Germany coach Jurgen Klopp has vowed to bring a fresh identity to the four-time world champions as he prepares for his first competitive match in charge.
Klopp used a video message on Monday to address supporters at home and abroad, introducing himself in English as “the new one,” a nod to the famous “normal one” line he used when he was unveiled at Liverpool back in 2015.
Now in the international dugout for the first time since leaving Anfield in 2024, the 59-year-old has been explicit about wanting a clean break from the underwhelming standards that have gripped German football in recent years.
Jurgen Klopp was all smiles as he took his first training session since leaving Liverpool two years ago 😁 pic.twitter.com/WKGPt84MlO
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 23, 2026
“We will try everything to make our new approach visible. I expect more immediately,” Klopp said. “It might get a bit wild, but I’ll take that; it just has to be lively.”
Germany has been semi-final regulars at major tournaments for well over a decade, yet has managed only a single knockout-round win at a World Cup or European Championship since 2016, a run that continued with their exit at this summer’s World Cup on penalties to Paraguay in the round of 32.
Klopp’s task of reviving the national team’s fortunes is significant, but it’s a challenge he has faced down before. He took Borussia Dortmund from the brink of bankruptcy to two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League final inside five years, and later delivered Liverpool their first English top-flight title in three decades, along with a Champions League triumph, having found a club that had reached the competition only once in the preceding five seasons.
His opening squad selection already signalled a willingness to shake things up. Klopp named 44 players split across two matchday groups for Germany’s opening four fixtures, handed first call-ups to 16 uncapped players, and left out fan favourite Deniz Undav altogether because of injury.
New Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp has called up more than 40 players in two separate squads ahead of four Nations League games 👀🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/tWYQabwnXY
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 17, 2026
Among the new faces is Freiburg right-back Philipp Treu, who has never worked under Klopp before but echoed a sentiment familiar to many who have. “You feel like you’d walk through fire for him,” the 25-year-old said. “He is an incredible guy.” Eintracht Frankfurt striker Younes Ebnoutalib, who turned down interest from African champions Morocco to represent Germany, offered a similar assessment: “When Klopp calls, you have to go. He’s one of the best coaches in the world and he brings a really positive energy.”
Off the pitch, Klopp has also worked to unify a national conversation that has often been fractured by criticism from former players. At his squad announcement, he distributed sponsor caps in German flag colours carrying the message “one of 83 million,” and has reached out personally to members of the DFB All-Stars alumni group, telling them “we are all the national team.”
Former international and prominent Sky Germany pundit Lothar Matthaus, a past Ballon d’Or winner, appeared to be won over, writing in his column that “everything will be better” with Klopp now in charge, adding: “That wasn’t always the case in recent years, but trust is important.”
Klopp’s first competitive test comes against a Netherlands side also appointing a new coach in Xavi Hernandez, before he makes his home debut in Augsburg on September 27 against Greece, hosts Serbia four days after that, and rounds off his opening camp with a trip to Thessaloniki the following Sunday.
