Former Borussia Dortmund defender Patrick Owomoyela said at a media round in Munich that he backs Jurgen Klopp to restore the German national team on the international stage. Owomoyela played under Klopp for five seasons at Borussia Dortmund.
Why Owomoyela backs Klopp
Owomoyela said: "He is able to change the important things in a short matter of time, and that's what makes him a good fit. I wish he could have the Germany guys every day but that's not the case. As I said, he's able to create an instant impact and a clear vision of what to do."
Owomoyela said: "Now more than before, his reputation helps players believe what he is saying. All of that is a good fit for a coach with less time but can make things happen. It's just about finding the right people. He used a lot of players and that will be the case going forward too."
What he recalled from Dortmund
Owomoyela said: "He was a coach who pushed for hard work but have fun while doing it. He always had fun it seemed, Even though he asked a lot of us, he would let us have fun as well."
Owomoyela said: "He was the loudest in the dressing rooms, so he gave you that kind of freedom. But, you had to back it up on the pitch working hard and doing what he asked. He could create pictures. He made it really easy to understands where he wanted you to go and what he wanted you to do. It was like a movie in your head."
His account of Klopp's demands
Owomoyela said: "It was hunt, hunt, hunt, always hunt. If you got the ball, run fast at your opponent as hard as possible. If they got the ball, go hunt it again. He would play games too, if we ran 120 kilometres one week, next week he would say let's do 124 kilometres. We believed in what he was saying. Even though we lost games and derbies, he would say it doesn't matter because he felt we were going in the right direction."
Germany's opening results
According to GOAL, Klopp succeeded Julian Nagelsmann following this summer's World Cup exit. According to GOAL, leaving his role as Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull, Klopp signed a four-year deal in July running through Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup, and officially assumed charge in August.
According to GOAL, Klopp's first four UEFA Nations League fixtures as Germany coach produced one win, two draws and one defeat, with three goals scored and two conceded. According to GOAL, Germany drew 1-1 in the Netherlands, suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Greece in September, beat Serbia 2-0 on October 1 and drew 0-0 away in Greece three days later.
