Five things newly hired boss Jurgen Klopp must do to revitalise Germany before Euro 2028

Now that the 2026 FIFA World Cup has concluded, the start of the 2030 World Cup cycle is of the utmost importance to all national team federations that are beginning to shift gears and eye the next four years of growth.

However, some federations face a bigger climb than others, and few more so than Germany, who find themselves in a historic rut. Their crashout in the 2026 Round of 32 is just the latest failure on the global stage, as Die Mannschaft have failed to reach the Round of 16 even once in the three tournaments since their 2014 triumph in Brazil.

It's not been much better at the European Championship of late, as their run to the final in 2008 was followed by two semifinal appearances, and then a pair of failures, dumped out in the Round of 16 in 2020 and the quarterfinals in 2024.

To help them climb out of the gutter, the DFB has hired world-class head coach Jurgen Klopp to take over the federation, hoping to draw Germany back from the depths of the last two decades.

MORE: Tracking the open national team coaching positions after the 2026 World Cup

Five things Jurgen Klopp must do as Germany coach

Move on from Manuel Neuer at goalkeeper

The first thing Jurgen Klopp has on his plate is to sort out the goalkeeping position.

Manuel Neuer is 40 years old and has not been a viable goalkeeping option for years, but both Bayern Munich and Germany had no better option than to settle for bringing their legendary shot-stopper back to man the sticks. This has to change. Neuer's underlying numbers as a top goalkeeper have plummeted in the past few years, understandably given his advanced age.

Unfortunately, there is a stark lack of German goalkeepers coming through the pipeline. Figuring out how to get Marc-Andre ter Stegen back to his best would be an ideal avenue, but he will be 38 by the time 2030 rolls around. Oliver Baumann is aging out as well, and Alexander Nubel has not impressed. Jonas Urbig is still just 22 years old and considered a top prospect for Bayern Munich, while 28-year-old Moritz Nicolas is coming off a sensational season with Gladbach.

Get the best out of Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala

Germany's two best young attacking players did not hit the heights they are capable of under Julian Nagelsmann.

Wirtz slogged through a difficult first season at Liverpool, and his struggles carried over to the national team. He picked up three assists at the World Cup but did not score a goal.

Musiala, meanwhile, has not looked his best since returning from a very serious broken leg suffered at the Club World Cup over a year ago, and found the net just once at the World Cup, coming in the 7-1 victory over Curacao to begin the ultimately disappointing tournament.

If Klopp is to succeed with Germany and return them to their regular spot near the top of European football, he must find a way to maximise their prime. Both players are 23 years old, and the next four-year cycle will see them hit the 2030 World Cup at the peak of their physical abilities. They must be made central to everything the German federation does over the next four years.

Find a striker

Like goalkeeper, the striker position has been a complete black hole for Germany over the last four-year cycle. Julian Nagelsmann was able, from time to time, find a flash in the pan to provide hope, but none of those players ultimately panned out. Nick Woltemade, Jonathan Burkhardt, and Niclas Fullkrug all seemed promising for a bit, but none of those three managed to prove they can be a long-term option.

Kai Havertz remains a strong candidate, but he has been a streaky player throughout his career in front of goal both for club and country, and isn't a natural striker regardless.

Reestablish the Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund pipelines

The German national team has, for decades, been dominated by players contracted to the nation's two biggest clubs, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. When Die Mannschaft was at its best, these two teams supplied the vast majority of the squad's talent.

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, only six Bayern Munich players made the 26-man roster, while four came from Dortmund. Of those 10 players, five of them are currently at least 30 years old. Only Nico Schlotterbeck, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Jamal Musiala, Lennart Karl and Felix Nmecha figure to be long-term options for the national team, plus Jonathan Tah and Josh Kimmich if they can avoid the decline of age over the next four years, and Karim Adeyemi if he can reestablish himself as an option.

Of course, in a perfect world, spreading the best German talent across not just the Bundesliga but throughout Europe is ideal for the national federation, but that is not what this current situation reflects. There was not an abundance of world-class talent for Julian Nagelsmann to select from spread throughout Germany. Instead, the roster reflected a lack of Bayern or Dortmund talent because his options at the best two clubs were severely limited.

Reconnect team with fans and media

Finally, Jurgen Klopp must recapture the faith of both the German fanbase and the local media. Of course, winning is the best way to do this, but there are other ways to charm the supporter base as well.

Throughout the last few World Cup cycles, belief in the DFB has waned as they repeatedly disappoint at major tournaments, most notably the FIFA championship.

European publications are well known for their harsh criticism, and the German media is no different, but they also have a soft spot. Publications like Bild, Kicker, and other outlets have been known to shower successful coaches and players with plenty of praise, and their support is vital for rousing the fanbase and getting supporters back on board. A positive atmosphere goes a long way towards pacifying toxicity, and that's a priority for Klopp in his early days.