News (engl.)

It’s official: Jürgen Klopp will take over as Germany head coach on 15th August. Speaking at his unveiling at the DFB Campus in Frankfurt, the 59-year-old discussed the unique stature of the role, what success means to him and the importance of the fans. DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and first vice-president Hans-Joachim Watzke also explained why Klopp had been their first choice from the outset.

Jürgen Klopp on...

...the role of Germany head coach: It’s a great honour for me to be sitting here today. I had no idea quite how significant this job really is. Once your name is linked with it, you feel the weight of that responsibility even more. I know where I come from, and I could never have imagined that this would happen one day. Signing the contract was a special moment, but I’m glad that’s all done now and we can turn our attention to the things that matter. My first aim is for us to play better football. I’ll do all I can to make that happen. I’ve put together what I believe is the best possible coaching team. We’ll leave no stone unturned. And when we find something that needs changing, we’ll make those changes carefully rather than just for the sake of it. Our main job is to help the national team, but we also want to help put the DFB in a strong position for the future.

...his coaching team: Pep Lijnders is an outstanding coach and he’s hugely excited about taking on this challenge. I’ve worked with Piet Krawietz for almost 30 years. I trust him completely and he brings exceptional qualities to the team. Sven Bender is a young coach who played for Germany himself and has already worked with the DFB’s youth teams. He also brings first-hand knowledge of the national-team set-up, which is something I don’t have. Marc Kosicke will be responsible for strategy, development and innovation.

...his assessment of where the national team stands: Improving usually means putting more into it, but also looking at what is going to shape football in the future. I’ve drawn up a list of players I’m interested in, and at the moment it includes 57 outfield players. We had a lot of good players at the World Cup who simply didn’t perform well. It’s certainly not all bad at the moment, but there is plenty of room for improvement. Anyone who is eligible to play for Germany should make sure they give me something to think about, because I’ll be watching very closely. The door is open. For anyone who wants to be part of this, today is a fresh start.

...what his day-to-day role as Germany head coach might look like: I obviously don’t know exactly what my routine will look like yet. I’m quite glad there are still a few weeks before we meet up for the first time. I’ve just had a look around the facilities here at the DFB Campus. There are offices here for us, so I’ll be spending plenty of time here. I’ll be watching matches wherever our players are playing around the world. Even more important, though, is staying in close contact with the players. I’ll be getting in touch with them very soon. Whatever ideas I come up with, I won’t be able to put any of them into practice without the players. I’ve always tended to do too much rather than too little, and I’ll try to make sure I get that balance right for them. As a club coach, I always felt a responsibility to give everything I had to the fans. I feel that same responsibility towards everyone who loves football: to do this job as well as I possibly can without making myself too important. Anyone who wants to come on this journey with us is more than welcome.

...his footballing philosophy: When we look back at the World Cup, I think we all felt there could have been more intensity. I want us to work harder and play with greater intensity – that’s my plan. Counter-pressing and having a solid structure will also be important. We want people to be able to see a clear identity in the way we play. One encouraging thing at the World Cup was that the team who won it played with a back four and wanted to take control of games. Any team can keep things tight these days, and the real creative players are often out wide. There will be opportunities for players who probably aren’t expecting them at the moment. I’ve always been brave in my decisions and I want that to continue. I’m excited to work with players who want to play a style of football that people enjoy watching. I want us to achieve something with Germany that makes people come away saying: “Wow, that was really good.”

...having realistic expectations: We’re not as good as France at the moment, for example, but we can still beat them. To do that, we have to play a certain way. On three occasions, I’ve seen how successful football can change a city. And successful football can change a country. But we’ll need a bit of patience along the way. I want playing for the national team to feel really special again. I won’t be able to please everyone. But I’ll try to make the right decisions and do everything I can to get us playing in a way that gives us a chance of winning the World Cup. I want everyone to come on that journey with us. I’m up for it, and I hope you are too!

...the relationship between the fans and the national team: It’s hugely important. Football has the power to bring people together. Given the job I’m taking on now, the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico was the best learning experience I could possibly have had. The atmosphere was incredible. At a difficult time, we have a chance to give the fans something to rally behind, and we have to try to make the most of it.

...the upcoming international break, which includes four Nations League games: We need to strike the right balance between developing the team and getting results. It won’t be a case of giving everyone an audition. But I’ve got no problem with every player wanting to make their mark. We won’t be relying on the same starting XI and asking them to play every game.

...sporting director Rudi Völler: Rudi is going to be hugely important for me because I want to learn everything I can from him: how things are done, how they were done in the past, all of it. I wanted his experience, his personality and his outlook on life to be part of our team. I’m really looking forward to working with him. I’m absolutely certain it’s going to work well. I admired him a lot as a player, and over the years I’ve got to know him and developed a great deal of respect for him.

Bernd Neuendorf on...

...the talks with Jürgen Klopp: We were speaking very regularly right up until yesterday. Jürgen was our first choice from the very beginning. We quickly reached agreement on that within the DFB and did everything we could to bring him in. We saw straight away that Jürgen had enormous energy and was really excited about taking on the job. He is an outstanding motivator who improves teams and players. We’re looking to build something together over the long term.

...Per Mertesacker’s appointment as the DFB’s managing director for sport: Andreas Rettig, Rudi Völler and I had been speaking to Per for a year and a half. We never lost contact. When the position became available, we approached him again. His role won’t just cover the men’s senior national team. From 1st January 2027, Per will also oversee the women’s national team, the youth teams and the DFB’s work on developing young talent.

...Klopp’s contract situation with Red Bull: “Aki” Watzke and I had extensive talks with Oliver Mintzlaff. We quickly agreed that it would be difficult for Jürgen to combine both roles. His full focus can now be on the job with the DFB. We’re very grateful to Red Bull.

Hans-Joachim Watzke on...

...the appointment of Jürgen Klopp: Today is a special day. When you believe someone is the best person for the job, you have to go and get them. I’m delighted that Jürgen is here. I had the privilege of working very closely with him for seven years at Borussia Dortmund, so I know just how well suited he is to a challenge like this. He’ll make a success of the job because he has the ability to get everyone pulling in the same direction and deliver results. He’s always managed to do that, and I’m convinced he’ll do the same here.