Klopp expects a smooth debut against the Netherlands
Jürgen Klopp, 59, will be on live RTL on Thursday at 8:45 p.m. before his first assignment as national team coach, when Germany faces the Netherlands. The former Liverpool manager emphasizes his excitement and compares the upcoming match to a familiar bike ride after the World Cup disappointment.
Few head coaches have received so many premature laurels, but the expectations are huge. The hope and belief in German football are great that Klopp will lead the DFB team back to its former strength.
Just under three months after the World Cup disappointment with the round-of-16 exit against Paraguay, the country is ready for a fresh start. Klopp said: “The lads are all eager, so accordingly we feel a new beginning.”
Klopp looks to a new era
It has been a little over two years since Klopp was active as a coach, back then at Liverpool. He explained that he isn’t sure if anything has rusted, but it works: “Two years and three, four months I haven’t stood on the training pitch. It’s a bit like riding a bike.”
Fans hope Klopp can revive Germany after Paraguay disappointment
At the Super Cup he unexpectedly sang along to the national anthem. “I didn’t even know I still had the national anthem completely down,” he said, instantly getting laughs.
For the upcoming four Nations League matches he has named an XXL squad of 44 players, of which only 24 have flown to Amsterdam. “I will go through fire for the lads. If the lads give everything, I am responsible for defeats – without ifs and buts,” he emphasized.
Newcomer Philipp Treu called Klopp a coach for whom you would go through fire. The coach added: “That we want to play good football is clear. We also want to be a bit surprising.”
Klopp urges Germany to rise above early World Cup exits
Debuting coaches on both sides
Klopp will not be the only debutant on the bench; for the Netherlands, Spain’s World and European champion Xavi celebrates his premiere. Klopp noted: “I know more Dutch players personally than Xavi. Whether that is an advantage I don’t know, it’s a fact nonetheless.”