The success of Joachim Loew’s side at the World Cup finals in South Africa this summer, therefore, came as no surprise to the Norwich City manager and he believes the Germans’ mastery of the modern game should act as a timely warning to everyone involved in British football.
England were comprehensively put to the sword at the weekend when they were mauled 4-1 by a youthful side which is supposedly another two years away from fully maturing and perhaps not quite ready to cope with the world’s top nations.
Their victory, as expected, has sparked a major inquest into the state of the game south of the border and it will also serve as a painful reminder to everyone in Scotland as to how far away we are from producing talented young players who can star on the biggest stage.
Fabio Capello could pay the price for England’s failings by losing his job, while big-name players such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and John Terry have come in for major criticism.
However, it does not end there and the recriminations have sparked calls for the entire player development system in the English game to be looked at.
And Lambert, who is proving himself as one of the top up-and-coming managers in England, having led a Norwich side that was tipped to be fighting relegation to the League One title, agrees that there is much to learn.
The former St Mirren and Celtic skipper believes the English FA, and also the Scottish FA, should pay close attention to what their counterparts in Germany are doing differently and also reckons leading clubs should be having an in-depth look at the way the top clubs in the Bundesliga operate.
“I can’t speak highly enough about the way they go about their business in Germany,” explained Lambert. “When I moved to Borussia Dortmund, it was a complete eye-opener.
“I would watch the way they prepared for games, the attitude of the players, the discipline displayed at all times and the mentality and it was completely different to anything I had ever known.
“I don’t mean this to sound disrespectful to British players but in Germany footballers treat their profession as a job -- it isn’t a hobby. They are there to work, learn and carry out orders and often they don’t get a day off.”
He added: “The young players who performed superbly against England didn’t just happen to come along by accident.
“Their emergence isn’t a fluke -- it is down to the way they have been coached and also the mentality that has been installed in them from day one.
“And if anything endorses the way the Germans go about their business and work so hard to be the best, then Sunday’s 4-1 victory certainly did.”
Lambert was so impressed with the German set-up during his successful period at Dortmund, where he left as a European Cup winner, that he decided to go through his Uefa Pro-licence in conjunction with the DFB.
He said: “I just completely respect everything they do and I wanted to go through the course there and learn as much as I possibly could and it was a wonderful experience.
“I had to sit seven exams at the end of it and I was terrified. But I got through it and I’m actually going back there next month for a few days, for a refresher course. It is, in my opinion, the best there is and Germany’s success at the World Cup finals will only serve to highlight that.”
But surely no-one could have predicted such a gulf between the two nations? If Germany have players even better than the likes of Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard then why aren’t they household names like the England superstars?
“I don’t know whether you would describe it as ignorance or arrogance but I don’t think, in Britain, we fully appreciate some of the foreign leagues,” said Lambert. “The Bundesliga is a fantastic league and I would urge anyone to take the opportunity to go there and take in a game.
“Attendances in Germany are higher than any other European country and the players play under the spotlight the same way at they do in England.
“It is also every bit as fast as the English Premier League. But one of the key things is that they play as a team.
“You can’t have every midfield player trying to score a goal or bombing forward. Each and every player has a specific role in the team.
“I’ll be honest and say I didn’t think there was much to choose between the two teams ahead of the game. But Germany were far superior from the first whistle and could have even won by more goals than they did.
“Maybe England and Scotland should look at what the Germans do, in terms of their individual clubs and the national team, as well as at grass roots level, to see how British football can improve and hopefully get to that level.”
Loew men in Euro zone
By Thomas Jordan
Paul Lambert thinks Germany might come up short at the World Cup Finals this summer -- but is already convinced they will be the team to stop in the 2012 European Championship.
The former Celtic midfield star has been blown away by the stunning displays of 20-year-old Thomas Muller -- who netted two goals against England -- as well as 21-year-old playmaker Mesut Ozil.
Joachim Loew has also started 21-year-old Jerome Boateng at left-back in every game, has shown faith in 24-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and has two of the most experienced 25-year-olds in world football in the shape of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski.
Lambert said: “If they continue to improve then I’m sure they’ll be the team to beat by the time the European Championships come around.
“I’ve been highly impressed with all of them. They are young players, but they believe in themselves and believe in those around them. They also show no fear.
“Many of them were part of the Germany team which won the Under-21 European Championships.
“Last summer, I took Colchester to Germany for pre-season training and bumped into an old coach and he kept going on about how good this latest batch were and he wasn’t wrong.
“Maybe Argentina will prove too difficult for them, but this is certainly a Germany team which has big things ahead of them.”
