“How mad is that?”: Klopp defends Nmecha and Kimmich | OneFootball

Jürgen Klopp has asked for patience in dealing with Joshua Kimmich and Felix Nmecha. The new Germany head coach does not see the early problems in central midfield as the fault of his two players — but rather as part of the ongoing development process of the German national team.

The makeup of the double pivot has already become a major talking point after Klopp’s first two matches in charge. A 1-1 draw against the Netherlands was followed by a 0-1 defeat to Greece. While Kimmich and Nmecha were still convincing in the opener and each received a rating of 2 from Fußball-News, things looked different in the second game.

Against Greece, neither of them was able to make as much of an impact in midfield as they had against the Netherlands, and they did not look good defensively either, especially for the goal conceded.

Klopp can therefore fundamentally understand the discussion, but warned against rushing to judgment: “I completely understand that it’s a big topic,” the 59-year-old said at the press conference ahead of the third match against Serbia.

At the same time, Klopp pointed out that it is normal for not everything to work right from the start: “I’ve been a football coach for 25 years, and in my entire life no double pivot has ever worked after five days. That’s not possible,” the Germany coach stressed.

The early difficulties had “absolutely nothing” to do with Kimmich and Nmecha themselves. “Zero. Nada. They didn’t even play in this setup at the World Cup,” Klopp made clear. Kimmich had played at right-back during the tournament, while Nmecha was used in midfield.

“He’s also an eight, but at times he’s a six,” Klopp explained, referring to Nmecha’s new role.

Klopp calls for more time for his players

For the Germany coach, patience is therefore not only part of his own job, but also part of how the players should be treated. That is why he called for “us not to judge players immediately.”

“The coach is new and gets time, but the players don’t anymore. How crazy is that?” Klopp asked.

The 59-year-old sees the development of the DFB team as a collective process: “This sport only works through the team — and that’s what we have to develop. The boys want to play very good and successful football — and we’ll get there,” Klopp said.

Photo: IMAGO

At the same time, everyone involved is aware that work with the DFB is under especially close scrutiny: “The problem is that our development is taking place under the public microscope and is being judged every day,” Klopp explained.

Klopp concluded by summing up his point with an image: “If you put together a ballet — not that we are one — and after four days they’re supposed to perform, then they’ll just run into each other. We haven’t done that, just to make that clear,” he said.

In the match against Serbia, the Germany coach will have to reshape his midfield anyway: Kimmich and Nmecha are not in the squad for the next two matches and have already left. In Munich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Vitaly Janelt and Florian Wirtz could instead start in central midfield.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.