Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp has admitted that his side still have “plenty of room for improvement” after opening their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.
Speaking after his first competitive game in charge, Klopp praised his players’ intensity, commitment and work rate but acknowledged that Germany struggled to maintain possession when the Netherlands began to dominate.
“The intensity, commitment and work rate were good. The quality of our football was good as well. When the Dutch became more dominant, we didn’t play enough football. That’s how we found ourselves under pressure.
“We would’ve liked to have won, but I don’t think their equaliser was undeserved. We weren’t on the way to perfection just yet. There’s still plenty of room for improvement,” Klopp said, according to a release on the Germany Football Federation (DFB) website on Friday.
The former Liverpool manager said Germany should have been more clinical on the counter-attack, particularly after creating several opportunities before the break.
“We created plenty of chances on the counter-attack and we should have made it 2-0 before half-time. When things aren’t quite clicking just yet, you have to fight. We did that. But we can most definitely play better football.
“The way we want to play isn’t going to be completely second-nature just yet. We need time for our style of play, particularly without the ball, to become more instinctive. The tactical understanding isn’t quite there yet. But there were plenty of positives that I can work with.”
Despite the areas for improvement, Klopp said he was pleased with Germany’s overall performance.
“You saw two good football teams in the same situation. Both sides wanted to prove that they aren’t as bad as they’re being made out to be, and you could see that in the game.
“We played well in the first ten minutes of the game. Then, we had ten minutes where we experienced problems because we couldn’t deal with things.
“If the system isn’t in place – and by that I don’t even mean tactically, but in general – if things aren’t fully worked out yet, then there comes a point in time where you have to fight hard to win tackles.
“I was very happy with several individual performances and was generally very happy with the performance. We can play better football and play more football. We shot ourselves in the foot on occasion when it came to second balls. It was a tiring game for both sides.”
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich also described the encounter as intense but highlighted the team’s positive moments, particularly at the start.
“It was an intense game where not everything went perfectly, but a lot felt good out there on the pitch, especially at the start of the game. After we went 1-0 up, we had another huge chance.
“The focus over the past few days has been on the defence. In the second half, we concentrated on playing deeper, but at the same time finding a basic structure of how we want to play off the ball. All in all, a draw is a fair result.”
Jonathan Tah said Germany would have preferred a victory but viewed the performance as a positive first step.
“We would have liked to have won the game. There were chances for both sides, but when you’re in front, you want to get it over the line.
“I think that it’s a good first step for us. The game was really intense. It wasn’t all perfect off and on the ball, but it’s not about that. It’s all about showing that there’s a different side to us.”
Philipp Treu said Germany’s initial approach of pressing and attacking the Netherlands worked well early in the game.
“At the outset, we wanted to attack, put pressure on them, be tough in the tackle and to play football with power. It worked well at the beginning of the game.
“We also had some great moments on the counter, when I think about Karim Adeyemi’s chance.
“In my opinion, it was too passive at the back, even in a deep block, but the Netherlands are also a well-drilled attacking side. Everyone gave it their all. It should give us a boost over the coming weeks – that’s exactly how we’ve got to play.”
