Germany's first camp under Jurgen Klopp returned five points from 12, with one win, two draws and one defeat. The numbers point to a side that was hard to beat but still short of control across the Nations League games against Netherlands, Greece and Serbia. Klopp also used drones in secret training sessions to get a better view of the structure he is trying to build.

Klopp's role change for Wirtz

The centre of the issue is Florian Wirtz, who was given obvious attention during the camp. Klopp held extensive one-on-one sessions with him to rebuild his confidence, and that fits the wider sense that Germany still have not settled on how to get him and Joshua Kimmich working in the same structure. Wirtz's 6.93 Nations League rating and his three appearances in the competition show he has had enough minutes to be judged, but not enough consistency to settle the argument on his role.

Kimmich sits on the same 6.93 rating, which is hardly a ringing sign of a midfield leader running things cleanly. Germany's opening camp was built around rotation and testing, yet the line between experimentation and uncertainty is already visible. Klopp's November return fixtures against Serbia and the Netherlands should tell him more, but they are still ahead rather than behind him.

Injuries and the wider squad picture

The other issue was availability. Jamal Musiala suffered a thigh injury before kick-off against the Netherlands, Kai Havertz limped off inside 30 minutes in the same game, and Nico Schlotterbeck later left the camp through injury. Those setbacks did not prove anything on their own, but they did cut across a camp that was already trying to answer bigger questions about balance and depth.

Klopp's response was to make the environment as connected as possible. He filled the camp with Uno and Cornhole so players were not isolating in their rooms, senior stars were asked to present medals and speeches to debutants, and Klopp personally welcomed every player. That sort of detail is not window dressing here, it is part of the attempt to stop a crowded squad from feeling like a collection of separate cliques.

The result is a Germany camp that feels unfinished rather than settled. Five points from 12 and a handful of injuries do not close the book on anything, but they do show why Klopp still has work to do before November's games arrive.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →