Julian Nagelsmann resigns from Germany national team (Image: Getty)
Julian Nagelsmann has resigned from the German national team, paving the way for Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp to take his place. Nagelsmann initially declared he had no intention of quitting after Germany’s World Cup defeat at the hands of Paraguay in the round of 32. But on Thursday, he was advised to voluntarily resign by the German Football Association (DFB) after a lengthy meeting in Frankfurt seeking an explanation for the country’s early exit.
His arguments were not enough to convince Bernd Neuendorf, Andreas Rettig, Hans-Joachim Watzke and Rudi Voller that he should stay on. However, according to BILD, he is set to leave with a severance package of around £6 million (approximately 600 million yen). Klopp is seen as the likely successor to Nagelsmann, 38, who has been away from the touchline for two years. The 59-year-old former Mainz and Borussia Dortmund head coach is keen to take on the job, which will be his first foray into international football. He is believed to have previously dreamed of managing his country, and his contract with Red Bull, where he is head of global football, includes an exit clause allowing him to take charge of the German national team.
Paraguay, ranked 31 places below Germany by FIFA, won on penalties (4-3) after a 1-1 draw as Die Mannschaft lost a spot-kick for the first time in World Cup history. They have not won in the final round of a World Cup since their last victory in Brazil in 2014.
Nagelsmann gave a speech shortly after Germany left, explaining that he had no intention of leaving the country. “I’m not one to run away. It’s not the first time something like this has happened, and there are some things that I have to change after today. But if the DFB wants me to continue playing, I’ll continue.”
“I know how football works and I know how the industry works. I know a lot of people want me to leave, but if that’s what the Football Association wants me to do, I’d be happy to continue.”
“If I did a survey in Germany today, people wouldn’t say positive things about me today. But in football you always win and you lose. “We haven’t done much in this tournament to get people to celebrate, but I’m confident that we could have done a better job.
“But I don’t think all the German people will agree that I should stay as manager of Mannschaft. It was very difficult because they were very defensive. We didn’t try hard enough. It’s very hard to leave the World Cup after playing against Paraguay. It’s not enough if you don’t score a lot of goals. It hurts a lot.”
Klopp has been working as a commentator on German TV station Magenta during the World Cup. Asked about speculation that he would replace Nagelsmann after the defeat against Paraguay, Klopp said: “I understand that my name has been mentioned, but now is not the time to talk about it. Of course you won’t talk about it with me either.”
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Jurgen Klopp is expected to replace Julian Nagelsmann as manager. (Image: Getty)
Germany loses to Paraguay in penalty shootout (Image: Getty)
He added: “There are 500,000 ways to win a football match. You just have to find one. We had one goal, one dream, and it was shattered. It was a dramatic event. We didn’t perform and we didn’t do enough.”
“We all know how good they can play, but they couldn’t bring it to the pitch. In three months we’ll be raving about Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala again and how great they are. But not now.
“We can talk about the DFB. We definitely have to change some things. We can start with the U10 team and wait a few years to see what happens at the top level.”
And Klopp’s expected appointment has already received the approval of Germany legend and World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger. When asked if Klopp would be the next manager, Schweinsteiger replied, “I believe he will be.” “Of course, nothing is certain yet, but I have a feeling it will probably happen.
“If Jurgen Klopp becomes national team manager, he will bring with him such a power base. The DFB is already in a state of emergency and I have a feeling it will be. After a departure like that, you always have to talk about the manager.”
“I believe that Jurgen Klopp is a great manager and can create a new sense of optimism. I think that is very important in the run-up to the European Championship. Former colleagues say we have lost our DNA.”
“We made the mistake many years ago of looking only for football solutions. We abandoned or ignored our strengths and virtues that were respected abroad. We made big mistakes in the past and have now been eliminated from the World Cup early three times. That is no longer a coincidence.”
