One man holds the Spaniard responsible for Germany's fall from grace.

2018 has been a horrendous year for Germany, but their decline has been vivid for years now. Many reasons have been given for their drop in form, ranging from individual players to the manager's tactic, but one former player holds Pep Guardiola responsible.

That man is Hans-Peter Briegel, the retired 63-year-old defender who once donned the national team jersey. He blames an unlikely name for the European giant's fall from grace.

Since winning the 2014 World Cup, Germany has failed to rekindle the former that saw them lift the title in Brazil. In Euro 2016, they stumbled in the semi-finals where they lost to France but their biggest embarrassment came in 2018 as they crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage, finishing last behind even South Korea.

Things went from bad to worse for the four-time world champion, as their debut season in the UEFA Nations League saw them get relegated. Kroos and Co. will drop the League B after finishing behind the Netherlands and France in Group A.

And according to Briegel, a lot of their misfortunes stem from Pep's reign in Germany. The former defender feels the team's obsession for possession is their downfall and argues that the Spaniard is at fault for instilling this tactic with the national team players during his time as Bayern Munich manager.

"It is his (Guardiola's) fault, he cheated us by saying it was sufficient to win by having 75% of possession," Briegel said, as per Marca.

"It isn't the case, in football, the result is far more important than controlling the play. To have the ball is not sufficient in order to win, France gave a clear indication of that by winning the World Cup.

"You can even win by returning to a more traditional style of play, what is important is not the quality of the football but having equilibrium."

An impressive 3-0 win over Russia is too little too late for Low's men, as they will be plying their trade in League B next season. Nonetheless, Joachim opted for youth in that triumph and will be keen on rebuilding the team starting on Monday when they take on the Netherlands with the aim of salvaging some pride in their final Group A match.