Why Jürgen Klopp would be the perfect Germany head coach
Following Germany's disappointing FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, Julian Nagelsmann has stepped down from his role as head coach. Subsequently, the DFB have revealed they are eager to appoint Jürgen Klopp as his replacement. Should the former Borussia Dortmund trainer step into the role, Germany will have to develop a new identity under his leadership, though he may well be the perfect fit...
Changing fortunes and mentality is a speciality of Klopp, who has done just that in his former head coach roles at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. He returned the latter to the top table of world football after a difficult spell, also doing the same with BVB. At Mainz, meanwhile, he secured the club's first promotion to the Bundesliga in their history.
Watch: Jürgen Klopp - the Borussia Dortmund years
Klopp's charisma and ability to connect with the people of the places he coaches have provided the foundation of his successful career. He not only knows how to get a dressing room to give their all for him, but also how to get the public and media onside.
Even during his playing days, which he spent almost entirely with Mainz in Bundesliga 2, Klopp was a fighter and strove to instill a winning mentality into his teammates. In the dugout, he has consistently managed to foster a sense of unity, which proved instrumental as he led Dortmund to their first Meisterschale in nine years in 2010/11.
From a tactical perspective, he has been able to minimise his side's weaknesses and maximise their strengths in all of his roles to date. Since 2025, he has been Red Bull's Global Head of Soccer, where his responsibilities extend across all clubs of the Red Bull network. As for the DFB, Klopp has been critical of Germany's youth development, saying in the past: "For me, development in Germany ends too early. We stop giving players opportunities too early and judge whether an 18- or 19-year-old has what it takes. That's a huge issue." However, this would be something he could help correct were he to become head coach.
It has not always been sunshine and rainbows for Klopp either - he also knows how to navigate difficult periods. "Crises are a part of football," he once explained in a lecture about motivation. "Looking back across history, you realise that fighting your way back to the top when everyone has already written you off is the best feeling." Needless to say, it is sentiments such as these that make the 59-year-old such an attractive pick in the wake of Germany's World Cup exit.
