“Of course when we have to play through three internationals inside eight or 10 days in October and November it is physically a challenge,” Bierhoff told ARD in an interview.

“It is a challenge for the coaches. They hardly have training possibilities with the team.”

Joachim Loew will gather his players from Monday to prepare for Thursday’s Nations League opener with Spain in Stuttgart and then the Sunday trip to Basel where they face Switzerland.

It will be the team’s first games in almost 10 months. Further Nations League games, along with friendlies against Turkey and the Czech Republic, are pencilled in for autumn in a schedule Loew called “borderline.”

Bierhoff admitted the friendly games had been added not only for sporting reasons “but we understand naturally the requirements of (European football governing body) UEFA, we understand the economic necessity and we’re going into it positively.”

The DFB itself needs internationals to help mitigate the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis which Bierhoff said has “already been heavy.”

Bierhoff said it was “hard in these difficult times, when people have other worries, that we make the sport attractive again,” and demanded the players step up.

“At the end it naturally comes down, beside everything else like if the currywurst was right and the seat was good, the performance on the pitch and about an emotional, authentic, honest display from the team.”