Jürgen Klopp has named an oversized 44-man squad for his first four games as head coach of the Germany national team. It includes 16 uncapped players as the new boss aims to get to know as many talents as possible.
The first match under Klopp is the Nations League away fixture against the Netherlands on Thursday. A home game against Greece follows on Sunday. A second batch of players will then join for the matches against Serbia on October 1 and the return leg against Greece on October 4. The team is currently preparing at their training camp in Herzogenaurach.
Klopp stressed there is no A or B team. Squads are put together based on pitch sense, character, and experience. "I want to get to know as many players as possible," the coach explained his philosophy. This approach is resonating with the newcomers.
Younes Ebnoutalib, the Eintracht Frankfurt forward, praised the direct contact. "I am very, very proud. There were also talks with Morocco, but they weren't as intense as with Jürgen," said the Germany-born attacker, who previously represented Morocco at youth level. Defender Philipp Treu of SC Freiburg is also looking forward to the work. "It's definitely something where you say, 'Hey, cool, that I can now train under Jürgen Klopp'," the defender said.
A total of four Freiburg players, who reached the Europa League final last season, are on track to make their national team debuts. Alongside Treu is Max Rosenfelder, who described Klopp as a very special person who can connect and engage people well.
The team starts the new era with good momentum. In the ongoing World Cup qualification, Germany leads the group with six points from three games. Their last five results read DLWWW, meaning three wins, one draw, and one defeat. The most recent match was a 1-1 draw against Paraguay on June 29. The next test comes on Wednesday in Amsterdam. This season's squad with all nominated players is available to view under squad.
Read the full report at ESPN Soccer
