Germany’s 2-0 win over Serbia felt refreshing for a very simple reason — nobody needed to spend 90 minutes wondering what had gone wrong.
The players were electric and played a fun style. The coach was engaged and pushing all the right buttons. And for one day, the fans could just sit back and enjoy the moment without having dark thoughts about this experiment potentially not working out.
That might sound like a low bar, but after some of Germany’s recent performances, watching a match where the team
looked organized, energetic, dangerous, and generally like it knew what it was doing was almost therapeutic. There were chances. There was attacking football. There was a clean sheet. Bayern Munich midfielder Tom Bischof scored his first international goal. Florian Wirtz looked like Florian Wirtz. Aleksandar Pavlović brought his usual calmness. And, most importantly, Germany actually looked like a team having fun.
For Klopp, it also feels like the new job is starting to look a little more natural. For fans who have had doubts, the brand of football, style of play, and individual performances should have provided some hope.
There is obviously a major difference between being the guy screaming instructions from the touchline and being the guy working behind the scenes to help build an entire national-team structure. Klopp is still settling into the role of doing it all, and Germany supporters are probably still figuring out exactly what his influence will look like.
But maybe that is the best part.
Klopp does not need to arrive and immediately turn Germany into Liverpool 2019. Instead, his presence can be about creating a better environment, helping identify the right players, supporting the coaching staff, and bringing some of that energy and optimism that has been associated with him throughout his career.
And Thursday’s 2-0 win over Serbia provided plenty of reasons for optimism.
Germany looked hungry without looking frantic. The younger players did not appear overwhelmed by the occasion. Bischof celebrated his goal like someone who had just won the World Cup, which was completely appropriate considering the knees he sacrificed during the slide.
Even better, Germany probably could have scored more.
That is the kind of complaint supporters can happily make.
There is still plenty to improve, of course. One good performance does not erase every question surrounding this team, and Klopp will not suddenly have everything figured out after a handful of games.
But this is what progress can look like — a team that feels exciting again, young players making an impact, established stars performing, and supporters leaving a Germany match feeling good instead of needing a three-hour tactical therapy session afterward.
For once, Germany winning was not complicated.
It was just fun.
And honestly, that is pretty refreshing.
Song of the Week: “Electric Worry” by Clutch
It is hard to explain why a song pops into your head sometimes, but I had not thought about this one in at least a decade.
The funny thing is that this dropped at a time in Philadelphia radio when the entire scene was in transition. Legendary stations were flipping formats, alternative rock was being chopped down to one station, and hard rock was being cut for “hot talk” — it was a weird period.
In a weird way, it made finding emerging hard rock or metal songs and bands very difficult. I can’t even explain how this one popped into my head from that period, but — at a minimum — it should wake you up:
Entertainment Rundown
So, the Carnivale rewatch is still going on. It’s been a slow burn, but that was needed as I just don’t have a lot of time at the moment (though there will be more opening up — thanks, Phillies!).
G.I. Joe
As someone who grew up in the 80s, the G.I. Joe cartoon was a staple of my viewing. However, I never gave the movies released in the late 2000s and early 2010s a chance. They just looked stupid (maybe I am wrong).
I have no idea what Danny McBride is going to do with this property, but surely it will not be conventional:
McBride’s best role as an actor was still as Kenny Powers in Eastbound & Down, which is one of my favorite comedy series of all time. I still think back and laugh at some of the scenes from that show.
Dexter: Resurrection — Season Two Trailer
While this guy has not gotten into any of the new Dexter iterations (yet), a lot of you have, so here you go:
Predictions
Friday, October 2, 2026
- Kazakhstan 1-0 Moldova
- Cyprus 1-0 Armenia
- Latvia 0-1 Montenegro
- Belgium 2-1 Türkiye
- Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-2 Sweden
- Faroe Islands 0-2 Slovakia
- France 3-1 Italy
- Hungary 1-2 Georgia
- Poland 1-1 Romania
- Ukraine 1-1 Northern Ireland
Saturday, October 3, 2026
- Finland 2-1 Albania
- Belarus 1-0 San Marino
- Croatia 1-2 England
- Estonia 1-0 Luxembourg
- Iceland 2-1 Bulgaria
- North Macedonia 1-1 Scotland
- Spain 2-0 Czechia
- Switzerland 2-1 Slovenia
Sunday, October 4, 2026
- Azerbaijan 0-1 Lithuania
- Kosovo 0-2 Austria
- Malta 1-2 Andorra
- Greece 0-3 Germany
- Netherlands 2-1 Serbia
- Portugal 1-1 Norway
- Republic of Ireland 1-0 Israel
- Wales 1-2 Denmark
Monday, October 5, 2026
- Cyprus 1-1 Latvia
- Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 Poland
- France 2-1 Belgium
- Italy 1-0 Türkiye
- Montenegro 0-1 Armenia
- Northern Ireland 1-2 Georgia
- Romania 0-2 Sweden
- Ukraine 1-1 Hungary
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
- Kazakhstan 1-0 Faroe Islands
- Albania-0 San Marino
- Belarus 0-2 Finland
- Croatia 0-2 Spain
- England 3-1 Czechia
- Estonia 1-1 Iceland
- Luxembourg 1-2 Bulgaria
- Moldova 1-2 Slovakia
- Scotland 1-1 Slovenia
- Switzerland 2-0 North Macedonia
Prediction Records
- Total: 222-110
- Perfect Picks: 31
- Bundesliga Last Matchday: 4-5
- Bundesliga Overall: 19-17
- DFB-Pokal: 29-3
- World Cup: 71-28
- International Friendlies: 50-30
- UEFA Nations League: 35-25
- Champions League: 12-6
- Club Friendlies: 5-1
- Franz Beckenbauer Supercup: 1-0
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