Jurgen Klopp's first Germany squad is a massive 44-player group, representing a country "that must not leave national pride in the wrong hands." The presentation of the squad for the Nations League gave the new manager the opportunity to take a clear stance against the rise of the far right. "We had elections where some people thought things were going well, and others: 'My God, what is happening here?'" Klopp commented, referring to the results in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD obtained 43.8% of the vote, narrowly missing an absolute majority in the regional parliament. Noting that he is not a political "expert," Klopp added: "From my perspective as a sportsman, I can say that I would like to reclaim the flag for myself, for us. I don't want to leave national pride in the wrong hands."

"But I don't even know if we can still use the term in that way. I've been told we can talk about positive patriotism," the new head coach clarified. "I can be proud to be German while still being open, inclusive, and friendly," he continued, emphasising that football can "promote a sense of community, make people truly feel the power of sport." Returning to the subject of football, he explained that his goal is a Germany that is "a little crazy and creative," helping fans forget the disappointments of recent World Cups. The new manager has called up a huge squad, including 16 debutants, for his first selection of the Mannschaft and for his first four matches in the new role, in the Nations League. Following the humiliating round-of-sixteen elimination at the World Cup against Paraguay, Julian Nagelsmann resigned as head coach and Klopp was named his successor. "I really enjoyed drawing up this list. We found so many talents. I want to get to know as many players as possible," Klopp explained, wearing a cap in the colours of Germany bearing the message "One among 83 million." He announced that his first-choice goalkeeper will be Marc-André ter Stegen (34), who plays for Ajax Amsterdam. "A team needs stability and a backbone. And once the backbone is stable, you can be creative and a little crazy." Among the 16 newcomers, four come from Freiburg, last season's Europa League finalists and current Bundesliga leaders after three matchdays. Joshua Kimmich (31) has been confirmed as captain. The Bayern Munich player, however, will be deployed in midfield once again, whereas Nagelsmann used him as a right back at the 2024 World Cup and European Championship. The former Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool manager has chosen two squads to face the commitments during the long three-week international break between late September and early October for the Nations League: one for the first two matches in Amsterdam against the Netherlands (September 24) and in Augsburg against Greece (September 27), and another for the remaining two matches in Munich against Serbia (October 1) and in Thessaloniki against Greece (October 4). Two players with Italian club connections feature: Yann-Aurel Bisseck (Inter) and Nick Woltemade (Juventus).

Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA