Matthäus hits out at Klopp: we are not satisfied, and Germany is paying the price for the 44 players
Is Klopp's magic starting to fade?
Jürgen Klopp left the pitch in Thessaloniki on Sunday evening knowing one thing: the buzz around his appointment as Germany coach had yet to show up in the results.
One win in four internationals falls well short of what a nation expects of him.
Germany fans had dreamed of instant magic when the former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund favourite took charge last July, stepping in for Julian Nagelsmann after another miserable World Cup exit. The reality has proved messier.
Figures unbecoming of the Germans
Strip out that solitary win, 2-0 over Serbia last week, and the picture turns bleak: a home defeat to Greece, a goalless draw on Sunday, and before that a 1-1 stalemate with the Netherlands in Group Two of the UEFA Nations League.
That haul leaves Germany third on just 5 points, with the Netherlands and Greece out in front on 8 apiece, according to "Reuters".
German football legend Lothar Matthäus, captain of the side that lifted the 1990 World Cup, gave his verdict: "In general, it was clear that many aspects of their play were not yet fully in harmony".
"It was clear that the young players enjoyed the experience," he added. "Unfortunately, the points we picked up were not at the required level. We cannot be satisfied with the points tally".
Klopp sees what others do not
Yet this Germany looked sharper and more unified than it has in years, flashes of Klopp's trademark fast attacking football breaking through in spells.
That is exactly what the 59-year-old leaned on when he defended his team after the last of this month's four games. "I am very satisfied because I know where we came from," he said. "I would not have believed we would produce a first half of this level after just one week. The players put in a wonderful performance; their movement and positioning were outstanding".
"I am very impressed with the team and the way we played," he added. "Everyone put in a great deal of effort over the past two weeks and proved they deserved to be selected. When we defend collectively like this, the players can produce wonderful football".
Klopp had turned heads and drawn plenty of praise when he named a 44-man squad for the four matches, splitting it into two separate line-ups of 22 and handing debuts to 16 fresh faces in his push to restore the pride of the four-time world champions.
Defender Philipp Treu and winger Deniz Scheerhant stood out among the newcomers, both impressing on debut.
A mission to rescue the reputation
His brief is no longer simply to build a team. It is to rescue the qualifying campaign. After the shock defeat to Paraguay in the World Cup round of 32 last June under Nagelsmann, a third early exit following group-stage failures in 2018 and 2022, the fans have run out of patience. Germany's last title came back in 2014.
Wins are now non-negotiable. Germany travel to Serbia on 13 November, then host the Netherlands three days later, and must take points if they want to stay in the hunt for one of the top two qualifying places.
