Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is among the main candidates being considered by the DFB to become the new Germany head coach after Hansi Flick was sacked over the weekend.
Flick was previously Germany assistant coach under Joachim Low and later DFB sporting director until 2019 when he joined Bayern Munich, first as assistant, and later promoted. He was then recruited to replace Low in charge of the national team in 2021, but it has been a disaster.
Germany have built their reputation in international football on decades of being consistently good. They have reached eight World Cup finals, winning four, and got to the semi-finals or better at nine of the last 13 European Championship tournaments.
Things started to go down hill before Flick took over, with a World Cup group stage exit in 2018 their first failure to progress beyond the opening round in 80 years. Euro 2020 was poor for Low, only getting to the last 16, but Flick’s team in 2022 made it two successive World Cup group stage exits.
Overall, 12 wins from 25 games got the 58-year-old the boot. Flick also now holds the dubious honour of being the only Germany head coach to be sacked since the role was created in 1926.
Klopp is the most high profile German coach on the planet thanks to his success with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool over the past 15 years and it is only natural that the DFB should dream of him taking charge of his own national team. 90min has already reported that the DFB are so keen on recruiting Klopp they would be prepared to wait for the 2023/24 season with Liverpool to finish before installing him as Germany boss right before Euro 2024 soil kicks off on home soil.
It isn’t the first time Klopp has been linked with the Germany job and, in the past, he hasn’t hidden from the fact that he would consider it a “great honour”. But it isn’t as straightforward as that.
“The job of national coach is and would be a great honour – there’s no question about that,” Klopp explained to The Athletic only a couple of months ago.
“The problem that stands in the way of the whole thing is my loyalty. I can’t just leave Liverpool now and say I’ll take over Germany for a short time. That doesn’t work and the request isn’t even there.
“If I’m supposed to at some point, then I have to be available and I’m not currently. I have a responsibility towards the club. Basically, it’s an interesting job. But I don’t know yet whether I’ll do something completely different after I leave Liverpool. I want to keep my options open.”
Klopp is currently contracted to Liverpool until 2026 following a new deal last year.
Prior to taking over at Manchester United 37 years ago, Alex Ferguson was simultaneously Aberdeen manager and Scotland manager for a period of nine months that culminated in the 1986 World Cup. However, he had to delegate duties at Aberdeen to a newly appointed co-manager in order to allow him to focus on Scotland, while the World Cup ended in a group stage exit.
The chances of Klopp being able to balance managing both Liverpool and Germany in the build up to Euro 2024 next summer are slim to non-existent.
What we know
- Jurgen Klopp is wanted by the DFB to be new Germany manager
- Liverpool boss under contract at Anfield until 2026
- Has previously spoken about coaching his home national team