The ex-German international discusses his nation's chances at the 2026 World Cup, what's next for Roberto De Zerbi's Spurs team and Borussia Dortmund's chances of challenging Bayern.
Former German international and Tottenham Hotspur player Steffen Freund believes Germany are not good enough to win the 2026 World Cup as there are too many other stronger teams.
Germany are currently 14/1 in World Cup betting odds to win the competition, but despite highly-rated players such as Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz, Freund still thinks the squad is not deep enough to be crowned champions.
In our exclusive interview, Freund also discusses Tottenham Hotspur’s goals for next season, and whether Borussia Dortmund can close the gap to Bayern Munich after their dominant season in Germany.
What did you think of Spurs’ performance over the last few weeks of the season, and particularly the last day?
It’s a difficult to answer. The last few weeks have been a little bit more encouraging, they started to work better as a team. I watched the game against Everton, and it was a good performance first half. But in the second half, you could see that Spurs would be in trouble again if Everton score.
Overall, it’s good for everyone to stay in the league but now lots of things have to change at Tottenham Hotspur. But if nobody supports the coach, then we may have to go back to the old style where De Zerbi says which players will stay at Spurs and which players have to leave.
How hopeful are you that Roberto De Zerbi can turn the club around and stick around for the long-term?
My first reaction was really positive because De Zerbi knows the Premier League and knows how to be successful. However, Brighton is not Tottenham Hotspur and I think he’s already learned that lesson. Spurs is a big, traditional club in the Premier League where everything is different.
To be successful with Spurs and get back into the top five again will be really difficult for him. So overall, I think he’s a really good coach who did a good job at Brighton. I’m not sure yet if he can bring Tottenham silverware because we all know how difficult it is.
But even if you win silverware, ask Ange Postecoglou, you can still be sacked. So Spurs is different, and that’s why I would let him organise the team how he wants. But trust me, there are players that have to leave the club. It will be not easy for Johan Lange to sell them but do it in a way to support the coach so he can build a strong side quickly.
The overall individual class is there, but now you have to think about who is a team player and who is a leader, because then you can bring a team together that will work for Spurs and love Spurs. Success will then come because the individual class is there.
How much pressure is on the board now to give De Zerbi the transfer funds he needs, given he has walked away from clubs in the past?
There’s always a lot of pressure. I’ve been there as a player, as an assistant coach and as a technical director under Daniel Levy. Every morning you wake up and think ‘I love to work for Spurs’, but you know, the pressure will never change.
If I was part of the board, you have to ask De Zerbi which style of football he wants to play because there’s a philosophy. Spurs like to play nice football. That’s why if you ask me, Tottenham Hotspur is one of the most difficult clubs in the world to handle.
You always have to find the balance in between attractive attacking football, and a team that can work hard when they struggle. That’s the key to building a team that can handle pressure and play that style of football.
What’s a realistic target for Spurs next season?
It will again link to whether Johan Lange is still there as sporting director, as someone will still need to be a part of the club to check De Zerbi’s work.
One person can’t handle everything at Spurs. They need to build a team that has the balance of attacking and defensive football, plus younger and older players and importantly team players, individuals and leaders. At the moment, they have too many individuals and if you have too many players that think of themselves first, there will be no success.
As they’re not playing in Europe next season, they can focus on the Premier League and the cups. So there is no need for over 30 players. Look at Bayern Munich, 25 players are sticking together and doing the job. They’ve been successful in Europe, in Germany and have won the double.
I think Bayern is a good example for De Zerbi. Let him build a good team with a good balance, but still with people around him, like his staff and the board, that understand what he’s doing.
Does Arsenal’s success pile more pressure on Spurs to improve quickly?
There’s always pressure at Spurs but it’s not coming down to Arsenal. If you work for Spurs, you always feel the pressure and Arsenal is the team you love to beat – that will never change.
But as a Spurs player you always look forward to the derby. I played for Dortmund and Schalke. Schalke was in the 2. Bundesliga for three years. Now they’re back and every Dortmund supporter is happy because they have the ‘Revierderby‘ again.
Congratulations to Arsenal Football Club and Mikel Arteta. They are a super club. He was building a team that can win silverware. We can’t forget, maybe two or three years ago, people were asking if they were good enough.
But they didn’t sack him after they finished eighth in the Premier League. I have lots of respect and I think Arsenal is a very good example of what Spurs can do in the next three or four years.
So now, maybe De Zerbi can do the same. He doesn’t have to win the league now. But if he can finish top 10 after the last two years in the Premier League, that would be not bad.
In the second year, he might finish in Europe or in the Champions League spots. That will come if you give him time.
Which areas of the team would you prioritise this summer?
As an example, if you sell Xavi Simons or Mathys Tel, then the question is who will be brought in instead? That’s a question I can’t answer. That’s De Zerbi’s job and that’s why it’s so difficult.
What is happening with the captain Cristian Romeo and the likes of Micky van de Ven? If they’re staying, you can build the defence around them.
In my opinion they already have two good Premier League players in each position. The question is, which player is number one and which player can leave? Then you can make the decision on if you have to buy a top-class player or a team player that brings balance.
If I’m De Zerbi, I’m checking the whole squad for how many players I need to be successful in the Premier League and the two cups. From there I would see which players have to stay.
That would lead to discussions with the board or Johan Lange around player contracts or academy players potentially stepping up. It’s going to be a hard-working summer for Spurs, and it will take everyone at the club to bring a really good team together.
As a former youth team coach, bring youngsters in. Archie Gray as a youngster, when the whole team struggled a few months ago, was the only one to put his body in. That’s why he deserved to stay.
Are there any players from West Ham that Spurs should target after Kudus deal last summer?
I think it’s always an option. Can you imagine if Spurs went down, how many Premier League clubs would look at Spurs players? There are too many players that have the quality to play in the Premier League. But it doesn’t mean that they will be successful.
I don’t like to say any names because for West Ham it’s really disappointing to go down. Of course, I’m happy as former Spurs that they stayed in the league, but I would congratulate West Ham if they stayed up and Spurs lost against Everton – that’s football.
But Spurs supporters are always behind the club and West Ham supporters, the Hammers, are always sticking together. I can remember it happened in the past and they came back.
That’s why it is always a good option with transfers because the players are living in London already, so they don’t have to move their families or maybe the children in school, but I don’t think it’s good to say any names. That’s down to De Zerbi and Johan Lange.
What do you think of the leadership group in the Spurs squad? Would you be looking to move on from the likes of Romero and Van de Ven, or keep them?
It will come down to how much De Zerbi understands about what has happened at the club over the past two years. Despite the Premier League performances being shocking, they still won the Europa League and played well in the Champions League this season.
The balance will be about success in the Premier League. It will be about which player is fit enough to play under De Zerbi’s rules and philosophy. But another question mark for me is whether De Zerbi is strong enough to say ‘I don’t want to work with Romero, Richarlison or with Simons,’ for example. Or ‘I don’t like working with Dominic Solanke because there are so many injured players.’
They need to have players that will be 100 per cent fit to play all the games straight away and be successful in both cups and the Premier League. That is not only down to hard work, it means you have to be physically at the top level. It’ll also be impacted by which players are at the World Cup because they may come back tired.
You can bring one Premier League player into Tottenham, who would you pick?
I would take Erling Haaland – the best striker in the Premier League. Don’t forget, they lost Harry Kane and Heung-min Son. Those two players did a huge job and that’s why Spurs were always in Europe or in the Champions League, even the Champions League final. They came close to silverware, but they were always top six and maybe top four.
But I think a top striker is so helpful. Ask Vincent Kompany at Bayern about Harry Kane. That’s why I would take Haaland, because he’s young, physically strong, and he will score goals. You can see it with Richarlison, Kolo-Muani, Solanke, are they good enough to bring Spurs back to the top six? At the moment, I would say no.
They were too inconsistent with all of those players, so it is up to De Zerbi to get them back to the top level. Did they play all the games successfully? No. So that is why I would take Haaland.
Do you think Niko Kovac has done enough to keep his job at BVB?
For me, yes. We can’t forget when he took over, Dortmund were far behind the Champions League places. But they came back to finish fourth last season.
It’s really important financially for Dortmund to play in the Champions League. But when you have Bayern in the league, especially with how they are playing, second is the best for Borussia Dortmund at the moment.
I’m honest and I don’t have to support Niko. I know him really well and what I like is that his style of football and philosophy suits Borussia Dortmund and the supporters.
They have to be good defensively, of course and there are always teams around that can play better football. If you watch Bayern Munich, only maybe PSG are on that level at the moment. Even Arsenal in possession are not like Bayern Munich. They’re outstanding. Sometimes you can say that no team can play better.
It’s almost a little bit like Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona when they won the Champions League and when Manchester City won the Champions League. For Dortmund, it could become even more difficult to finish second. Teams such as Leipzig, Leverkusen and Stuttgart will try to be above Borussia Dortmund next year, and they’re playing good football.
I think sticking with Niko Kovac’s style of football is the right decision.
Bayern have been completely dominant in the Bundesliga for the past two seasons. Is there any hope of Dortmund or any other side mounting a challenge next season?
At the moment, no. I still think Bayern will grow and they’re not finished. You can feel that under Kompany, they want to win the Champions League now. They’ve won the double and they’re unstoppable in Germany. Now they will go for the Champions League, and you can feel the hunger.
So it will be difficult to catch Bayern because their style of football is too good. The players individually are too good and they’re sticking together as a team. Kompany has built a team with so much individual class that still work hard together.
But take Borussia Dortmund as an example as they are the closest team to Bayern in Germany. They need to sign two or three good players to make the next step. I’m not saying they can spend like Premier League teams, but they are close and they don’t have to go only for a real youngster for €1m or €2m.
That’s why I think you need a really good scouting system to find the likes of Haaland and Jadon Sancho again. But Borussia Dortmund’s academy also have great players like Samuele Inacio. Maybe he will make the step-up next season, but you have to find a balance.
If you find the players that want to grow with the club and enjoy the Dortmund atmosphere, then maybe they can get a little bit closer to Bayern. But even then, that may mean you have to sell him anyway because he is too good. So overall, it’s a difficult situation for all the clubs in Germany behind Bayern Munich.
Jobe Bellingham seemed to grow in confidence throughout the season. How high is his potential, and is he moving out of his brother’s shadow?
It’s understandable that it looks like there’s pressure for Jobe. There were so many problems around him at the beginning because Jude was outstanding. With that pressure, I don’t think Jobe was going to be outstanding straight away in his first season.
My first year at Dortmund wasn’t the best so I’m not too negative about him taking the next step, but I would like to bring the level of expectation down a little bit when comparing him to his brother.
We can’t forget that Jude is world class and something special.
Maybe in in Jobe’s second year, there might be a little bit less pressure. If he’s clever, he can grow without that pressure and start to get better.
But I’m pretty sure he can’t be a second Jude. He was outstanding and that might never happen again. After one year, he [Jude] was leading the team and telling people what they had to do. That’s not possible again.
It doesn’t seem like Jobe has the same unique talent as Jude, but that’s not a problem, he still can become a great player and be a really important for Dortmund.
There is a good example in the team with Felix Nmecha. They signed him from Wolfsburg for around €30m, which is lots of money in Germany. In his first year it didn’t work, but now he’s going to the World Cup and is one of the best central midfielders in Germany.
Jobe can do the same, but the expectation level should be brought down when comparing him to Jude.
How confident are the German public heading into the World Cup, and how far do you think the national team can go?
It’s what I said four years ago in Qatar – we can’t be the champion. We can’t win the World Cup. we have a few young talents like Lennart Karl, Musiala and Wirtz, but we don’t have a deep, strong squad like England, France or Spain.
Then you have Brazil, Argentina, who can also beat Germany. Even as a German myself, I would love to say that we can win the World Cup. But unfortunately, I don’t think we can.
With factors like weather conditions and the amount of travel as well, it suits other teams. If I’m watching our group, we have Curacao, who we will beat, and then Ivory Coast and Ecuador. Those are difficult games, for me. Ivory Coast have fantastic footballers. Yan Diomande is doing an outstanding job for Leipzig and looks unstoppable.
Then if we get to the knockout stages it will depend what side of the draw you are on because if we meet France or Brazil, for example, we will have no chance. So, I think if we go to a quarter-final and then we play against a big team, that would already be good for Germany.
Two Premier League players are in contention for the No. 9 shirt in Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade. How confident are you in that duo?
We also have to talk about Deniz Undav as well. He’s doing the job for Stuttgart and is a natural goalscorer who will always create a chance. But he’s my number three behind Havertz and Woltemade.
If you’ve been listening to Julian Nagelsmann, he already has his 26 players, with his starting 11 and the players that are maybe not playing as much.
But it’s a big question to choose between Havertz and Woltemade if they are 100% fit.
It will depend on what you need them to do. You might want a player who can drop into the midfield and keep the ball, as well as someone who doesn’t need a lot of chances. I would go for Havertz because he won the league and scored a vital header against Burnley.
His movement and intelligence in the box is also outstanding as he was a former No. 10. If you want to play with a real striker who can make it difficult for defenders and bring the likes of Musiala and Wirtz into play, then maybe I would go for Woltemade.
So it will come down to how the opponent is playing. I always love to have players on the pitch that are playing with confidence and that’s why it’s good to have players that have been successful.
Is there any concern about Florian Wirtz’s form during his first season in England? Could a good World Cup help get him going for Liverpool?
I think the first year is always difficult, especially when you move to Liverpool as the Premier League champions. The pressure was already there and it’s a big traditional club. He was outstanding for Leverkusen and of course for Germany.
I would say if he’s not injured again, then he will take the next step next season. Especially if he’s adapted to the pace of the Premier League and the physical presence, because it’s a higher level than the Bundesliga.
It was the same at my time. I was shocked in the beginning because there’s so much energy in every game. At 2-0 up, you think the job’s done. But no, five or 10 minutes later, it’s 2-2. So that’s why it’s taken a little bit more time for him to adapt.
Maybe Liverpool will sign one or two big players so that it’s not only Florian Wirtz who will have to make a difference on the pitch. I’m sure he will go to the next step. And then everyone will love him because he could be a top-class player. His ability and skill is why I still believe in him.
What do you think of England’s chances at the World Cup under Thomas Tuchel?
They definitely have a better chance of winning the World Cup than Germany. Everyone in England has to realise that it was difficult for Tuchel to make the final decision of 26 players because they have far more options in England.
We still have lots of discussions in Germany about a few players. For example, whether Matthias Ginter or Said El Mala should be in the squad. But England for Thomas Tuchel is far more difficult.
I’m not saying they will win the World Cup, as Brazil are my favourites. But if the likes of Bellingham and Kane are leading the team and supporting Thomas Tuchel, then I think England could do it.
But it won’t just come down to Tuchel, it’s more down to the team. From the German point of view, I hope for him that they stick together as a team. If ever we have seen Thomas Tuchel have a weakness, it would be him struggling a little bit with the players individually.
On that point, you can feel Kompany doing a better job at Bayern Munich than Tuchel did. That’s why it’s so important at the World Cup, because you could be together for six or seven weeks if you go to the final, but it’s not easy when all 26 players want to play.
