Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac will speak to Jurgen Klopp by telephone on Thursday afternoon as part of discussions about cooperation between the Germany manager and Bundesliga clubs.
Kovac revealed the planned conversation unexpectedly during his pre-match press conference, saying the call was expected to take place at about 15:00.
“We’ll probably talk on the phone at around 3 p.m., I can say that much. I hope Jurgen won’t be angry with me for revealing it early.”
The Dortmund manager said the discussion would focus on how Klopp can work with Bundesliga coaches and use information from the clubs when making decisions concerning the Germany national team.
“Obviously, we will cooperate. Because Jurgen certainly also needs to rely on us, on Bundesliga clubs, and on Bundesliga coaches. He will get the information he needs and ultimately make decisions based on it. Of course, the decision is still his to make, but it will be in cooperation with us.”
Several Dortmund players are currently attracting attention from the Germany set-up. They include central midfielder Felix Nmecha, centre-back Waldemar Anton and forward Maximilian Beier.
Dortmund captain Nico Schlotterbeck remains unavailable after suffering a ligament tear at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Kovac and Klopp have known each other for many years, having first met as players. Kovac represented Hertha Berlin, while Klopp played for Mainz 05, and the pair faced one another several times in the 2. Bundesliga.
Asked about their record in those matches, Kovac laughed before offering a modest assessment of their achievements at the time.
“At that time in the 2. Bundesliga, we played against each other a few times in Mainz and Berlin. But I don’t know who had the better record. I think neither of us was particularly successful.”
Their most prominent meeting as managers came in the 2019 Champions League, when Kovac was in charge of Bayern and Klopp led Liverpool. The match in Madagascar finished 0-0.
The encounter also included an awkward moment when the two coaches failed to shake hands. Klopp said afterwards: “I stood there, completely bewildered.” The incident was later explained as a misunderstanding.
Kovac believes that episode will have no bearing on the relationship between the two men as they prepare to work together in the Germany set-up. He also pointed to Klopp’s previous experience at Dortmund as an important advantage.
“We played against each other in that Bayern-Liverpool match, and Liverpool later won the Champions League. Well, everyone knows the result. Beyond that, I believe we will definitely have very good cooperation. Jurgen coached Borussia Dortmund before, he knows this club inside out, and he knows exactly how everything works here. We will support him to the best of our ability.”
