Jurgen Klopp will take charge of Germany for the first time this week, opening his reign with a four-game international break built around two almost completely separate squads. The former Liverpool manager, announced as head coach in July, has chosen a split approach that means Germany’s strongest starting XI will not be on show as he begins the task of reviving a national team that has underwhelmed at recent tournaments.
The first squad, which includes Joshua Kimmich, Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala, will face arch-rivals the Netherlands at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday (19:45 BST) before hosting Greece on Sunday. The second, featuring Florian Wirtz and Aleksandar Pavlovic, will play Serbia at home and Greece away later in the break. The only player named in both groups is back-up goalkeeper Finn Dahmen.
The selection reflects Klopp’s trial-and-error approach. He initially drew up a list of 57 players who could have been picked for this international break, saying in July that players would receive chances “who don’t even expect it yet”. Among those handed an opportunity are Felix Keidel, a 23-year-old full-back and midfielder hybrid from recently promoted SV Elversberg, along with Mika Baur, Bambase Conte, Max Rosenfelder, Philipp Treu and Vitaly Janelt. Some of those newcomers were playing in Germany’s second tier only a few months ago.
Klopp has never built his success purely on star names. He signed the little-known Polish winger Lukasz Piszczek and turned him into one of Europe’s best right-backs, and helped transform Andy Robertson into a force on Liverpool’s left. That record suggests the new faces may be more than filler. “It is not important who plays but how someone plays,” Klopp said last week. “I expect a lot from the beginning. It could be a bit wild, but I accept that. It just has to be lively.”
Tactically, Klopp is expected to simplify Germany’s approach to possession, in contrast to predecessor Julian Nagelsmann’s highly complex systems, and to put an emphasis on the wings. That may require quick adaptation, because man-marking is prevalent in the Bundesliga while Klopp prefers his teams to close down the player in possession and create superior numbers around the ball. The wide options include Cologne’s rising star Said El Mala, 18-year-old Bayern Munich talent Lennart Karl, Freiburg’s Derry Scherhant and Brentford’s Kevin Schade, who returns after being left out for the World Cup.
Both squads have an average age of between 24 and 25, underlining a shift towards youth. Manuel Neuer, Antonio Rudiger and Pascal Gross have retired from international football, and other players in their thirties may struggle to force their way back in. “I think it is about time to wish the new generation best of luck,” Gross said after Brighton’s win over Arsenal on Saturday. “I still enjoy playing football here in the club, but there’s a change in Germany and rightfully so.” Klopp has said he wants to work with “guys who cannot wait to wear this jersey”.
Off the pitch, Klopp has already made headlines. In his first news conference he admonished the media, urging them to treat him fairly and refrain from attacks against his family. Last Thursday he called for “positive patriotism”, saying he wanted to reclaim the flag for himself and for all Germans. His remarks were made in light of the success of the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, and its subsequent win in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. He also pointed to the recent successes of Alexander Zverev at the US Open, the women’s basketball team at the European Championship and German athletes at the European Athletics Championships, saying sport can create “a sense of community”. He wore a cap reading “One of 83 million”.
Between the news conferences, Klopp has been a constant presence at league games and training facilities, watching from the stands at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, appearing in the VIP lounge at Mainz’s stadium and visiting Eintracht Frankfurt’s training ground. The German Football Association hired him on an annual salary of £6m not to comment on the state of the country, but to rebuild a floundering national team. He has spent much of his early time shaping the narrative away from the pitch; now the spotlight turns to what he can get out of his players on it.