News (engl.)

Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp and goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen spoke to the media on Wednesday evening ahead of the national team’s opening 2026/27 Nations League game against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Thursday (20:45 CEST). DFB.de has rounded up the key quotes.

Jürgen Klopp on...

...his first game in charge: There are definitely some positive nerves, but we’ve done so much over the past few days that we haven’t really had time to get nervous. I have good memories of the stadium and I’m looking forward to the game, the atmosphere and everything that comes with it. I’m very happy with how these first few days have gone.

...the players: Everyone is in great spirits and feeling positive because nothing has gone wrong yet. We’re going straight into competitive action without a friendly beforehand. Whatever the result, we’ll have to deal with it. Every player was delighted to be called up, whether they’ve been here before or are new to the squad. Everyone is buying into what we want to do.

...his approach: What I can promise is that you’ll be able to see how much we want it. There’s been a feeling recently that we’re not as good as other countries. But there’s also an opportunity when things haven’t been working. It’s my responsibility to shape the way the senior national team plays so that we give ourselves a good chance of winning every game. We have to start doing that now. I hope people will be able to see that tomorrow. Where will it take us? I don’t know. Whether we’re among the teams capable of challenging for the next title, I don’t know that either.

...the difference between club and international football: The difference isn’t that big, but you’re under much more time pressure. It’s incredibly intense because you’re trying to fit so much into such a short period, which you’d never do at club level. It’s essentially everything you do with a club, just compressed into a very small window. Developing something takes time, but making progress requires willingness from the players. The lads have that. We’ll see where it takes us.

...tactics: The lads have all come straight out of pre-season and they look very fit. The big advantage for me is that I get to see them in their absolute comfort zone: playing football. They’re outstanding talents in so many different ways. The problem is that other countries have those players too. It isn’t about who has the best individuals, but who can organise themselves in a way that limits the opposition’s strengths. The way we set the team up might help the players bring out the best in themselves. A lot of them have regularly gone above and beyond for their clubs. The question is when we can get that from them with the national team too. That’s something we want to work towards and find a way of achieving together, so that we have more days when the players can reach another level.

...the rivalry with the Netherlands: It doesn’t mean anything to me personally. I know about it, but I’ve never experienced it myself. I know what this game means and, ideally, there’ll be a real edge to the atmosphere in the stadium tomorrow. It’ll be a tough game because they’re a very good side, they have huge talent and they keep producing top players year after year.

Marc-André ter Stegen on...

...his return: I’m incredibly excited about tomorrow night. It’s something very special for me because Amsterdam is my new home. Games between these two teams have always been great occasions and I expect tomorrow to be no different.

...his fitness: The most important thing is staying healthy and getting back into a rhythm. When you’ve been through a difficult spell, you tend to focus on what’s immediately in front of you. I want to perform at the highest possible level over the next few months and get back to my best.

...his first conversation with Jürgen Klopp: We had a good first chat and spoke generally about the situation. He said he wanted to establish a certain spine in the team and explained his ideas. Ultimately, performance has to come first. That’s the basis for everything, along with staying fit and healthy. I hope we can have a very successful time under him. That’s what I’d like for him, for us and for German football.

...the competition for places: I have to say that the goalkeepers I’ve seen here in training are excellent. They’re all playing at a very good level. We want to make the coach’s decision as difficult as possible going forward, and I’m sure there will be others coming through as well. We’re extremely well placed in goal for the years ahead.

...the mood in camp: There are a lot of new faces and it’s really interesting to see a different energy around the group. That doesn’t mean things were better or worse before. The team has to come together and the coach wants to get a good look at everyone. I think calling up so many players to get a feel for them is a very interesting approach.

...the first game: We’ve only had a few sessions together, but tomorrow we’ll try to focus on a number of things we want to put into practice. Will everything work straight away? Probably not. But we’ll give everything to make it work, and we have to buy into it and take everything on board as quickly as possible. Hopefully we can come away with a good result tomorrow.