After our beloved Rekordnationalspieler has once again raised his head to wail about perceived disrespect, a lament that was given wide coverage by the grateful German media (http://www.goal.com/en/news/15/germ...were-disrespectful-to-me-says-lothar-matthaus), it is time to ask this question: Is this man a football expert with merely awfuly pr counsel who has by now become a victim of the image created of him in the media or is he indeed no more than a completely delusional megalomaniac and an utter buffoon to boot? Personally I tend to think it is the latter! First of all he does have the worst pr counseling I have ever seen. Is there no one to tell him that in this business competence and seriousness go hand in hand. To tell him that sometimes it is just better not to comment. All he ever does is drone on about his achievements as a player and vociferously demand respect for said achievements. When he isn't doing it outright, he tries it underhandedly. Like in his open letter to Maradonna, published shortly before WC 2010, where he gave some patronizing advice to his former adversary (http://www.tz-online.de/ereignisse/...ener-brief-meinen-freund-diego-tz-824675.html), but no line stood out more than his Maradonna quote that he (Matthäus) was perhaps the greatest he (Maradonna) had ever played. Everyone knows that a great player does not a great coach make. Apart from some minor successes with Partizan Belgrad, none of his appointments as trainer have been successful and all of them were for small teams. His dismal last place in the EC qualifying group is perhaps only the most noticeable in a line of failures. As to his football expertise, I have yet to see him make a statement that is not about his own achievements where he actually displays any real manner of football wisdom or expertise. To me one of the standout statements made by him is the one shortly before WC2010 where he said he gave the German national team no chances of going far because they lacked the individual talent (http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/wo...germany-lack-individual-class-lothar-matthaus). During the world cup is became quite obvious that what they lacked certainly wasn't talent but experience. This was the most talented German squad in decades. I don't understand why there are still so many people in Germany touting the line for him, believing that he is an expert who only needs a chance. If he wants a chance he should take it in proportion to his record as a trainer with a smaller third or fourth league team (second league if he is lucky), as Mario Basler has done, and work to earn his spurs there. If he wants to go on demanding respect until people take him serious and a Bundeliga club comes calling, I fear he may be in for a long wait.
There... are actually people, who, like... think this? Wow... To be fair... he probably isn't a horrible coach. Not a great one, mind you. But he torpedoed any chance he had at succeeding by showing the amount of common sense in choosing his clubs like he did in his private life. So not very much. Ok, his ego and image probably keep him from getting any serious offers in Germany, although I wonder why he hasn't found a club in, say, Italy so far. Yeah, his predictions aren't all that great, but the same is true for Beckenbauer, who used to be an ok coach. So that's a skill you don't really need as long as you know how to work with the players you have.
It's true that all so-called experts say things that turn out to be wrong from time to time. Matthäus' problem is that he has yet to say something that is smart and correct. His supporters include many experts who are widely respected and recognized such as: Günther Netzer http://bazonline.ch/sport/fussball/...e-seines-Lebens/story/27033819?dossier_id=704 Beckenbauer, 11Freunde magazine http://www.11freunde.de/geschichtsstunde/107907 and many others as could be seen while following the HSV trainer debate over the last weeks, including both writers and regular people adding comments. And while many of them were joking, many of them were also clearly not. Perhaps he even is a good trainer, but then he is doing his utmost to detract from his capabilities. Over the last few years his name was connected to engagements at Fortuna Düsseldorf, Allemania Aachen and 1860 München. Heaven only knows why he didn't try harder to get one of those!
Is Matthäus in financial trouble? If not and he can afford a poor salary, why doesn't he go for say a third league team? His sense of entitlement and lack of media-savvy are plainly huge handicaps. He'd have to overcome those flaws. Though he doesn't seem to have that in him.
BTW, what were the most important missteps that made him a persona non grata in Germany? Anyone care to refresh my memory?
It's not so much what he's done (although he does have some longstanding feuds with some important people in German soccer, the above German 11Freunde article will give you a good idea, two of the most important ones are Klinsman, Vogts and Hoeness) as what he says and he's less perceived as a persona non grata than just a fool and a walking-talking soap opera. The main reason HSV said they don't consider him a serious option is that one of the biggest problems they have is people from management circles always talking to the media about things that should remain confidential. With his history he's the last person they should want on board. The 11Freunde article is perhaps the best article ever written on him, but this one also gives you a good idea of some of his funny and foolish quips: http://www.goal.com/en/news/15/germ...geburtstag-lothar-goalcom-remembers-matthaeus
Just when you thought he couldn't get any worse, he does. He's starting a Soap-Documentary series to give people an idea of what his life is like. Who's advising this guy? He's probably thinking this will make people see him how he really is and respect him more, ignorant of the fact that he is only lining up with a long line of people even more ridiculous than he is. What a sad story! http://www.vox.de/medien/sendungen/...8a5-26/lothar-matthaeus-eigene-doku-soap.html
As I said in another thread - someone with an ego as huge as his probably doesn't even realize that people couldn't be interested in anything he does. The guy unironically refers to himself in he third person, ffs.
No matter what happens, I still respect Matthaeus for his immense impact on the German football and long history in the field. Matthaeus problem is that he tried confront the media not neglect it. I think he IS a victim of but publicity rather than an arrogant asshole. A man with such a long list of achievements should be proud of himself. It is simply his right, what he fought for during his active years. And if such a player helped t bring Germany glory, the German people should recognize his efforts.
By the way, Lothar is a huge huge icon in the history of Intermiland. Still remembered with lots of respect from the fans. He enjoys one of the highest ratings for a foreigner who played in Italy. That doesn't come easy.
Breitner wrote in his column: "You need to watch him through his entire career to appreciate his ability. One of the few players who could play any position on the midfield, score as well as tackle, go on dribbling runs, create, take set pieces. One of the most complete players ever. On top of that, he was a beast on the field, dominant in midfield despite his small stature. Watch him more!"
He was a good player and all - but there's no denying that, as a person, he isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the box. If he really is some misunderstood victim of the media, he did an amazing job to mask this in every single interview he ever did, for over 30 years. And it's not as if the guy didn't try to hog every camera in sight, to either praise himself or show of his newest trophy wife of the week.
