USA head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has suggested that arrogance cost Germany the World Cup in 1994, a tournament that was of course won on penalties by Brazil for their fourth title.
In an interview with globoesporte.com, the former striker siad that too much confidence cost his team against Bulgaria in the Quarter Final, where they lost 2-1 to a Hristo Stoichkov-inspired nation.
“The 1994 German team should have won the World Cup, we were the only team that could attack Brazil, the other teams were scared on defence.”
The World Cup and European Championship winner Klinsmann continued: “We expected to find Brazil in the final… I took a long time to accept this defeat and had a good tournament, scoring five goals.”
Twenty years later, the German finds himself in charge of the USA in Brazil and is predicting a bright future for the hosts’ poster boy Neymar. Speaking about this summer’s event, Klinsmann said: “I think the favourite is certainly Brazil. I think Neymar has the potential to be the next big player but it is important to give players time to develop and not pass this pressure.”
In a twist of fate, the USA will actually face Germany, as well as Portugal and Ghana, in Group G of the World Cup.
