Germany are still reeling from their painful exit to Paraguay at the World Cup, and a third successive failure to reach the last 16.
In the immediate aftermath, it was clear change was imminent. Julian Nagelsmann resigned on July 3 and it wasn’t long before the German Football Association (DFB) intended to hold talks with former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund manager Jürgen Klopp regarding the vacant role.
Why would Klopp, who held a cushy position as Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull, wish to swap that life by returning to the stress of management? Was it a chance to restore national pride that made him take the job? Or was the itch to get back into the dugout simply proving too strong to resist?
Whatever the reason, the charismatic 59-year-old is back. His first target will be to lead Germany to Nations League glory next summer in what is a perfect warm up for the 2028 European Championships.
It hasn’t quite gone to plan thus far, though.
Germany are winless under Klopp so far
Euro 2028 may well be less than two years away, but there was plenty of optimism surrounding Klopp’s appointment that the Germans could pose a threat at the tournament – if he got things right.
Several nations changed managers following the World Cup, including Portugal, France, Netherlands, and Belgium. There are always likely to be a period of experimentation whenever a new man is at the helm, especially with a national side, but Klopp has gone one step further.
Indeed, the German opted to select 44 players for the four Nations League games, splitting them into two squads, each due to participate in two of their four Nations League fixtures.
“I want to get to know as many players as possible,” said Klopp during a press conference ahead of the matches.
“There is no A or B team. The squads are put together in a way that makes sense on the pitch and in terms of character and experience.”
The first set of players, which included the likes Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah, Joshua Kimmich, Lennart Karl and Kai Havertz, were chosen to feature in the first two matches, while Florian Wirtz, Nick Woltemade and Aleksandar Pavlović were among those selected for the final two games.
Denis Undav and Leroy Sané – who both featured at the World Cup – missed out, with Klopp mixing experience with youth as 16 uncapped players were called up.
It looked as though Klopp was going to get off to a winning start against neighbours Netherlands in match one of the Nations League. A first half goal by Felix Nmecha had Germany well on their way to three points, before Cody Gakpo netted a late equaliser.
Still, a point away from home against arguably their biggest rivals for top spot was certainly encouraging.
Klopp’s first home tie in charge of Die Mannschaft came three days later – against Greece – and while his side dominated proceedings, recording 16 shots to Greece’s eight and finishing the game with 76% possession, the Greeks came away from the WWK Arena with a stunning 1-0 triumph.
Wirtz and Karim Adeyemi were drafted in early to the first squad due to injuries to Havertz and Jamal Musiala, yet neither could make the difference in the end.
Germany now occupy third place in Group 2, with matches against Serbia (home) and Greece (away) coming up over the next few days.
The key question now is, can Klopp’s B squad deliver a maiden victory?
Klopp is under pressure to deliver
Much will depend on the results against Serbia and Greece, but anything less than six points will surely be seen as a failure – both by Klopp himself, and those higher up in the DFB.
Germany were by far the more dominate team against the Greeks last time out, but failing to take chances is going to prove costly, no matter who it is against.
Now, Woltemade, winger Derry Scherhant and Jonathan Burkardt will be aiming to make their mark in the final third as the trio look set to feature against Serbia and Greece.
Burkardt, who won five caps under Nagelsmann, will have particular cause to shine, having missed out on a place in the World Cup.
Elsewhere, Elversberg right-back Felix Keidel has received his first international call up, as to Vitaly Janelt and Mika Baur, with Klopp thinking ahead to the future of the national side.
These next two games represent a chance for those in the second squad to perform and give the manager plenty to ponder ahead of the November international break.
One thing is certain, his experiment in selecting two separate squads is going to be a one-off, with German Sporting Director Rudi Völler confirming that there will be a traditional squad for the next set of matches.
“November is when it counts, then we will see Jürgen’s condensed squad. There won’t be 44 players invited anymore.”
If Klopp secures victories against Serbia and Greece over the next few days, his experiment might well be judged as a success.
Fail to win either, though, could increase the pressure early on in his tenure.
Klopp has always been an innovative coach and even more than two decades into his managerial career, he continues to break the mould and do things in his own unique way.
With the German national side at their lowest ebb for a generation, the 59-year-old will have to muster up every ounce of his managerial prowess to lead the nation to glory once again.
Challenge accepted.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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