DFB under Klopp: Foreign press tears apart the bad start – 'Greek Tragedy'

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents DFB under Klopp: Foreign press tears apart the bad start – 'Greek Tragedy'.

The hoped-for liberation blow failed to materialize. One point from two games – that is the record from Jürgen Klopp's first competitive matches as national team coach of the German Football Association (DFB). After the defeat against Greece in the Nations League, the international press's verdict is unambiguous.

Both Der Spiegel and Die Zeit have gathered reactions from abroad – the tenor is devastating. Terms like "Greek Tragedy," "false start" (Fehlstart), and "inglorious" (unrühmlich) are making the rounds. What began as a great Klopp revolution looks, after the first competitive matches, like a bumpy relaunch.

For the DFB, this means: the team has its back against the wall, and the discussion about course, lineup, and tactics is likely to erupt in full force ahead of the upcoming international breaks.

How the foreign press rates Klopp's start

The foreign media are unusually blunt. According to Der Spiegel, which bundles the international voices, the record of Klopp's first days at the DFB is rated as "inglorious" (unrühmlich). The once-heralded "revolution" of German football, according to this view, is still failing to materialize.

The "revolution" of German football has yet to materialize.

Die Zeit phrases it in its collection similarly bluntly. According to it, the international press certifies the national team coach with a "false start" (Fehlstart) – and goes a step further: it draws parallels to his predecessors, whose fates were also quickly sealed under comparable starts.

The international press certifies the national team coach with a "false start" and draws parallels to his predecessors.

While Germany struggles, Greece celebrates

Striking: while hardly a good hair is left unturned on the German team, the recognition of the opponent is all the more lavish. Die Zeit highlights in its overview that the Greeks were celebrated after their win – including historical contextualizations that give the result in Athens a special dimension.

For Klopp, this means: the sporting record is one thing, control of the narrative in the media is another. After this first real test, both clearly lie with the opponent.

What remains after the first real test

Two games, one point – the sober numbers tell their own story. The fact that it is precisely Greece playing the spoilsport gives the whole affair the bitter aftertaste that the international press neatly captures with the term "Greek Tragedy".

Klopp thus faces his first real test of character as DFB coach. The next international match windows will show whether the announced revolution in German football actually still arrives – or whether the false start is the prelude to a long autumn in which the predecessor comparisons grow ever louder.