football
Will Jürgen Klopp become national coach?
Hero painting: In a Liverpool housing estate, fans pay homage to their coach Klopp
© EPA
Jürgen Klopp is leaving Liverpool FC. Speculation has already begun as to where he might move in the future. At the forefront: the German national soccer team.
They seemed inseparable, Liverpool FC and its coach Jürgen Klopp. The fans wanted to have a statue of Klopp erected in front of the stadium on Anfield Road, right next to club legend Bill Shankly. As a thank you for Klopp’s loyalty to the club since 2015 and not only leading them to the Champions League victory in 2019, but also to the English championship in 2020, the first in 30 years. But now Klopp, 56, no longer wants to. He said he didn’t have enough energy to do this job any longer. After this season it’s over in Liverpool.
For many trainers, this does not mean good news. From now on, Klopp will haunt European football as a shadow coach. How much patience will FC Bayern have with Thomas Tuchel if Klopp is available soon? Things are also likely to get restless at Paris Saint-Germain, this infinitely rich but uncrowned upstart. Why not sack Luis Enrique and bring in Klopp, who knows how to rebuild an entire club?
Klopp can be seduced
The German national team may also have a need, as national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s contract expires at the end of July. But it could also be faster. What if the last team in crisis also loses the two test matches in March? Will Klopp be in the dugout at the European Championships in the summer and not Nagelsmann? Quite conceivable. Klopp has announced that he wants to take a longer break from football, but he also said something similar when he left Dortmund. And three months later he went to Liverpool.
Klopp can be seduced. A task that requires heroism and promises a sparkling end is something that appeals to him. The DFB could therefore declare an extraordinary emergency and hype the takeover of the coaching position into a national rescue act. After all, the European Championships are taking place in Germany and the tournament must be a success. That’s how the association sees it, and that’s how politicians want it too.
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Klopp is still denying everything. He wants peace and quiet in the coming weeks, speculation will only get in the way. Klopp wants to prove again in Liverpool that he is a great. As tall as Bill Shankly, who already stands in bronze in front of the stadium.