added the final string to their bow and they were seemingly set to overwhelm everyone, but it's worth bearing in mind that was a Chelsea side reduced to 10 men before Thiago had even come on.

Liverpool average just one point per game with Thiago, that more than doubles to 2.2 when he hasn't played – additionally, their win percentage rockets from 16.7 to 61.5 in games the Spaniard hasn't featured in.

Of course, it's a relatively small sample size, so perhaps take the facts with a pinch of salt – but there are metrics that can shine more light on Thiago's influence.

One of Hamann's major reservations related to Thiago's desire to dictate play and how he might, in the long run, negatively impact Liverpool's effectiveness off the ball.

"Liverpool were always good when they weren't in possession, won it and played quickly forward. He's not that type of player, so it will be very interesting when he does play more often now how it's going to change the dynamics of the team," Hamann said.

It's true, Liverpool do have more of the ball (65.7 per cent compared to 64.7) with Thiago in the side, but the difference is negligible and certainly cannot be pointed to as a cause for worry.

The supply line

Then there's the concerns relating to Thiago's style of play potentially impacting supply to the frontline. Well, the Reds average 18.7 shots per game when he plays (up from 14.9 without him).

There is also no damning evidence to suggest Thiago isn't looking to feed the forwards either, after all, he passed to Mohamed Salah 11 times (a joint high) against Manchester United last weekend.

He has picked out Salah 36 times in their 365 minutes on the pitch together – so, once every 10.1 minutes. Although that's less frequent than he passes to Trent Alexander-Arnold (once per every 8.2 minutes) and Andy Robertson (8.8 minutes), it shows he is supplying the Reds' most-threatening forward regularly.

And while the two full-backs had off days against Burnley, can you really blame Thiago for passing to them often? Since the start of last season, they are Liverpool's leading providers of shooting opportunities.

Additionally, his 14.9 passes into final third of the pitch per 90 minutes is second only to Jordan Henderson (16.2) among Liverpool players this term – Thiago beats him, and every other Red, in terms of successful passes in the attacking third every game, however (25.8, compared to Henderson's 20.5).

"He's not that type of player"

It's fair to say Thiago probably isn't best known for what he brings to teams off the ball, but despite some seemingly questioning him in this department, he appears to be at least pulling his weight.

In fact, he's averaging marginally more tackles per 90 minutes than Henderson (1.5 over 1.4), while no one in the Liverpool team is intercepting opposition passes as frequently as the Barcelona product (2.8 per 90 mins).

On top of that, he's ranked third in the squad for duel involvements (14.7 per 90 mins) – while not necessarily an indicator of excellence on its own, that should at the very least dispel any questions regarding his work rate.

On an individual level when you look at the data, Thiago doesn't appear to be out of place stylistically. While he may occasionally spend more time on the ball than some of his midfield contemporaries, he possesses the kind of technical wizardry that arguably no other Liverpool player has and that is surely a positive rather than a negative.

He's also clearly a hard-working player who offers plenty off the ball. So, while the Reds are going through a tricky patch at the moment, Thiago's abilities should be embraced rather than looked upon with suspicion.

Thiago Alcantara does not play the "Liverpool way" and they should be cautious about how influential he becomes, according to former Reds midfielder Dietmar Hamann.

Liverpool signed Thiago in September in a deal that is not expected to cost them more than £25million even when add-ons are factored in.

It was seen as a real coup for the club such were the talents he had displayed during his time at Bayern, with many of the opinion he was the missing piece of the puzzle for Jurgen Klopp's Reds as they had been lacking the sort of midfielder capable of dictating the team's tempo.

Injury has restricted him to just five Premier League appearances since the move, the latest of which was in Sunday's 0-0 draw with Manchester United.

In that match Thiago showed flashes of his class, with his dribbling abilities standing out several times, while he also had more touches (122), attempted passes (96) and completed passes (83) than anyone else on the pitch.

But Hamann is not convinced Thiago is the sort of player Liverpool need in their midfield, suggesting the Spaniard likes to take control and slow the play down whereas the Reds have been at their best in recent years when utilising a quick tempo established by hardworking players rather than technical playmakers.

"Liverpool in the past have had hard-working midfielders, they were not as skilful as Thiago, but they gave the ball to [Sadio] Mane and [Mohamed] Salah early," Hamann explained to talkSPORT.

"If you get the ball early on the wing, and these guys can run at players they are very hard to stop.

"I just feel with Thiago, everyone was raving about him coming to Liverpool – he's hardly played. He came on against Chelsea and had the most passes in the second half, against a Chelsea team that was down to 10 men.

"He came on against Newcastle in the last 25 minutes, Newcastle were dead on their feet, everyone was raving about how good he is.

"I can tell you, he's a good player, a skilful player. But there was never a time in Munich where people said, 'oh he's the first on the team sheet'. So, I'd be very cautious when it comes to Thiago.

"And the other thing is, as other people alluded to earlier, he plays a different style of football. He likes to be in possession.

"Liverpool were always good when they weren't in possession, won it and played quickly forward.

"He's not that type of player, so it will be very interesting when he does play more often now how it's going to change the dynamics of the team."

Although Thiago looked bright, Liverpool's front three – particularly Mane and Salah – were quiet against United, with neither able to consistently get the better of the visitors' full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Luke Shaw, lending credence to Hamann's concerns.

However, Mane, Salah and Roberto Firmino all produced two key passes each and Thiago did prove rather effective without the ball, despite Hamann's claims to the contrary.

His three tackles were matched by only Georginio Wijnaldum among Liverpool players, while his six interceptions was the most of anyone on the pitch.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.