“Young players get under pressure quickly,” Jürgen Klopp said after Germany’s 0-0 draw in Greece, even as he called the display an “incredible match” to Foot Mercato, in comments translated from French. The response around him has not been nearly as kind. Germany have only one win and five points from 12 after four matches, and the mixed start is already shaping the tone of the international break.

Germany’s uneven start

Germany beat Serbia 2-0 before that draw in Greece, but the sequence around those two results has left Klopp with little room to breathe. Their recent run is L-D-W-L-D, which is the sort of form that keeps the pressure on even before a group campaign gets away from you.

They sit third in the Nations League group. That is why the outside noise has arrived so early, even if Klopp is pushing back against it in public.

Vinicius and England’s sharper story

Carlo Ancelotti was more direct about Vinícius Júnior, saying he is “not at his best form” to Foot Mercato, in comments translated from French. The numbers support that reading. Vinicius finished the international break with one goal in three matches, and he has only one league goal and three assists for Real Madrid this season.

Thomas Tuchel, by contrast, has a cleaner problem to talk about with England. He described the Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham connection as a “love affair”, and the figures explain why. Kane has four Nations League goals in three appearances, Bellingham has five goal contributions in three matches, and England’s latest burst included the 7-0 win over Croatia.

Tuchel has also moved Bellingham closer to Kane, with Saka and Gordon on the flanks, and that shape has helped turn England’s attack into the most convincing of the three stories here. The challenge is still small in sample terms, but it already looks far more settled than Germany’s start or Vinicius’ current run.

Germany’s next task is to stop the criticism from hardening after a third-place position and that five-point haul, while Real Madrid will want a sharper Vinicius before the pressure rises again. England, meanwhile, leave the break with a partnership Tuchel is happy to praise and a 7-0 result that gives him some evidence to point to.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →