It’s been a long while since Germany has consistently produced top performances at the international level, but there’s belief that Jürgen Klopp can be the man to turn things around and bring the national team closer to its 2014 zenith in Brazil. It has been a rocky start to Klopp’s reign as manager—with a 1–1 draw against the Netherlands and a 1–0 loss to Greece—but this is only the beginning of what is an experimental phase during an extended international break designed for him to evaluate a wide
variety of players.
The former Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, and Mainz manager knew that getting Germany back on track wouldn’t happen overnight. His managerial pedigree alone should grant him time before German fans begin to doubt him. For a manager who turned Merseyside from “doubters to believers,” he needs time—and time looks a bit different for a national team manager than it does at the club level.
Nonetheless, the two separate squads Klopp built from the 44 players called up for this break’s UEFA Nations League matches won’t look the same moving forward. He simply wanted to try a different approach and offer fresh perspectives to players who might not have been given a chance under previous managers, although Julian Nagelsmann had also begun introducing new faces toward the end of his tenure as Die Mannschaft manager.
While Germany hasn’t been a dominant international force for some time—outside of strong performances at Euro 2024—Bayern Munich defender Jonathan Tah recently stated that he dislikes comparisons between Klopp and his predecessors, Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick, and Joachim Löw. To Tah, Klopp is a unique manager with his own ideas and strengths.
“I don’t really like these comparisons. Everyone has their own approach. Jürgen Klopp’s strengths are his experience, his mix of passion and enjoyment, and his absolute will to win. After the initial team meeting, I think everyone thought: ‘Okay, we’ll go through fire for him together as a team,’” Tah explained during the press conference ahead of the loss to Greece in Augsburg (via @iMiaSanMia).
Tah played the full 90 minutes in both matches against the Netherlands and Greece. While he is likely to be a regular fixture in Klopp’s setup, he will still need to earn his spot each time national team selections are made.
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