Klopp's Germany Debut

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0:34Welcome in to the latest edition of ESPN FC. I'm Dan Thomas, joined by Shaka Hislop and the birthday boy himself. Craig Burley is here. You're so funny. Who the hell cares? I'll walk out. The quickest walk out ever. You don't shut up. We've got a present for you. I tell you what, if there's one thing comes in the studio to do with my birthday, I'm at that door. I promise you, you're going to love it. It's a great present. I chose it. What better way. I hope it's not the same haircut as you. What better way to celebrate your 60th birthday but Nations League action. Netherlands won. Germany won then is how it finished.

1:15Xavi's first game in charge of the Dutch. Jurgen Klopp for the Germans. It would be a good start for Germany. They'd open the scoring in the 32nd hit. The Dutch, though, built themselves into the game, built up the momentum. a brilliant finish from Gapbo after a lovely ball from Van Bommel. Actually, the Dutch had a chance to win it late, but in the end, it finishes one apiece. He won plenty to discuss from this time. We're welcoming Don Hutchinson and Archie Rintat. Archie, the Dutch probably disappointed in the end they didn't get the win. I agree, Dan. The amount of good saves that Marc-Andre Tastegen had to make in his home stadium I think it the the Dutch will be very disappointed but from a German point of view I think there's a lot of encouraging signs given how they went out of the World Cup to Paraguay and the general direction of travel the fact that there was a new energy a new dynamic to them going forward in particular this speed of Kevin Shada and Karim Adeyemi Adeyemi didn't have his best game and and that is going to be something that Jurgen Klopp is going to have to confront He is a sensitive individual to criticism and noise, but Karim Ediemi has shown in a Barcelona shirt so far this season that he's at his best when he's outside of Germany and not in that environment.

2:34But quite a few positives as well that Philippe Troy, one of the new men that Jurgen Klopp has nominated, plays at right back after Julian Nagelsmann says a year ago that Germany doesn't have any right backs on the level of Joshua Kimmich. and Philip Troy shows, well, you know what? Actually, I had a very good season at Freiburg last year and I am actually up to that level. The thing is, yeah, sure, things weren't together when it comes to the amount of chances that they conceded, but there was a different character about this team and they scrapped. And that's not something that you would have said of Germany in the past few years.

3:10Don, what was your takeaway from the tie? Exactly. I think Archie's nailed it, but I thought it was a top-level game, Dan. And I thought, you know, before the game, you look at the two sides. There was no Musiala who got injured, I think, in the warm-up. There was no Florian Wurz. On paper, it looked like the Dutch had the strongest XI. But Germany started the game bright, fast, as Archie said. The first 10 minutes of the game, 15. Then I think the Dutch sort of took over with a little bit more control. And then the goal that Germany scored, I mean, it was so lazy from a Dutch point of view. Reinders especially went probably done his hamstring.

3:43They were all just lazy, arms up in the air, wanting the ball to be kicked out of play. And then obviously Germany finished it off. And then the second half, when it was 1-0, up until about sort of 89, 90 minutes, it would have been a travesty and a scandal if Holland had lost that game. Because de Stegen was a little bit dodgy throughout the 90 minutes with his feet, give a few balls away. But my word, second half, he had to pull off some saves. So he was fantastic. So a draw was just about the right result. But in terms of the level of the two sides, I thought it was exceptional. Yeah, it was fun, wasn't it, Shaq?

4:13You had two sets of players trying to impress their new coach. Yeah, and listen, for whatever you want to make of this Nations League game, certainly between these two, it was contentious as well. There was a lot of exchanges between the players as the game went on. And it showed that this game, at the very least, meant something in terms of a derby atmosphere. I'm with the boys on this. I thought the Dutch were the better, if not by far the better of the two teams. But they're the ones who I just felt in those moments of kind of players confronting each other, they're the ones who lost control a little bit more.

4:46And maybe that kind of reflected on the fact that they had to rely on a late goal to find an equaliser. They were the better, but for finishing, poor finishing, they were the ones that's comfortably. But they just need to show a better level of control in those moments, especially when you're at home. Archie, explain to me the concepts of these two teams that Jurgen Klopp has called up How will that play out over these next couple of games? 44 players called up in total All but reserve goalkeeper Finn Darman will switch after the game against Greece on Sunday So you'll see the likes of Alexander Pavlovich You'll see Saeed El Mala, who didn't go to the World Cup but had an outstanding season with Cologne last year.

5:36And a very exciting player was touted with a move in the summer to Borussia Dortmund. Could have gone to Brentford, but decided not to. And there are big players in both sets of squads. And I think we saw tonight the way that Jurgen Klopp wants to set up, which is in this 4-3-3. It felt weird, even though the Dutch created a far superior amount of chances, I thought that Germany didn't look like they were getting overrun in midfield, which hasn't happened, which actually has happened a lot. So in the past, I think that there is an exciting new energy to them, even if this was a far from perfect performance.

6:18And just even seeing somebody with Yunus Ebner Talib's energy up front. the fact that just before he comes on replacing Kai Havertz, who got injured in the first half, you see Ebner Talib smile to Jürgen Klopp as if to say, I'm really buzzing for this. And that's the kind of thing that's been missing from playing for Germany. And it is a nice story as well that Ebner Talib two years ago and Philippe Troy, these were players who were playing in the third and fourth division in Germany, respectively. And that is the kind of excitement that they need to spark here because the national team doesn't really spark any joy or excitement for the majority of German football fans right now.

6:52At the end of the day, you're either good enough or you're not. Germany don't have 44 good players at that level, regardless of how much experience you give them. You could argue they don't have 25. They might not even have 20 that can compete in terms of a squad. So I don't know what the game plan is here, apart from the fact he's getting a closer look at players that he can look at anyway, playing for the clubs. And, you know, we can talk about Germany being looking a little better and all that. At times under Nagelsmann, they look better. The game that sticks out to me was France away. They outplayed the French in France.

7:35They passed them off the field. And yet when it came to the big moments, they were weak. in the games that mattered they struggled in the games that did matter at times they were excellent and so whether you name 44 or 24 it doesn't really change anything you need your core group to be strong and you look at this and you could argue about the Netherlands as well but you look at this Germany team this squad and even the core 12 to 15 players isn't, it's decent, but it's not that strong. So what are the rest like? I mean, apart from giving people a chance, it's made some news, you know, picking two squads, all that sort of thing.

8:19I think it's all a bit of a look at me, to be honest with you. Klopp come out firing and shouting about, you criticise me and the family and all this sort of stuff. It comes with a job, right? It comes with, you can have all these fun and games, you name these players and you can give people opportunities. It changes nothing. It comes down to one thing. When the major tournaments and the qualification come along, you have to perform. You look at this Germany team, yes, it may be slightly better than when Nagelsmann was there, we'll find out. But ultimately, I think he's going to have similar struggles to the previous managers because of this squad of players.

8:56Do you agree, Archie?

9:01To what Craig's saying there, he can nominate 44 because the previous 20-plus who have gone to the last World Cup and the previous match before that have not proven themselves. And in a way that I think this is meant to show a bit of humility to the German players and say, look, you need to prove yourself again because nobody has done that on an individual level. And if you think about the other top nations in terms of reputation, would you think of any German player who could get into the France first 11 right now? I would struggle, for example, to find even one position there where I'd go 100%.

9:38And I think this is partly what it's about. It's also about trying to build bridges with the clubs in Germany, who felt that Julian Arzman wasn't taking much of an interest there. He wasn't seen at many games. And even just going to training at clubs, he's been trying to solve that. But the big point with Jurgen Klopp is his teams have always been more than the sum of their parts. And because there is that lack of individual quality that Craig highlights there, This is the exact point that Jurgen Klopp is here to improve upon because we know that his teams in the past, he's able to make mountains out of players who we would say, OK, what does Andy Robertson have being at Liverpool?

10:20And you look at the player that he was made into, and at Borussia Dortmund, I think of Marcel Schmelzer and Kevin Grosskreutz, two players who didn't have, I would say, the technique that Andy Robertson had, But on their day, we're able to stop Iron Robin on quite a few occasions. So I think this is why Jurgen Klopp is here. He's to try and make the most of what you would say is not Germany's greatest generation. But the difference there actually is that he was working with those players day in, day out. And he's not now. You guys know, you've all been internationals. How much of an effect, realistically, can a manager have at an international level on you?

10:54Not a lot. Right, not a lot. The work is done, and if you're not ready and prepared, you're screwed. You can do a little bit, but how much can you teach people in three or four days? Because that's really what they're working with these players for. All right, this international break is slightly different. But normal international breaks, Shaq as we know, are, I don't know, four or five days. Maybe the time you get there, you fly, there's a game, you train. So there's only so much you can do in that time. I totally agree with what Alc's saying, and that's why he's made a career. he's made players better, he's made teams better but it took him a while I presume it took him a wee while at Dortmund it certainly took him a wee while at Liverpool and it was working on that pressing that dynamic way they approached the game that was winning the ball back and going forward with an amazing pace and speed and all those things took a long time on the training field you're asking a manager basically to come in and better a group of players that want to be challenging the Spains and the Frances of this world, but they don't have the time to work with them, that's difficult.

12:02I think he can do so much, but getting a huge turnaround on players that are working with other coaches at the clubs for eight months of the year, and then coming in and listening to Jurgen Klopp for a few days, it's not going to turn you into a left-back who's decent into Roberto Carlos. It's just not going to happen. You may pick up some little nuggets here and there about positioning and working with other players. But you're not going to see wholesale, I wouldn't imagine, you're going to see wholesale changes within a player's performance because of what Jurgen Klopp does over a few days. That takes a lot of work on the training field, which international managers are always bemoaning the fact they can't work with the players.

12:42Jurgen Klopp's big rules have hit the headlines this week. Just a reminder of what they are. They're not exactly revolutionary. Point one, punctuality, he wants everyone to be on time for dinner. Point two, no phones for four games. Big one. What do you mean, no phones in the dressing room or what? I need clarity. I need to explain more, calm down. You hoping for a quillot? No more haircuts? No more haircuts, Burleigh, you would have failed that in 98. Somebody's cut your hair last year. I'll tell you what, it's nothing compared to your 98. No family visits except on occasional basis during major tournaments.

13:16So no family visits or occasional family visits? I'm not getting caught. Archie, first, how ill-disciplined were they under Nagelsmann getting haircuts willy-nilly around the hotel? I think all these measures are doing and saying that we're doing them is to address previous controversies which came up in the media because of these very things. so I guess it's meant to show that he's listening but look I think the difference is is that Klopp will have and already has a lot more respect from the players towards him because of everything that he's achieved in the game than Julian Nagelsmann had I mean even just watching him on the touch line tonight and seeing the way that he was able to put an arm around them and I hear Craig's point about how much improvement can you get from the players and I think this is this is what Klopp's this is Klopp's ultimate challenge in this sense, because it's can he rub off on the players in that shorter space of time?

14:20Can he make that difference when it's usually taken him quite a while to? And yeah, look, the measures are the measures, but I think it's more looking back at what's happened before and saying, OK, we're going to be trying to do things a little differently now. Dom, did you have any rules that were laid down during your career that was a bit of a head scratcher or that annoyed you? No. I mean listen Dan, what Jurgen Klopp's doing there is bringing it back to normality because it got out of hand you know the modern player I would imagine would have went to a coaching staff and said do you mind if we have a barber inside Melwood at Liverpool and some coaches have gone well if that appeases the player and it makes you happy then yeah but it just creates a bad culture I think on top of what the lads are saying there about Jurgen Klopp he's not brought into the German national squad to make them tactically better.

15:10He's a motivator. So time on the training ground. I hear Craig's point and I take his point. But I was watching the feed in England watching the game tonight and I was privileged to see the cameras behind the scenes before and at half time. And Jurgen Klopp was standing in the tunnel with his arms around his players and giving them a hug and giving them a little slap on the back and sending them out because he is a motivator and he'll want them to work hard. And again, it's a cycle with Germany. I watched Leroy Sane play for many, many a year, and the kid had so much talent. I mean, unreal talent.

15:47And I've watched him over the last couple of years at Galatasaray, and he's not really tried a leg. So I think how he made the national squads in the last 18 months or so felt as though, well, Norgzman's picking players because they can do a moment, but they're not really going to work to the team. But he can create a bit of magic. and I would imagine Jurgen Klopp's gone, no, Kevin Scharder's going to play in my team, Adeyemi's going to play in my team, Metzger's going to play in my team because they're going to run and if we're going to get outdone by a team like Holland like they did tonight, at least we can come away with a draw and at least we'll fight and that's what I think Jurgen Klopp will bring to this Germany team.

16:23Good stuff, Don. Thank you very much, Archie. Why has your duck got a wig on or who is that duck? It's just a referee duck, Dan. Oh, OK, of course it is. I should have got that for Craig's birthday as well. Thank you very much, Archie. Much appreciated, mate. I'll send it over. Just taking a look at how Group B stands after that result. Greece got the victory against Serbia by two goals to one to put them to the top of the table. This episode is brought to you by PayPal. You know how a mom's bag has everything? Sunscreen? Snacks? A stapler? The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money. Shop, pay, manage your account, and earn rewards all in one place.

17:11And with purchase protection on eligible items, biometric security, and pass keys, you're protected at every step. Download the new PayPal app to get started. See paypal.com slash protection terms. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. With Apple Card, you earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases, like groceries, merch, or tickets to the game. Plus, it can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted. No matter your team, no matter where you shop, Apple Card is here to help you tackle game day. Apply in the Wallet app on your iPhone today. Subject to credit approval, Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City branch.

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17:56Cristiano Ronaldo would start under Jorge Jesus. is first game in charge of the Portuguese team, taking over from Roberto Martinez. Wales, the opponents, Gerald Felix would score a deflected goal in the 22nd minute. Ronaldo then with a couple of chances in fact scored but was just the offside and in the end it finishes Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Portugal 1, Wales 0. This is what Cristiano Ronaldo had to say ahead of the game about his future. I still believe that I'm able to help the national team to reach what they want and will finish when I feel like I'm not doing anything here. There is a new young generation but for me the basic point is to be on the pitch to score goals and help the team win games.

18:37Chat, you'll keep an eye on this one for us? Yeah, it wasn't a convincing Portugal performance by any measure against what I can only describe as a decidedly poor Welsh team. To Ronaldo's point, listen i i i get it you best player arguably best goal scorer arguably of a generation you feel you're still contributing um and and my takeaway from that statement is he decides when when he steps down but i just don't see i don't see his contributions being um one that portugal can build on and and the the kind of difficulty in in in this game or at least this window right after workup is you can't help but think, what does this Portugal look like in four years' time?

19:25And surely it doesn't include Cristiano Ronaldo. That has to be the focus on this cycle. Also, I will add, Gonzalo Ramos comes off the bench 25 minutes ago and doesn't look any different in all honesty. But still, I just feel that Cristiano Ronaldo isn't contributing in the way that he should, that he once did and at this very first juncture of a four-year cycle I'm not sure that he should continue but I'm not sure that George Jesus makes that call either Don? Interesting because George Jesus managed Ronaldo Al Nasser so I wonder if Ronaldo had a little say to the hierarchy that he wanted George Jesus as the coach I feel sorry for Gonzalo Ramos I do because you know, I've seen him since he's gone from PSG into AC Milan this season, and he's topping the charts in terms of his work rate, his confidence is a little bit low, don't get me wrong, because he's not been prolific since he's gone to AC Milan, but I feel sorry for him thinking like, how am I going to get a start here when Ronaldo is 41, and I understand Ronaldo's enthusiasm, and I love his enthusiasm, and I love the fact that he doesn't want to go away and shy away, because he backs his own ability.

20:43He always has. He's always been super confident and I like that in him. But I don't know. It's just, unless you're banging in the goals, are you really going to be a help to your team? If you're at 41, you can't get around the pitch anymore and you're going to be relying on being an 18-yard box striker, if that's the case, when Jorge Jesus played a pair of them then, play Gonzo Ramos and Ronaldo because playing them up front of his own at 41, that's going to be hard work. Would you like to add to this or should we go to the Norway highlight? Well, all I'd say is, and I'm absolutely up to here with this Portuguese ludicrousy.

21:25And they get what they deserve at every major tournament these days. They get slapped and they go out and they go home early. Because that's what they deserve for being so blind to this issue. if they'd had a blinding World Cup in North America here and got to the final or won it or just came close I could buy it, I could buy it a little bit carry on, but they didn't they didn't, they were hopeless again they were hopeless the last time they were hopeless the time before and he was involved in everyone it's just a ludicrous and ridiculous situation and they have another puppet in charge so congratulations Portugal continue to be the also-rans

22:10Norway against Denmark turned out to be a five-goal thriller. It would be Norway would win by three goals to do Haaland with a brace. He would score the winner as Norway pick up all three points. This episode is brought to you by PayPal. You know how a mom's bag has everything? Sunscreen? Snacks? A stapler? The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money. Shop, pay, manage your account, and earn rewards all in one place. And with purchase protection on eligible items, biometric security, and pass keys, you're protected at every step. Download the new PayPal app to get started. See paypal.com slash protection terms.

22:50This message is brought to you by Apple Card. With Apple Card, you earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases, like groceries, merch, or tickets to the game. Plus, it can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted. No matter your team, no matter where you shop, Apple Card is here to help you tackle game day. Apply in the Wallet app on your iPhone today. Subject to credit approval, Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch. Terms and more at AppleCard.com.

23:25Action continues in the Nations League tomorrow. Be sure to join us.

23:34Andy Robertson plays for Spurs now and he was interviewed about what sort of squad he met up with when he made that move from Liverpool and he said, well, you can see last season hurt them a lot and maybe we are still guilty of carrying that weight of last season on our shoulders and that is, I suppose, the message of the manager first and foremost and also that kind of falls on me on the new players we need to forget I think we just need a little bit of luck and we need a little bit more of forgetting about the past and focusing on how we need to move forward. Don's with us. Don, you were captain, of course, for Everton back in the day and for other clubs.

24:08As someone with experience and that ability to lead a side, if you're thrown into this Spurs squad, what do you do? How do you try and fix this? I mean, that's a brilliant question. It can only be done on the training ground and a lot of it will come from the experienced players. A lot of it has to come from Dejerbi because he seems to be blaming everyone else. But from Andy Robertson's point of view, he'll go in. I wouldn't imagine he'd sit down with a group of players. I would imagine you have individual conversations. You'll spot a player when you think he needs an arm around him. You'll walk out in the training ground.

24:44You'll see a player that's low. You'll go and have a chat with him. You'll go and remind him how good they are. You'll remind him all the positives and you give them this feel and you tell them all the great things because you play for Tottenham. You're playing in the Premier League. You're an international footballer. so these players are not bad players they're just suffering from a massive confidence crisis you watch them and I was on here a couple of weeks ago and I said you watch Spurs and it's almost like they're playing and they're waiting for something bad to happen and when it does they can't react and I asked the question again a couple of weeks ago when was the last time they went behind and won well I checked it, it was two years ago so the confidence levels whether they're playing home or away is just so low I would imagine Andy Robertson will go in there with all his know-how all his experience and all his quality and he'll pull these individuals and just try and have an influence especially on the younger players When you're in charge of Derby Craig and you're struggling you're fighting every week you're coming into training after a defeat at the weekend how is a leader how do you address your teammates?

25:47Yeah but we were crap Right Well Spurs are crap Was that your motivation? There's a difference No, but Spurs have players that shouldn't be in that position. Right. That's the difference. So how is a newbie in that side with the experience that Robertson has? Well, Spurs are weak. That's part of the problem, right? If you punch one of their players in the nose, the other ten would run and hide in the stadium somewhere. They're weak. They just don't have the fight. They can do some of the pretty stuff, but they don't have fight. And they've signed weak players. They've signed skillful players, but they've signed weak players.

26:23weak mentally, weak physically and they can be bullied and they're short of confidence and they all want an arm around them because they're a big bunch of crybabies who thought they shouldn't be down the bottom of the league last year and they were. And they got to sort it out for themselves. I mean the fact that Andy Robertson's there is a bit of a head-scratcher if I'm being honest with you because Andy Robertson's form at Liverpool in the last 18 months probably should have taken him to Major League Soccer or Saudi Arabia or back to Scotland, with all respect, a brilliant footballer. But it's not really, I don't think, capable of doing it on a regular basis at that level.