In the first game under Jürgen Klopp, the German national team fought for a draw against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. In the end, only seconds are missing from the opening victory for the new national coach.
It was a start that had it all. In the run-up to the game against the Netherlands, Jürgen Klopp spoke of a real derby that awaited his team in Amsterdam. That’s exactly how it should happen. Both teams fought intense duels that sometimes went beyond the limits of what was allowed and gave each other nothing for the entire game. Ultimately, there was a 1-1 draw in the first competitive game under “Kloppo”, which was fair to the performance, but at least annoying from a German perspective due to the timing of the hosts’ equalizer.
But the start under Klopp is definitely encouraging. The DFB team was at its best in terms of fighting and running and appeared as a real unit. “Everyone got involved, that’s what we have to give us for the next few weeks,” analyzed Freiburg’s right-back and debutant Philipp Treu after the final whistle.
As usual, active on the sidelines: Jürgen Klopp – IMAGO/osnapix / Marcus Hirnschal
Klopp: “I can live with the result”
Jürgen Klopp was also happy with this component of the German game. “I was very satisfied with many individual performances and the passion, even if we can play better football,” said the national coach, who saw starting points for the work in the coming days. “We got into it really well, then we had real problems for ten minutes. If the system isn’t there yet and the processes aren’t right, then you have to fight for every duel and you need a good goalkeeper,” added Klopp, who had special praise for his number 1 Marc-André ter Stegen pronounced.
Also Klopp’s captain Joshua Kimmich drew a lot of positive things from the game: “It was an intense game in which not everything was perfect, but a lot of things felt quite good.” Only the two injuries of Jamal Musialawho had to miss a short time before kick-off with a thigh problem, and Kai Havertzwho was injured in a duel, dampened the mood a little. In the end, the national coach’s conclusion referred to the sporting aspect. “I would have loved to win, but I can live with the result today,” Klopp said in a conciliatory manner at the end.
New faces in the DFB team
