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Jurgen Klopp’s reign as Germany head coach opened with a 1-1 draw against Xavi’s Netherlands at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Thursday, September 24, in a UEFA Nations League Group A clash that split German media between praise and frustration.
Felix Nmecha became the first Germany player to score under Klopp’s tutelage, converting a chance created by Barcelona winger Karim Adeyemi. The setup carried Klopp’s fingerprints throughout, with players pressing high off a single hand signal from their new coach on the touchline.
Cody Gakpo, a forward Klopp once signed during his time at Liverpool, returned to haunt his former manager. The Netherlands forward equalized in second-half stoppage time, denying Germany a winning start in Klopp’s first competitive football match in charge.
German Media Issue Instant Jurgen Klopp Verdict
Fans and pundits offered honest assessments of Klopp’s opening performance. BILD praised the coach for solving four major issues in a matter of days.
“The team gave their all for the country, immediately fully embracing the ‘classic battle’ against Holland – exactly what Klopp had demanded,” BILD wrote. “We’ve got our pace back: Klopp fixed the biggest weakness of the World Cup in record time. With Adeyemi and Schade, he fielded classic wingers, and the whole team was in the high-pressing mode that Klopp’s teams are known for. Press, press, press! In the 4-2-3-1 system with a new zonal marking system, every player knew the plan better than during the entire World Cup debacle – and that after just two training sessions. We were lucky again: I would never have allowed Van Dijk’s 13th-minute goal to go 1-0 up. The completely uncharacteristic shaky passes in the build-up play from goalkeeper Ter Stegen (who later improved) went unpunished. Gakpo’s equalizer in the 90th minute was well-deserved. The most important takeaway: It’s simply fun to watch. It’s a rollercoaster ride – and sometimes things go wrong – but you look forward to international matches.”
Kicker echoed the sentiment, suggesting Germany are already trending in the right direction under their new boss. Sportschau delivered a similarly balanced take.
“Klopp’s DFB debut was marked by enthusiasm and mistakes,” Sportschau reported. “Until stoppage time, it looked like a dream debut for Germany coach Jürgen Klopp. But then the Netherlands equalized against an enthusiastic but error-prone German team. The draw was ultimately deserved. The German team demonstrated the passion and commitment demanded by Klopp; Karim Adeyemi had the first promising opportunity in the penalty area after just 45 seconds, but opted to pass instead of shooting himself. The German team maintained the pressure, quickly winning back possession after losing the ball, but despite their enthusiasm, they also had a significant error rate.”
Other outlets weighed in with their own readings of the performance.
“Jürgen Klopp brings energy and courage to the German national team. However, the old defensive problems haven’t disappeared under his leadership. Nevertheless, the draw against the Netherlands is an encouraging sign,” Tagesspiegel added.
“Jürgen Klopp immediately reignited the national team’s enthusiasm, but missed the hoped-for dream start,” Spox wrote.
“The German national team showed a clear reaction to their World Cup exit in their first game under Jürgen Klopp. However, injuries to Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz marred the start,” Sky Germany noted.
Jurgen Klopp ‘Happy’ With Germany Performance
Klopp addressed the draw directly, admitting he wanted the win badly but found plenty to like in the performance.
“I was very, very, very pleased with a lot of the individual performances. Overall, I was very happy with the passion we showed,” he said. “We can play better and play more football, that’s for sure.”
Germany return to action against Greece on September 27 before taking on Serbia on October 1. The four-time world champions round off their opening Nations League fixtures with a trip to face Greece on October 4.
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Follow TipsGG for continued coverage of Klopp’s Germany project as the Nations League campaign unfolds.