Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is facing an early challenge with the German national team, as questions surround the side's ability to compete at the top.
Juergen Klopp, Head coach of Germany reacts during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Germany and Greece
Jurgen Klopp has faced an early reality check with the German national team(Image: (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images))
Jurgen Klopp has faced a challenging start to his time with the German national team, as the former Liverpool boss has made the worst start of any manager in the position after just two games.
The nation was hopeful that the arrival of the new head coach would help solve years of underperformance in major tournaments, having failed to hit the heights since the World Cup triumph back in 2014.
The task for Klopp was to get the team back to the top in terms of performances and results, while instilling a style of play that closer matches the nation's identity.
While a quick turnaround was certainly the hope, it seems as though it's going to take some time to recover, based on the early evidence in the first international break for the manager.
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A draw against the Netherlands was followed up by a defeat to Greece in the UEFA Nations League, leaving many questioning whether Germany will be able to return to the top once again.
Following the latest loss, former Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger slammed the team, while mentioning the hope he feels that Klopp will be able to turn things around. He said: "We're no longer a top team. We're now just an average team. We no longer have players who make the difference.
"Even Greece have Karetsas, Tzolis, Pavlidis - for me those are players who make the difference. Hopefully Jurgen Klopp manages to develop a team that can play Klopp football"
It was a scathing statement that hits the main problem that Germany currently has compared to previous generations, with deeper issues that the player development pathway needs to consider before Klopp truly has a team that can win at the top.
Jurgen Klopp, Head Coach of Germany, reacts the UEFA Nations League match against Greece
Jurgen Klopp's Germany suffered a shock defeat against Greece on Sunday night(Image: Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
While it would appear as though the former midfielder slammed the team, it was a statement that Germany star Joshua Kimmich couldn't disprove. When asked about Schweinsteiger's comments, the experienced ace told Sky Sports Germany: "I can hardly disagree with that. At the moment, we’re way off being a top team."
It further underlines the gargantuan task staring down at Klopp, who will need to find a way to get short-term results and a clear buy-in for his methods, as well as a long-term view to bring improvements to future major tournaments.
With the first two fixtures of the Nations League now out of the way, the former Liverpool boss will have a new group of players at his disposal, after he decided to call-up two separate squads for the four matches that take place over a three-week period.
There will be opportunities to improve and see a reaction, with a clash against Serbia on Thursday, before the return fixture against Greece on Sunday.
While it's early days, and there will be patience and belief that Klopp can change things, there is clearly a lot that needs to be done for Germany to be competitive again.