“We should say goodbye to the idea”
World title? Klopp criticizes Nagelsmann’s target
October 20, 2025 – 12:12 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Jürgen Klopp expresses skepticism about the DFB team’s exaggerated World Cup goals. He sees the focus on a different area.
Around eight months before the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Jürgen Klopp expressed skepticism about overly ambitious targets for the DFB team. Although the 58-year-old sees the German selection under national coach Julian Nagelsmann as being well positioned, he advises not to focus exclusively on the World Cup title.
“Julian has a really, really great team, especially when the injured are all there,” said Klopp in an interview with “Kicker”. Nevertheless, in his opinion it is not productive to go into a tournament with the expectation that you have to win it. “However, we should abandon the idea that if we take part in the tournament, we have to win it.”
The long-time coach of Liverpool FC, who is now head of football at Red Bull, also expressed incomprehension about the widespread fixation on the World Cup triumph in Germany. He does not share the idea that an elimination in the semi- or quarter-finals would immediately result in a comprehensive realignment.
“I don’t know or understand the exact reasons why this should be the case and why we have to rethink everything if we are eliminated in the semi-finals or quarter-finals,” said Klopp. “Other countries are simply too good for that, whether it’s France or Spain. Or England, who could have won more in recent years with what they have at their disposal.”
Klopp also found clear words with regard to the training of young German footballers. The 58-year-old rejected the latest criticism from Eintracht Frankfurt’s sports director Markus Krösche, who complained about a lack of specialized players. Instead of relying on rigid role models, a certain degree of variability is crucial. “I don’t believe it will help if we train specialists,” emphasized Klopp.
“My perfect full-back is a right winger who doesn’t score enough goals. My perfect eight is a ten who wants to work properly. My perfect six is an eight who also sees the big picture and enjoys duels.”
It is much more important that more young talents break into the professional sector. Against this background, Klopp renewed his appeal for the introduction of his own U21 league. It could facilitate the transition from the junior to the men’s area and thus sustainably improve the level of German football. He has already held discussions about this with the German Football League (DFL) and the German Football Association (DFB). “The openness is absolutely there, but at some point the clubs also have to participate – all of them,” Klopp made clear.