Tim Howard blasts Jurgen Klinsmann with claims of micromanagement

The approach Jurgen Klinsmann used to prepare the United States national team ahead of the 2014 World Cup has come under criticism, with claims of micromanagement from the team's hero in Brazil, Tim Howard.

Howard, who reveals his frustration with Klinsmann's preparation in a chapter of his new autobiography "The Keeper," said there were multiple players who questioned the German's tactics leading up to the tournament.

The changes even impacted one of Howard's favourite snacks.

"I'd spent my whole life eating PB&J's; somehow, under Jurgen, the sandwich morphed into a natural version of the staple that was practically unrecognizable ... and to my taste buds, inedible," Howard said in his memoir, as excerpted by ESPNFC.

Howard went on to say Klinsmann had the team on a strict diet of high-protein bars, regular yoga sessions and early morning jogs on empty stomachs.

As much as they may have disagreed with Klinsmann's approach, who was going to question a manager that experienced success when he took Germany to the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup and helped the country capture the 1990 World Cup as a player?

"None of the players argued with Jurgen, but you could sense misgivings from their body language, a kind of tension when they were around him," Howard said. "Jurgen was even determined to change our breathing."