Former Germany international Pierre Littbarski says Leroy Sane faces a difficult route back into the national team, while coach Klopp must help develop a new generation of centre-forwards.
The 1990 World Cup winner was speaking after Germany’s first victory under Klopp, a performance he described as “refreshing” because the team again had pace on the wings and played effectively in tight areas.
Germany created numerous chances against Serbia, a marked improvement against a deep defence. Littbarski praised Scherrhant, the midfield pairing of Pavlovic and Bissouma, and the work of Woltemade in winning back possession.
“The team accelerated the game instead of playing long stretches of back-and-forth passing,” he said. “The young man did very well.”
Littbarski rejected suggestions that Kimmich’s absence showed Germany should move in a different direction. He said every match had to be judged separately, adding that Serbia’s defence was not as strong as Greece’s. Kimmich, he noted, can play chipped passes behind a defence “almost no one else can make”.
Germany’s failure to convert more chances revived debate about the lack of a traditional number nine. Littbarski said players such as Klose and Voller could not be expected to appear every year, but agreed that “we must develop new centre-forwards”.
He said Woltemade and Havertz were not conventional centre-forwards and should not be compared directly with them. Of Eintracht Frankfurt pair Burkhardt and Ebimbe, he was unconvinced by Burkhardt’s contribution but praised Ebimbe’s pace, height and technical ability.
“Ebimbe is not just responsible for finishing chances,” Littbarski said. “He is good at getting into the right areas for crosses and still has a lot of untapped potential.”
He urged caution over Germany Under-21 forwards Tresoldi and Brunner, saying their roles for the Under-21s were not directly comparable with playing centrally. Both, he added, needed to establish themselves before being considered for senior call-ups.
Tresoldi has scored 16 Germany Under-21 goals, two short of Littbarski’s record of 18. “I think this record will be broken very soon,” he said. “Whenever the team needs a goal, he always steps up.”
Littbarski said the DFB would want to retain Tresoldi and Brunner, who are also being pursued by Italy and the Democratic Republic of Congo respectively, but acknowledged that players must consider their opportunities. “If you have eight forwards and only two can play, what good is that?” he said.
He welcomed Klopp’s use of traditional wingers, describing the structure as clearer than under Nagelsmann. Scherrhant, Karl and Gnabry are competing with Said-Marah, Adeyemi and Kevin Schade, although Littbarski felt Marah and Schade had been subdued while Adeyemi impressed.
On Sane, now at Galatasaray, he said: “It will be very difficult for him to make a comeback. He’s not even a regular starter at Galatasaray now.”
Despite mixed early results, Littbarski remains optimistic. Klopp, he said, was right to test younger players before making firmer choices by November. A win in Greece would keep Germany’s Nations League prospects alive.
