Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was involved in another heated exchange with reporters as he faced yet more questions over his team selection in charge of Germany
Germany's head coach Jurgen Klopp gestures during a press conference at the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki, on October 3, 2026, ahead of the UEFA Nations League Group A2 football match between Greece and Germany. (Photo by Sakis Mitrolidis / AFP via Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp was involved in another heated exchange with reporters ahead of Germany's game against Greece(Image: Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp once again rallied against the line of questioning during his most recent press conference for Germany, with the former Liverpool boss still jumping to the defense of Florian Wirtz.
It has been a mixed start for Klopp in charge of his country, having drawn and lost his opening two games before picking up his first win against Serbia on Thursday, with Wirtz instrumental in the 2-0 triumph.
The Liverpool star put his Anfield struggles behind him as he repaid Klopp’s faith in him with a match-winning display, and he’ll be aiming to continue that form as Germany goes in search of some revenge over Greece on Sunday.
Ahead of that game though, Klopp was involved in another spiky exchange with the German media at his pre-match press conference. The 59-year-old has not been shy of firing back at reporters and even threatened to quit during his unveiling as manager if his family was targeted by reporters.
And there was yet more tension on Saturday, with even a first win in charge not sparing him some questions over his selection.
Klopp took the unusual step of naming a 44-man squad for the international break, with the group split into two across the four games, but his decision to leave Joshua Kimmich out against Serbia has caused a stir, with the topic raised to his chagrin ahead of his team’s final outing.
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Jurgen Klopp with Florian Wirtz
Jurgen Klopp jumped to Florian Wirtz' defense again as his selections were questioned(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
"It's such a beautiful evening, and without even mentioning it, you're trying to bring up a topic that isn't really a topic," Klopp fumed.
"And in the end, it'll be a Jo Kimmich story. You'll manage that, won't you? [Aleksandar] Pavlovic, [Tom] Bischof, Wirtz – it worked brilliantly."
He added: "You can see that it's extremely difficult, not because I want to downplay or exaggerate a story or anything like that, but simply because you all want to create a story. That's normal, of course.
"We played a very good game. Now imagine if we had exactly three midfielders in Germany. Exactly three. Why should only one player always play? You have to be in good form to play. Just like at every club. You don't play there if you're not in good form.
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"You need different structures, you need leaders, you need players with great stamina, you need creative players, you need all sorts of things. We played a very good game – and that's what the question was aimed at.
"It's logical that it came up, I just thought it was a bit early. Question two or three was already heading in that direction. That's why I thought I'd say something about it."
Both Wirtz and Bischof scored against Serbia and will be aiming to catch the eye again should they both start in Thessaloniki, while Pavlovic looks as though he will get another run-out, having sat alongside Klopp during Saturday’s press conference.
"It was incredibly fun playing alongside Tom and Flo," Pavlovic said. "You can see that we all have a lot of quality on the ball. We complemented each other well defensively, too. On the ball, Flo obviously has complete freedom, and we try to get the ball to him as much as possible."