Joshua Kimmich Backs Jurgen Klopp Despite Germany’s Winless Start
Germany remain without a victory after two matches under Jurgen Klopp, but captain Joshua Kimmich insists the squad continues to believe in the approach being implemented by the former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool manager.
Die Mannschaft suffered another setback in their latest UEFA Nations League outing, losing 1-0 to Greece at the WWK Stadium in Augsburg on Monday, September 28. Dimitrios Kourbelis scored the only goal of the game in the 74th minute, leaving Germany still searching for their first win under Klopp.
The result followed Germany’s opening Nations League fixture against the Netherlands, which ended in a draw. With Klopp still working to establish his ideas within the national team, Alexander Nubel and Kimmich both offered their thoughts on the latest disappointing result.
Nubel acknowledged that Germany struggled to break down a Greece side that defended extremely deep throughout the contest. The goalkeeper explained that his team attempted to find a solution with shots from outside the penalty area, but those efforts failed to produce the equaliser.
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper also pointed to Germany’s limited preparation time as a contributing factor. With players arriving at the national camp carrying different tactical ideas and limited time together, Nubel believes the squad still needs additional matches to build the necessary chemistry.
“A lot of us came this week with many ideas and plans for the matches. We should have had more than two games to get to our best level,” Nubel said, as reported by Bulinews.
Kimmich shared a similarly critical assessment of Germany’s performances, admitting that the team have yet to show their best football in either of their opening two matches. The captain was particularly frustrated by the defeat against Greece, believing the result did not accurately reflect the balance of the contest.
Germany struggled to find a way through Greece’s defensive block, while the Euro 2004 champions themselves created relatively few clear-cut opportunities. Kimmich therefore felt that the match should have ended in a draw rather than with Greece claiming all three points.
However, the Bayern midfielder believes Germany’s football under Klopp already feels different from what the team produced at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite the difficult start, Kimmich remains confident in the tactical direction being introduced by the new head coach.
“We have to improve in many areas and we need to understand the coach’s approach so that we can implement it better. Jurgen has helped us a lot and his ideas are good. But that did not happen tonight,” Kimmich said.
Germany now face the challenge of adapting quickly to Klopp’s methods while results remain elusive. With the Nations League campaign still in its early stages, Kimmich’s backing could provide an important sign of unity as the squad works to turn the manager’s ideas into consistent performances on the pitch.
