Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has demanded more respect for the national team's performances after reaching the Euro 2012 semi-finals in June, their fourth successive last-four spot or better in major tournaments.
Schweinsteiger, criticised for playing in the European Championship despite nursing an injury picked up in Bayern Munich's Champions League final defeat by Chelsea, said Germany's overall record was very successful.
"[Semi-final finishes] should not be taken for granted," the holding midfielder said. "We did not drop a point in the qualifiers, we beat top-10 teams in our group and then lost just one game."
"I think it is a pity - it is not always fair but that is the way it is. There are other teams who have targets and it is not easy to keep winning," Schweinsteiger said.
Germany completed their first ever perfect Euro group stage with wins over Portugal, Netherlands and Denmark before beating Greece in the quarter-finals for their 14th successive victory in competitive games.
They had also won 10 out of 10 qualifiers for a new German record.