Klopp wants to present record squad for national team coach debut

The new national team coach Jürgen Klopp, 59, will on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in the DFB headquarters in Frankfurt present his first squad for the football national team – a roster that, according to the German Press Agency, could be significantly larger than the 23 players allocated by UEFA for the Nations League.

The coach recently watched several Bundesliga matches. Klopp justifies the unusually large roster with the rebuilding of the German football national team. He wants to assess as many professionals as possible and spread the workload over the four Nations League matches that take place within ten days. The plan was already hinted at when he was introduced as the DFB head coach at the end of July. The observations of the Bundesliga matches served as the basis for him to evaluate the players' current form.

Reasons for the XXL Squad

According to information from the German Press Agency, the squad could include up to thirty players. The 59-year-old head coach speaks of 57 outfield players that he lists as possible candidates on an initial list. With this he wants to maintain a broad pool of players who are eligible for the restart. This is intended to make the selection more transparent and increase competition among the professionals.

UEFA allows only a squad limit of twenty-three players for the Nations League, of which three are goalkeepers. In contrast, up to twenty-six players may be nominated for the European Championship and the World Cup. Article 28 of the UEFA regulations confirms this restriction up to the final tournament in June 2027, where again twenty-six are permitted. It is expected that the regulations will remain unchanged until the next European Championship.

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Schedule and Selection Deadline

Klopp must set a matchday squad of twenty-three players for the fixtures in the Netherlands on September 24, against Greece on September 27, against Serbia on October 1, and again against Greece on October 4. The final decision must be made by 23:59 on the day before at the latest. This allows him to rotate flexibly and minimise the workload of individual players. The tight schedule forces the coach to make tactical adjustments early.

A possible rotation scheme could involve Bayern Munich forward Jamal Musiala, who most recently missed out due to absences, as well as defender Nico Schlotterbeck of Borussia Dortmund, who celebrated his comeback after a serious ankle injury at the World Cup. Schlotterbeck had injured his ankle at the World Cup. Both players could be used as regular starters in the upcoming matches, provided they remain fit. Fu is the abbreviation used in the internal DFB dossier.

With this approach Klopp wants to stabilise the German football national team in the long term and secure a broad talent pool for the future. The upcoming head coach debut on Thursday will show how far the concept extends from a mere squad list to a practical plan. The upcoming head coach debut on Thursday will show how far the concept extends from a mere squad list to a practical plan.