USA national team coach Juergen Klinsmann has hit back at criticism directed at him by current Germany skipper Philipp Lahm.
The Bayern Munich full-back was under the tutelage of Klinsmann in between 2004 and 2006 and has lashed out at the former Inter Milan, Bayern and Tottenham star for being 'unqualified' for a national team job.
"He was the shining hero of the 2006 World Cup when Bayern took him on as setting the tone for the future, proof that Bayern did not hesitate when it came to improving [its] structures," Lahm said in his new book which is being serialized by Bild.
"But the Klinsmann experiment failed.
"After six or eight weeks, all the players already knew that it wasn't going to work with Klinsmann. The rest of the season was just about damage control."
He added: "We almost only worked on fitness in training. Tactical issues were only dealt with briefly. We players had to meet independently before games to sort out how we wanted to play."
But Klinsmann has hit back at Lahm, saying perhaps it simply was not the right working environment.
"There is never the perfect coach for a player, there is always a fault," he said on ZDF.
"Only after your career has ended, do you get the bigger picture."
