Klopp says Germany can do better after ill-tempered Netherlands draw
Jurgen Klopp was satisfied with a point on his debut as Germany’s head coach, but acknowledged his side can play better after a dramatic 1-1 Nations League draw with the Netherlands.
Nations League
Felix Nmecha 32′
Cody Gakpo 90+2′
Felix Nmecha’s 32nd-minute strike put Germany on course for victory against their old rivals on Thursday, in Klopp’s eagerly anticipated international debut.
But two minutes into second-half stoppage time, Cody Gakpo met Ruben van Bommel’s outside-of-the-foot cross with a sumptuous volley to rescue a point. Gakpo played 79 games under Klopp at Liverpool, scoring 23 goals.
Speaking to RTL after full-time, Klopp offered a positive initial assessment while recognising the work ahead before Sunday’s meeting with Greece.
“There were lots of things that worked. I’m very satisfied with many individual performances, with the passion as well,” he said.
“But we can play better football, for sure. I would have loved to win, but I can live with the point.”
Asked whether he had been nervous ahead of the game, Klopp replied: “I stood there over 1,000 times, so it was quite natural.”
The Netherlands, playing their first game under Barcelona great Xavi, dominated the second half. They generated 2.61 expected goals after the interval to Germany’s 0.24.
Across the match, the Oranje produced 3.12 xG from 22 shots, compared with Germany’s 1.5 from 10 attempts. They also created four Opta-defined big chances to Germany’s two.
| Match statistic | Germany | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 10 | 22 |
| Expected goals | 1.50 | 3.12 |
| Big chances | 2 | 4 |
| Second-half xG | 0.24 | 2.61 |
It was the first time the Oranje had generated at least 3.0 xG against a team in the top 30 of FIFA’s world rankings since June 2019, when they recorded 3.1 in a Nations League semi-final victory over England.
Controversy and injury concerns
A high-octane and at times bad-tempered encounter saw the Netherlands have two goals disallowed. The first, a Virgil van Dijk header, was controversially ruled out for Brian Brobbey backing into Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Germany’s opener also brought angry protests. Klopp’s side played on while Brobbey was down injured, and the Netherlands’ players reacted furiously after Nmecha swept his finish into the top-left corner.
Brobbey had to be substituted when play restarted. His departure followed that of Germany striker Kai Havertz, who hobbled off after a high tackle from Quinten Timber, the twin brother of his Arsenal team-mate Jurrien.
Germany had already lost Jamal Musiala to a thigh issue during the warm-up, leaving Klopp awaiting updates on both players.
“Unfortunately, this happened to Jamal before the game, then Kai also said he felt it. They are both having an MRI at the moment. I hope we get the diagnosis tonight,” Klopp said.
“Of course, it’s not great now. I hope it’s just nothing bad. The boys are probably out of our next game, but hopefully they’ll be ready to play again quite quickly.”
