Klopp cuts old braids and launches a fresh start after Serbia win
A decisive blow marks Jürgen Klopp's first triumph with the DFB team: In the third international match against Serbia, the German national team recorded its first win under the new head coach, a convincing 2-0, signalling the start of a new, aggressive playing philosophy and giving hope for further successes.
Even before the first four matches, the project “The National One” had created a sense of renewal. The idea was to give the German national team a fresh, modern image. Klopp relied on his typical “Heavy‑Metal‑football” with high pressing to overcome every opponent. The photo by Alexander Hassenstein/GettyImages captures the excitement.
The new style is meant to captivate the fans not only tactically but also emotionally. Through intense pressing, tired ball‑carrying and unmotivated players should become a thing of the past. The 2-0 against Serbia shows that this philosophy is already having an effect.
Shedding old habits
At 59, Klopp recognises that there are still “old braids” growing in the squad. The win over Serbia made it clear that a radical personnel overhaul is necessary. Hence, he intends to remove players who no longer convince from the core roster in the future.
Matthäus demands clear support from Klopp for Kimmich
His first nomination comprised an unusual 44 individuals, spread across two squads. With this, Klopp has already taken the first step towards restructuring. Further changes are expected to follow in the upcoming matches.
Who must go
We look at six players whom Klopp should no longer consider as regular starters. For four of them, the DFB career should be ended completely. This decision is intended to strengthen the team in the long term.
Josha Vagnoman, 25, has not yet impressed in the DFB jersey. In his three A‑international matches he has not shown sufficient quality to address the weakness in the right‑back position. Therefore, Klopp should completely drop him in the future.
Also Joshua Kimmich, who has often been used as a right‑back, is no longer considered the optimal choice. Klopp plans to stop using Kimmich in that position in the future. Instead, Philipp Treu, who impressed in his first two international matches, offers a possible solution.