“A little wake-up call”: bold theory on Jürgen Klopp’s omission of Karim Adeyemi

Germany coach Jürgen Klopp has left Karim Adeyemi out of his 24-man squad for the upcoming international break, sparking intense debate.

The winger played in both of Klopp's opening matches (80 minutes against the Netherlands, 15 minutes against the Netherlands) and has made a strong start at Spanish champions FC Barcelona.

Former Germany international Roman Weidenfeller said on the Sky programme 'Triple - Der Hagedorn-Fußballtalk': "He started very well against the Netherlands. But unfortunately he blasted a clear-cut chance over. That would have been the winning goal for Germany in Holland." The 2014 World Cup winner suspects Adeyemi's (poor) work when tracking back was the main reason for his omission: "Karim was too slow to react and repeatedly start tracking back. And that does not suit Jürgen Klopp at all. Of course, Jürgen always gives you every freedom going forward, but you always have to track back."

Having worked with Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, Weidenfeller sees a possible explanation: "I think those are the little things that bother Jürgen afterwards, and perhaps that could be why he was not called up. Maybe as a little warning."

Since his debut in autumn 2021, Adeyemi has made 13 international appearances but has yet to establish himself as a regular in the senior national team. Inconsistent performances at his former club Borussia Dortmund played a part. He left them for FC Barcelona in the summer for €22 million and now trains under Hansi Flick, the coach who gave him his Germany debut.

"There were critical voices. Some questioned Hansi Flick and asked why he would put himself through bringing Adeyemi to Barcelona," said Dietmar Hamann, another former Germany international. "They paid a lot of money for him, but so far he has done excellently. He has scored important and fine goals and has also subordinated himself to the team to some extent. You have to do that when you arrive at a world-class club like FC Barcelona. He has repeatedly had highs, but he also disappeared for long spells at Dortmund. Recently, he has been relatively consistent."

This season, Adeyemi has seven goal contributions (four goals, three assists) in 14 competitive appearances for Barca. Hamann expected the 24-year-old to make the Germany squad for the matches against Serbia (13 November) and the Netherlands (16 November): "I was surprised that Jürgen Klopp did not take him. We know that pace is an incredible weapon in modern football. When you look at the squad, there are not many players in it who have that pace."

For the attacking midfield positions, Klopp instead selected Said El Mala (1. FC Köln), Derry Scherhandt (SC Freiburg), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Brajan Gruda (RB Leipzig) and debutant Wael Mohya (Borussia Mönchengladbach).

Four Nations League matches in, Germany sit third with five points, three behind the top two, the Netherlands and Greece. Only the top two qualify for the next round.