Two games into the new Nations League campaign, the four high-profile managers who recently took international jobs are having sharply different experiences. Jürgen Klopp, Zinedine Zidane, Xavi Hernández and Roberto Mancini were all appointed amid attention, but only one of them has a perfect record so far. For Klopp, the introduction to international management has been particularly chastening.
Klopp began his Germany reign by warning the national press not to intrude on his family’s privacy, and he then picked a 44-man squad in an effort to speed up “the process of opening the door for many new faces” as part of a plan to revolutionise the squad. His first match, against Xavi’s Netherlands, ended in a draw, after which Klopp said there was “still plenty of room for improvement”. Germany then suffered a historic first-ever defeat by Greece. Klopp accepted responsibility, saying: “The lineup, the formation, the many changes – that is all 100% down to me. Football, that’s how it is. I don’t think we deserved that, but here we are.” Germany are third in their Nations League group and face a must(ish)-win match against Serbia to avoid possible relegation.
Xavi has fared better. The Netherlands claimed their first win under him in Belgrade, beating Serbia 2-1, with late call-up Mexx Meerdink scoring both goals. The AZ striker’s brace gave Xavi a victory before Thursday’s meeting with the group-leading Greeks. Asked about suggestions that the Dutch had repeatedly failed to attack spaces, Xavi admitted: “there were many moments when we needed to attack the spaces, but we didn’t do it”.
Roberto Mancini, back in charge of Italy for a second spell, has also recorded a first win. Italy had lost to Belgium last week, but Turkey rolled over to give Mancini the first win of his second spell in charge of Italy. After being reappointed, Mancini apologised for leaving Italy first time around to take a lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia. He has also had to face down questions about another of his former nation-state paymasters, and after referring to claims he had a “double contract” during his time at Manchester City, Mancini described the current scandal surrounding his former club as “not a problem that concerns me”.
Michael Kayode became the first Brentford player in history to represent Italy and marked the occasion with a goal. Mancini said the 22-year-old “will improve even more after another year in the Premier League”. Given Mancini’s lack of popularity among many Italy fans, however, it remains to be seen whether he will still be in the job to see Kayode blossom. Italy’s next appointment is in Paris on Friday against France.
Zidane is the only one of the four to have made a perfect start. France followed a 1-0 win in Turkey with a 1-0 win in Belgium, the latter secured by a sensational late solo effort from Michael Olise. Zidane was also asked about his meme-worthy touchline celebration, which involved a sprint, a little dance and leathering a spare ball off a cone. “I saw the ball,” he said. “I was forced to shoot it, be a bit ridiculous but it doesn’t matter.”