Klopp praises XXL experiment after Nations League draw

National team coach Jürgen Klopp stood at the edge of the Nations League match against Greece at the RTL microphone and commented on the second draw in his fourth international match, a 0:0, which confirmed his XXL lineup with 44 internationals, after two weeks of intensive observation of numerous internationals he had seen during the break.

XXL Experiment with 44 Internationals

Klopp sees his XXL casting for the German football national team as a complete success. „We have seen a lot of internationals in the two weeks. Everyone has shown themselves, all had their justification“, he said in the RTL interview.

He continued: „What has been said about us. What we can do. What we cannot do.“ He further emphasized that the team had shown signs that indicate they can do things better than they have been credited with.

Klopp explained that he wanted to „kick something off“ and had definitely seen it. For November he will not call up as many players again: „But the door is open for everyone. Sperrangelweit.“

The national coach is „very, very, very impressed with the team, how they did it“. He highlighted that the performance had exceeded expectations.

Before the match he had already summed up: „Hard work, lots of information, the talent runs out of the boys’ ears.“ This assessment was confirmed in the 0:0 against Greece, which did not take Germany beyond a draw.

In the unusually long bench period he led four Nations League games with a split squad, nominating a total of 44 players. For the November fixtures in Serbia (Belgrade 13 November) and against the Netherlands (Berlin 16 November) he is planning a tightly compressed squad.