Klopp names split squads as he begins Germany tenure with youthful selections

Jurgen Klopp has named two separate squads for Germany's opening Nations League matches, with one side due to face the Netherlands at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday (19:45 BST) and a second group scheduled for fixtures later in the international break.

Klopp, appointed Germany head coach in July, has been vocal off the field since taking the job, admonishing the media in his first news conference and later calling for "positive patriotism" amid recent political developments. "From my perspective as a sportsman, I can say that I would very much like to reclaim the flag for myself, for all of us," he said, adding that sport can provide "a sense of community" and that "This is our mission: we need to create a good atmosphere." His comments followed the success of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and were widely discussed in the media.

Klopp has conducted an intensive programme of visits to domestic matches and training facilities, turning up at venues including Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park, Mainz's stadium and Eintracht Frankfurt's training ground while compiling a longlist of 57 players. He has signalled a trial-and-error approach for the early phase of his reign, saying in July: "Players will receive chances who don't even expect it yet," and selecting two almost completely different squads for the four games.

The first group, which includes Joshua Kimmich, Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala, will play the Netherlands at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday (19:45 BST) and host Greece on Sunday. The second squad, featuring Florian Wirtz and Aleksandar Pavlovic, will face Serbia at home and then Greece away later in the break; only back-up goalkeeper Finn Dahmen was picked for both sets. Klopp has acknowledged that this selection means Germany's strongest starting XI will not be fielded for these fixtures.

The manager has also handed opportunities to several players who were recently in Germany's second tier, notably full-back-midfielder Felix Keidel of SV Elversberg, alongside Mika Baur, Bambase Conte, Max Rosenfelder, Philipp Treu and Vitaly Janelt. Klopp's record of developing overlooked players was cited in the piece, with examples such as Lukasz Piszczek and Andy Robertson noted as players he helped transform at club level.

Tactically, Klopp has stressed attributes over names: "It is not important who plays but how someone plays," he said last week. The squads are young, with both groups averaging between 24 and 25 years of age, and several established internationals have retired — Manuel Neuer, Antonio Rudiger and Pascal Gross among them — a point Gross acknowledged after a club game: "I still enjoy playing football here in the club, but there's a change in Germany and rightfully so."

Klopp has suggested a simpler attacking emphasis than his predecessor, Julian Nagelsmann, with a focus on exploiting wide areas; potential wing options named include Cologne's Said El Mala, Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl, Freiburg's Derry Scherhant, Barcelona's Karim Adeyemi and Brentford's Kevin Schade, who has returned to the squad after being left out for the World Cup. Klopp said he wants players who are eager to wear the national shirt: "I have the desire to work with guys who cannot wait to wear this jersey, who want to play the kind of football everybody enjoys and who perform even better wearing the national team jersey."

The German Football Association hired Klopp on a reported annual salary of £6m to rebuild a national team described in the article as "floundering," and Klopp has adopted symbolic gestures aimed at unity, including wearing a cap that read "One of 83 million." He has spent significant time shaping narratives off the field, and now attention will turn to how he translates his selection and tactical plans into results on the pitch.

Both squads will be in action during this international window: the side named to face the Netherlands meets them at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday (19:45 BST) and then hosts Greece on Sunday, while the other group will play Serbia at home and Greece away in the second half of the international break.