Klopp to Work with Pep as New Germany Manager Warns - ‘If You Think I’m Rubbish…’

Once hailed as Liverpool's saviour, Jurgen Klopp is now tasked with performing a similar miracle for his home nation and he has opted to bring his trusted lieutenants with him.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool manager has signed a four-year contract to become the new head coach of the German national team.

Among his first jobs was to assemble a backroom team and he has gone for the tried and tested. Klopp has added his trusted former Liverpool assistants, Pep Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, to his new coaching staff.

The hope is that this trio can replicate their success at the Premier League club and guide one of football's fallen giants back to its former glory.

Lijnders reunites with Klopp, two years after they went separate ways when he left Liverpool and one year after serving as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City last season.

The appointment comes just weeks after Germany's shocking World Cup exit at the hands of Paraguay in a penalty shootout, a defeat that plunged the nation's football into a profound identity crisis and led to the resignation of then-coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Klopp, who had been working as a television pundit during the tournament, now finds himself responsible for rebuilding the team and restoring its famed winning mentality.

With a contract running through Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup, Klopp's tenure will begin with a match against the Netherlands on September 24. "The national team can unite us Germans like almost nothing else," Klopp stated as per the BBC. "That's precisely what makes this task so special for me."

A decorated manager with Champions League, Premier League, and two Bundesliga titles to his name, the 59-year-old is widely regarded as one of Germany's greatest. However, while many see him as the ideal candidate, his appointment has also ignited a fierce debate across the country.

For the German Football Association (DFB), securing Klopp was the top priority following Nagelsmann's departure. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf described Klopp as a figure who "embodies passion, credibility, and the ability to inspire people."

"After Julian Nagelsmann's resignation, he was our unequivocal choice for the position of national team coach. That's why we pursued him relentlessly," Neuendorf confirmed.

Public sentiment appears to be firmly behind the decision. A recent poll by leading German football magazine Kicker revealed that 80% of readers believe Klopp is the right man for the job. His reputation for building "mentality monsters" and forging strong connections with fans seems to be the perfect antidote to the team's recent struggles with a perceived lack of spirit and disconnect from its supporters.

Klopp himself knows the scrutiny that comes with the job and how quickly heroes can become villains. Having watched how Nagelsmann was treated by Germany fans, the maverick coach sent a firm message.

"I'm not doing this job for myself. I'm doing it for you. I'm taking this job even though I've seen how you've treated Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel,” said Klopp.

"If you go after my family, I'm gone. If you think I'm rubbish, tell me to my face and I will leave immediately, without asking for any compensation."

As the Klopp era begins, Germans will hope that he is the messiah and not another big name who finds the task of restoring a giant football nation too big like others before him.