Klopp wants an XXL squad of thirty players for September internationals
In the DFB Centre in Frankfurt, Jürgen Klopp is ready to present his squad for the upcoming international matches for the first time on September 17 as the new national team coach. He is considering an extremely large squad – possibly up to thirty players – to spread the workload of the four games.
Presentation and First Announcement
According to information from the German Press Agency, the squad will be presented on Thursday at ten o'clock at the DFB headquarters. The former Dortmund coach had already hinted at this plan at the end of July when he was introduced as the DFB head coach. With this, he aims to assess as many professionals as possible in his debut as national team coach.
UEFA Rules and Possible Squad Size
UEFA allows a squad of twenty‑three players for Nations League matches, including three goalkeepers. In contrast, up to twenty‑six players could be nominated for the World Cup and the European Championship. However, Klopp could call up significantly more than the twenty‑three players stipulated by UEFA – up to thirty players are conceivable.
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Reasons and Rotation Plan
One reason for the XXL‑squad concept is the historically long international match window, which is intended to avoid overloading the players. Klopp speaks of a rotation system that could benefit, for example, Bayern Munich striker Jamal Musiala or Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck. This way, the workload in the four matches should be distributed evenly.
Dates of the Nations League Matches
The upcoming matches will take place in the Netherlands on September 24, against Greece on September 27, against Serbia on October 1, and in Greece on October 4. For each match, Klopp must set the exact match‑day squad of twenty‑three players by no later than 23:59 on the day before.
With an XXL‑squad, Klopp could also bring several debutants into the national team. At his presentation, he already mentioned fifty‑seven outfield players who are on an initial list as possible candidates, to obtain a broad impression of the potential for the restart of the DFB eleven.