Kimmich and Tah criticize their performance under Klopp's new direction
In the Nations League match held in Wolfsburg, Germany fell 0‑1 to Greece, marking the first defeat of the Klopp era at the helm of the Mannschaft. After the setback, captain Joshua Kimmich and defender Jonathan Tah offered a strong self‑criticism of their performance.
Early turbulence under Klopp
Klopp made his debut with the German national team in a draw against the Netherlands, and just a matchday later suffered defeat against the Greek side. With that single point from two games, Germany's trajectory in the Nations League becomes complicated.
The event was covered by the EFE agency, through journalist Pepe Gil‑Vernet, who noted that Greece's victory represents its first historic win over Germany. The setback has generated the first turbulence in the nascent era of the coach at the Mannschaft.
Kimmich and Tah take responsibility
When asked about Bastian Schweinsteiger's criticism, who described Germany as “an average team”, Joshua Kimmich responded bluntly: “We are far from being an elite team.” The captain also admitted that the side was “too static” and lacked creativity.
Nations League miracle postponed – Greece punishes Germany's blunder
Jonathan Tah, another key figure in the squad, agreed with the self‑criticism. “It hasn't been an easy match. To be honest, we haven't done enough. Greece didn't press and we lacked being more dominant with the ball,” the centre‑back explained.
Kimmich added that “we have to improve in everything and understand the coach better. Klopp is very clear about what he wants from us and it depends on us to take a step forward.” He also acknowledged a wide margin for improvement for the Mannschaft.
The defender also lamented the lack of courage to execute his style of play, pointing out that “we didn't create spaces, we didn't threaten the box, we didn't try from distance and we didn't deliver enough crosses into the area.” These observations underline the need for greater offensive dominance.
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With pressure mounting, Germany will need to reverse the trend in the upcoming Nations League fixtures to avoid being caught in the relegation zone.