This was Jurgen Klopp’s first press conference since he was officially appointed as the new manager of the German national team. The former Liverpool manager was appointed to replace Julian Nagelsmann, who resigned following Die Mannschaft’s exit in the round of 16 of the World Cup. They lost to Paraguay in a penalty shootout, which was one of the biggest shocks of the tournament.
It did not take long for Nagelsmann to leave his post and it quickly became clear that Klopp was the preferred choice to replace him. He was unveiled by the DFB on Friday morning and a press conference was held to mark his arrival in the dugout. The former Reds manager has signed a four-year contract until the next World Cup in 2030.
After being introduced to reporters by DFB senior management, Klopp began his speech by expressing his “huge respect for the role of the German manager.”
He added, “I would like to thank everyone who played the role exactly as we imagined it. This role is the highlight of my career, and I will do my best to make it a success.”
Klopp also described the current situation in Germany as “not good” and said he would “take a close look at the situation” with a view to making changes at all levels.
He added: “It’s far from perfect. We have a few weeks until the first international break. I think that’s enough time to prepare.”
When asked about his respected predecessor, Klopp replied: “I would like to focus on the German manager who has developed in the most successful way and has been the most successful.”
It has also been confirmed that Pep Lijnders, who assisted Klopp at Liverpool, will be part of the backroom staff alongside Peter Krawiec and Sven Bender.
Meanwhile, DFB chairman Bernd Neuendorf explained that the board of directors unanimously voted to appoint Klopp as the new Germany national team manager.
He added: “We have had very intense discussions. He was the ideal solution for us from the beginning and we at the DFB were unanimous that he was the candidate we should be talking to.”
“Our meeting with Jurgen only strengthened our belief that he is the right person at the right time.”
Mr Neuendorf also confirmed that DFB would donate €1m (£855,075) to Red Bull’s Wings for Life Foundation in lieu of paying compensation to Red Bull.
