Jurgen Klopp says he was “pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed” by Germany’s display in their 0-0 Nations League draw with Greece, despite his side failing to score for the second time against the same opponents in eight days.
The result brought a winless end to Klopp’s first international window in charge. Germany drew their opening two matches before beating Serbia 2-0, but were unable to find a breakthrough at Stadio Toumbas on Sunday.
Germany registered 21 shots, worth 1.4 expected goals (xG), although only four were on target. Greece created more Opta-defined ‘big’ chances, leading that count 2-1.
Klopp, however, focused on the improvement he had seen since his first match with the team.
“I’m very satisfied because I know where we’ve come from,” he said. “I’m very, very, very impressed with the team.
“If anything, I’m pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed. I wouldn’t have believed we were capable of playing a first half like that.
“The boys put in an incredible performance – top-notch in every respect, except for the fact that we didn’t convert our chances into goals or spot a better-positioned team-mate in the final third.”
Germany’s intensity dropped after the hour mark, according to Klopp, who said the team’s movement became less precise. He also pointed to the demands of playing again only three days after their previous match.
“We got a bit unsettled around the 60-minute mark, so our movements lost some of their clarity,” he added. “But we played just three days ago; it’s tough to maintain that kind of pace for the full 90 minutes against a strong Greece side.
“Our counter-pressing worked outstandingly well 90% of the time. The problem is, during that other 10%, when it doesn’t work, things can get a bit complicated.”
Klopp used 44 players across two squads during the extended international break as he assessed his options. He said, though, that Germany would name a significantly smaller group when the players return in November.
“We saw many players over these two weeks,” he said. “Everyone showed what they could do; everyone earned their place.
“Think of all the things people said about us – what we can do, what we can’t do. We showed signs that we can do a few things better than people gave us credit for. The door is open to everyone. Wide open.
“Of course, we won’t be going there with 44 players. If someone is not called up, they know it’s not because they’re not good enough, but because we have to stop at 23-24 players.”
Florian Wirtz, who was included in the second squad but joined earlier because of injuries, was frustrated by Germany’s failure to take one of their opportunities.
“We put a lot of pressure on but didn’t score the damn goal. That’s annoying,” Wirtz told RTL.
“Overall, we can be satisfied with how we played – there were a lot of good things. We mustn’t forget that we’ve only been together for a week.
“We really wanted the win; we didn’t. But, of course, not everything was bad.”
