Jürgen Klopp’s reign as Germany manager has officially begun, and the former Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, and Mainz manager has already shaken things up by naming two squads for the upcoming international break, using a total of 44 different players. He wants to get a good look at a handful of different players for Germany’s UEFA Nations League matches against the Netherlands, Greece, and Serbia and has made it clear that he is going to give a handful of players their senior team debuts.
The 44 players
called up have been separated into two squads, with the first squad seemingly containing the more experienced international players like Joshua Kimmich, Marc-André ter Stegen, Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry, and Kai Havertz. Squad 2 does contain some veterans, but is more or less comprised of less experienced players as far as the senior national squad is concerned, à la Noah Atubolu, Mika Baur, Said El Mala, and Jonathan Burkardt.
With that said, there is an air of hope and expectation as Klopp’s reign as Germany manager begins in what is the first of a new-look, extended international break to give nations more time with their squads and managers before heading back to their respective clubs.
Which players will flourish under Klopp?
With a 44-man roster, Klopp will have a lot of different looks personnel-wise from Germany’s four matches this international break, but he will be hoping that certain players really make a name for themselves and cement themselves in his mind as regular call-ups for Die Mannschaft. Aside from some of the veteran players in the squad, just who, exactly, will really suit Klopp for the German national team? There are well and truly a bevy of contenders.
Goalkeepers
Jonas Urbig (Bayern Munich) – Klopp will have been well aware of Urbig’s status at Bayern Munich, serving as Manuel Neuer’s backup and the club grooming him to eventually become the number one keeper. As his minutes spike and he starts to grow in confidence, Klopp has a player on his hands in the Germany setup who can follow in Neuer’s footsteps and has the continuity of being a player who is part of the Bayern Munich core that is often called up to the national team. Klopp has also already had open conversations with Vincent Kompany, so the harmony between club and country is there. Getting Urbig minutes and confidence with the national team as early as possible could be highly beneficial, and Klopp is the right man to foster that.
Alexander Nübel (Beşiktaş) – Klopp already has plenty of experience dealing with keepers who have had to deal with setbacks in their careers, and Alexander Nübel has certainly experienced some. He has had to club-hop to find consistent starting minutes, but he has been in and around the Germany setup and is the right type of player given Klopp’s high-intensity style of play. Nübel is quick on his feet and is not just a shot stopper, which is needed for Klopp’s tactical style of high pressing, high defensive lines, and high tempo.
Defenders
Josha Vagnoman (VfB Stuttgart) – Vagnoman has every potential to be the archetype of a Klopp player. Quick acceleration, hard into his challenges, high work rate, and exceptional at getting forward. In a sense, the Stuttgart man can almost be akin to a more physical, stronger Trent Alexander-Arnold in the way that the Englishman fit so well in Klopp’s Liverpool team, but was arguably not as good of a defender as he was a distributor. Vagnoman has all of the tools Trent had at Liverpool, but is a much more physical presence and could absolutely flourish in Klopp’s Germany setup.
Maximilian Mittelstädt (VfB Stuttgart) – Much like the profile of Vagnoman, Klopp will like Mittelstädt’s attacking prowess coming from defense. There is also every chance that both Mittelstädt and Vagnoman could start on opposite flanks either side of Nico Schlotterbeck and Jonathan Tah in what could be Klopp’s first starting eleven for Germany, so the understanding between the two would translate from club to country in that regard. Under Klopp at Germany, we could see more of the Mittelstädt that tallied 12 assists for Stuttgart in the 2024/25 season on the way to winning the DFB-Pokal.
Midfielders
Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich) – This is simple math. Lennart Karl is finally back fit for Bayern Munich and is one of Europe’s most promising young talents. Additionally, Klopp has already said he is expecting big things from the Bayern Munich youngster, and this has all the hallmarks of Klopp taking a younger player under his wing and turning them into a world-class player — something he has made a habit of doing during his club managerial career at Liverpool, Dortmund, and Mainz. He might not start often ahead of Musiala, Florian Wirtz, or a fully fit Serge Gnabry, but Klopp will certainly give him the chances.
Said El Mala (FC Köln) – More simple math here. El Mala was a player many thought should have been in Julian Nagelsmann’s World Cup squad, but he was not. Nagelsmann felt that the Köln youngster still had to find his feet before he considered calling him up to the senior squad, but Klopp has now given him the chance. His pace, high pressing ability, and high work rate make him a perfect Klopp-esque player. He will have every bit of confidence coming off the 13 goals he scored last season and perhaps even come into camp with a chip on his shoulder having missed out on the World Cup.
Forwards
Younes Ebnoutalib (Eintracht Frankfurt) – This is yet another potential case of a young player who is pacey, tenacious, and could be key in a high press; the quintessential Klopp type of traits. The 23-year-old has impressed for Frankfurt so far this season, having tallied five goals and two assists in five matches across all competitions. He is arguably one of the most in-form German strikers at the moment and has every chance to become a key player for Germany.
Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade, Jonathan Burkardt (Arsenal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt) – When you think of Klopp teams, other than Robert Lewandowski at Dortmund, you do not typically think of traditional number 9s. Germany also has not really had too many natural number 9s in the post-Miroslav Klose era, which is why any of the forwards Klopp has called up for the first international break have every chance of flourishing. With the way Mikel Arteta uses the high press at Arsenal, with Havertz most often leading the line, one would think the former Bayer Leverkusen man would be the natural fit to really excel f…
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