Much work and little time shape Jürgen Klopp's work with Germany
The German national football team lost 0-1 at home against Greece, leaving them five points behind the league leaders after two Nations League matchdays, and coach Jürgen Klopp now faces the task of reshaping the team with little time and a lot of work.
The new national coach has indeed taken over a team, but he must almost build a second squad from scratch. Without an established system, he essentially starts from zero. This means that many players have not yet shared playing time in the Nations League. Consequently, preparation for the Nations League remains severely limited.
Second Squad and Upcoming Duel Against Serbia
After the defeat, Germany must beat the pointless bottom team Serbia on Thursday to secure survival. A win is essential because another draw would further widen the gap to Greece. The match therefore serves as the next testing ground for Klopp's still young side.
Greece, only recently promoted to the top Nations League division, celebrated the first win in the eleventh match against Germany more than the achievement itself. Coach Ivan Jovanović praised the Greek side and said: “They are a very strong team.” The Greeks thus demonstrated that they remain competitive despite the promotion.
Klopp's painful home debut: Germany loses to Greece
Klopp Analyzes the Defeat
As Jürgen Klopp explained, the hardest thing in football is to play against a deep block. He admitted that his team had not found the right ways to break the block, even though there are theoretically “infinitely many” options. He also emphasized that not even a week had passed since Squad I trained together, and that he lacks more time to shape the team.
Bastian Schweinsteiger, former world champion, criticized after the 0-1 loss in Augsburg that the German team had ended up in mediocrity. He lamented that the players who previously made the difference were no longer available. Only Joshua Kimmich could still create creative moments.
Kimmich himself confirmed that the team had been too static and moved too little. Goalkeeper Alexander Nübel added that the team had too much possession in areas that were unnecessary. Both statements underline the deficit in dynamism and spatial distribution.
Klopp's setback: Germany unexpectedly loses to Greece
Klopp plans to solidify the defensive routines in the upcoming training sessions and to transform the offense from a sluggish passing game into a purposeful threat in the opponent’s penalty area. He especially likes the 15 minutes after halftime, because the team then occupied the spaces he wants. Only a few players from Squad I will be carried over into Squad II, which was already in Augsburg on Sunday and then traveled to Herzogenaurach.