Klopp criticises DFB team after weak performance in Greece

The Greece DFB team under Jürgen Klopp missed the second consecutive win in the Nations League after it stood at 0:0. Aleksandar Pavlović was angry about the performance shown, while the team remains on the third place in the table with five points.

Klopp of squad experiment

When Jürgen Klopp presented his arrangement for the big German football field experiment two and a half weeks ago, he divided the national players and those who wanted to become them into two squads with only a small overlap. The expectation was that the group for the first two Nations League matches would be stronger than the second. The appearance of the second squad should have pleased the national coach.

After the fourth match on Sunday evening the hypothesis proved to be disproved. After a 1-1 against the Netherlands and a 0-1 against Greece the first win in Klopp of era only came after the personnel change against Serbia, followed by a 0-0 against Greece. The performance of the second squad was nevertheless evaluated positively.

The Greek fans cheered at the final whistle after a goal by Jonathan Burkardt in the first half was disallowed after video review. The DFB team remains with five points in third place, level with Greece and the Netherlands, who won 2-1 against Serbia. Another draw would have already made the first place unattainable.

Tactical analysis

Pressing and the controlled chaos after losing possession worked well this time, as Klopp emphasized after the match. The Greeks, who played long balls in the first leg, rarely got to the ball because an opponent was always nearby. The Germans reacted to the ball immediately, which increased the pressure. It seems that the Germans are increasingly adopting the ideas of their new national coach.

For the first time no debutant was in the starting eleven; Klopp changed only three positions compared with the win over Serbia: David Raum replaced Maximilian Mittelstädt on the left back, Lennart Karl took over the role of Serge Gnabry and Jonathan Burkardt came for Nick Woltemade in the attacking centre. In midfield Klopp again relied on the hard core of Aleksandar Pavlović, Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz.

Pavlović had proven himself against the weak Serbs as stable and creative; against the counter‑strong Greek team the biggest challenge lay in midfield. He demanded the ball, shaped the game, while Bischof barely followed him and Wirtz in special moments, this time even with the captain armband, dictated the proceedings.

Outlook

How Klopp will arrange his midfield in November remains exciting; the discussion about captain Joshua Kimmich, who according to agreement did not play against Serbia and Greece, is likely to arise again. Already the day before the match Klopp said: “I give up on the topic. Officially. Already now.” Fans could also follow the match via the official app.