Germany suffered a significant setback against Greece. After the match, Jürgen Klopp spoke at length about his side’s lack of cutting edge, their defensive stability, the reaction of the supporters and the team’s continuing development.
Greece’s low block causes Germany problems
“The hardest thing in football is playing against a low block. To do that, you need certain patterns. We were obviously surprised that Greece defended so deep. In the short time we’ve had, we clearly haven’t been able to work on those things to the extent that would have been necessary.
“You could still see in the first 15 minutes after half-time that it could have worked. That was exactly how it should have looked. We played in the right areas, our positioning was right and we were very dominant during that spell.
“Greece hit every goal-kick long. Then it becomes a battle for second balls. Sometimes we dealt with that better, sometimes less well. If we had continued doing what we did in the first 15 minutes after half-time, we would have seen a different game. Why we didn’t, I honestly can’t say at this moment. We’ll find out.
“They were a tactically very disciplined opponent who wanted to get points here in a certain way, and they managed to do that. We wanted to get the points in a different way, or had to try to do so in a different way. You can clearly say that we failed to do that.”
“We lacked conviction”
“We lacked conviction, you have to say that. I’m sitting here saying we should have had more conviction – but we didn’t. It’s my job to make sure that next time we have more conviction in a situation like that.
“As far as the squad is concerned, I am solely responsible. I take full responsibility for that, there’s no question. I am responsible for the overall situation. Details are football, and things happen that you can sometimes explain and sometimes you simply can’t.
“Other than that, nothing has happened. We lost a game and we shouldn’t allow that to become a habit. It’s not the first game I’ve lost. It would be extremely nice if it were the last, but I’m not too sure about that either. It’s always about taking the right things from matches.”
Breaking down a low block remains a major challenge
“There are countless ways to break it down. The thing is that it’s difficult for every team. Every team. There isn’t a team in the world that doesn’t find it difficult.
“If I think about Bayern, for example: Bayern play around the outside, they have to be patient, they have to use the width and constantly try to put the last line under pressure. Width and depth are important. In the end, sometimes you still need individual quality for someone to simply put the ball in the net. But obviously we can’t rely on that.
“I can’t plan a game by saying: we’ll do this and this and then, at the end, someone will just smash one in. That is the big challenge in football for every team, even Spain.”
Klopp takes responsibility for his team selection
“To organise a team, the defence has to be stable. It’s not as though we haven’t worked on our attacking play – quite the opposite. But we wanted stability. You can say we only conceded one goal and call that stable. Unfortunately, in those situations involving long balls, we didn’t always look stable.
“But it was a back four that, as far as I know, had never played together before. So it wouldn’t be fair to make an absolute assessment. Again: everything about how we lined up today, the team selection – that was all my decision. Mine alone. The players aren’t to blame for that.”
“Euphoria doesn’t help us in camp”
“There was huge euphoria in Germany. If that’s gone now, then I’m genuinely sorry. But euphoria doesn’t help us in camp. The atmosphere within the group was excellent, absolutely excellent. Exactly as it should be at a training camp.
“We’ll approach this in a completely positive way and then we’ll talk about it again. Hopefully we’ll have significantly more positive things to discuss then. There were positive things today as well. Their goalkeeper made outstanding saves from Adeyemi’s shot and Kimmich’s free-kick. We had opportunities. Younes Ebnoutalib got into dangerous areas. We had those moments.
“If one of those goes in, the game changes completely. We didn’t take them. As a result, Greece’s plan worked practically from A to Z and ours didn’t.”
Klopp explains his reaction in front of the supporters
After the match, the Germany players went over to acknowledge the supporters. Klopp later explained why he eventually told his players to leave the pitch.
“I was applauding to thank the supporters for their backing. The team were standing there looking a little dejected. I didn’t want that either. We didn’t do it well enough, but we tried everything.
“It’s not as though you have to stand there apologising for ages and give the impression that we did this deliberately. That wasn’t the case. I looked at how long they had been standing there and then told them: you can go now. You’ve apologised for long enough.
“There were some boos as well, unless I’m mistaken. That’s fine, no problem. But I didn’t think it was necessary to leave the players standing there to be booed. We can do that if people want. I’ll stand there on my own and they can boo me. That’s not a problem.”
The door to the national team remains open
“I want to make one thing very clear: whoever stands out in the league they play in – whether that’s the Bundesliga, Italy, La Liga or somewhere else – the door will always be open. Anyone who wants to embrace the kind of football we want to play will always have a door open to them.
“German football is not currently in the best situation it has ever been in, and Jürgen Klopp isn’t going to turn up, put his hand on everything and suddenly solve all the problems. I knew that beforehand. If anybody didn’t know it, they know it now.
“We just carry on as normal. This is what development can look like. The steps are never big enough and things never move quickly enough. But ultimately it comes down to this: will there be a point in the near future when we are ready to be a genuinely difficult opponent for anyone? I am 100 per cent convinced there will be. That’s what we’ll continue working towards.”
