Jurgen Klopp says Germany must improve significantly when they face Greece away in Matchday 4 of the UEFA Nations League A, after admitting the Greeks deserved their victory in the first meeting.
Germany tried several approaches in the opening match, but could not overcome Greece’s tactical discipline. Klopp said his side’s performance improved in the following game against Serbia and believes repeating that level would make them “a tougher opponent” in Thessaloniki.
“I have never played football here before,” Klopp said. “We certainly want to get a much better result than in the first leg. The Greeks were extremely disciplined tactically and deserved to win. That has to be admitted.”
Klopp suggested Germany do not currently intend to rotate their goalkeeper, although he added: “But who knows.”
He also explained why Lennart Kahn joined the squad during the second week of the international break. Bayern Munich’s medical department told him the player needed more time to complete individual work and improve certain aspects of his fitness.
Germany agreed that Kahn should remain at his club initially, with the national team aiming to support both the player and Bayern Munich. Kahn subsequently joined in the second week, while Karim arrived during the first.
Gnabry, meanwhile, took part in every training session and followed the planned programme. He played 45 minutes in the third match but felt fatigued at half-time, despite not being injured, so Germany substituted him rather than take any unnecessary risk.
“He returns to Bayern with playing time from three matches and in good, even excellent, training condition,” Klopp said. “He could have stayed, but we thought two or three extra days of rest in Munich would be better before regular training resumes.”
Klopp has prepared for Greece to defend deep again or adopt a more open approach. He said Greece had led the Netherlands by two goals and created excellent opportunities, although the Dutch caused major problems after increasing the tempo in the second half.
Germany’s players were due to watch key analytical footage before training work was completed, but Klopp said the outcome would ultimately depend on his own team’s performance. If Germany play well, he believes Greece may again be forced into a deep defensive shape, as happened in Augsburg.
The Germany coach described Greece as potentially a “golden generation” and said their combination of talent, disciplined defending and counter-attacking made them difficult to beat. He said Tsolis’ absence was unfortunate but insisted the important issue was how Greece performed collectively, rather than which individuals played.
Klopp also said he had not missed coaching while away from the dugout, although returning had reminded him how much he loved the work. He praised the players’ performances in training and said he felt fortunate to coach them, while looking forward to their future together.
Asked about Costas Tsimikas’ claim that he would use Klopp’s lessons to defeat Germany, Klopp laughed and replied: “I hope he learned nothing at all.”
He said Tsimikas was a “fantastic lad” and that meeting former players felt like seeing old friends. The pair did not discuss football when they met, Klopp added, so he would discover during the match exactly what Tsimikas had learned.
