Germany coach Joachim Low has created insecurity in the squad with his changes of tactics and personnel, according to Lothar Matthaus.
Low's side required an 84th-minute equaliser from Leon Goretzka against Hungary to book their place in the last 16 at Euro 2020, and they will now face England at Wembley on Tuesday.
It was confirmed in March that Low, who led Germany to World Cup glory in Brazil in 2014, would leave his post after the finals.
Matthaus believes the connection between the players and Low is missing, with former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick having already been announced as his successor.
Matthaus, who featured in five World Cups and four European Championships, said: "I don't have the feeling I had seven years ago when he won the World Cup.
"I was missing the connection between himself on the bench and the players on the field. He changed so many things. He changed one player for another and also the system.
"Joshua Kimmich played four positions (against Hungary). He started on the line, playing like a number seven. Then at the start of the second half he was playing number eight.
"After 10 minutes, he was number six where (Toni) Kroos was playing before. And then we had to go all in because we needed a goal and he was playing in the back four as a right-back!
"OK, in the end we had a result, but how can each player feel confident generally when we are changing so many things during a game? From the position of a player to the changes. There's no security for the team."
Matthaus has lavished praise on Chelsea's Kai Havertz, likening him to former France playmaker Zinedine Zidane.
"He reminds me from the movement to be a bit like Zidane," Matthaus said.
"Someone asked me 'who from your time is similar to Havertz?' and I thought he was like Zidane.
"He can score, he can pass, he is an elegant player and a fast player. I have seen what he did the last four years in Leverkusen and what he has done in Chelsea, and I think he has the quality to be one of the best players in the world in the future.
"Hansi Flick is a fan of Kai Havertz, we were watching the game together.
"He is a type Hansi likes very much – he is someone who not only runs for the team and fights, he can make the difference with a pass, with movement. We like him very much in Germany."
