Ahead of the upcoming World Cup, several prominent coaches, many making their debut in international management after illustrious club careers, face distinct challenges. Jurgen Klopp suggests that their prior club experience might not fully prepare them for the unique demands of leading a national team in such a major tournament.
In an extensive interview, Klopp, now Red Bull`s head of global soccer, described national team coaching as an `intense` undertaking. He believes that newer competitions like the UEFA Nations League further intensify the pressure on these managers. The former Liverpool coach, who himself has never held a national team role and indicates he`s unlikely to take one, expressed his bewilderment at the appeal of such a post, despite a recent trend of successful club managers transitioning to international positions.
Klopp praised an impressive roster of coaches set to manage at the next World Cup, including Mauricio Pochettino for the U.S. men`s national team, Carlo Ancelotti for Brazil, Thomas Tuchel for England, and Julian Nagelsmann for Germany. However, he highlighted significant impediments that hinder national team coaches from developing and implementing an advanced tactical vision due to limited time.
Referring to these esteemed figures, Klopp remarked, “Julian’s exceptional, Thomas, exceptional, Poche, exceptional, Carlo – oof! Fantastic.” He elaborated on the challenges of major tournaments, explaining that while there`s a pre-tournament period for preparation, it often coincides with when players physically require a proper preseason. “At the same time, you have to bring them all together, world-class players but [in the] right position,” he added, underscoring the complexities of fostering team cohesion with minimal preparation time.
Klopp pointed to France`s 2018 World Cup victory as a prime illustration of a team prioritizing winning over stylistic play – a pragmatic compromise he believes many national coaches are compelled to make.
“When France won the World Cup under Deschamps, they played really defensive with the best football players in the world,” Klopp recalled. He continued, describing their incredible defensive solidarity – “defending like – no offense – Burnley,” – coupled with “deadly” counterattacks. Klopp marvelled at the task of convincing a squad of such talent, including Antoine Griezmann, who was “running around everywhere, marking, firing in,” to adopt such a disciplined, pragmatic approach, a stark contrast to his more flamboyant club performances at teams like Atletico or Barcelona.
Klopp attributed this fundamental difference to the contrasting nature of club and national team management: club coaches enjoy extended periods to work with their players over a lengthy season, whereas international coaches have only intermittent, brief windows of a few days at a time with their squads.
While acknowledging the “interesting challenge” of national team roles, Klopp stressed, “to invent things, to change things, you need time.” He concluded that while competence is certainly required, the severely limited time prevents genuine tactical innovation or significant structural changes.
He further noted that national team coaches are almost exclusively judged by their performance in major tournaments, sharply distinguishing their roles from those at club level where a season-long narrative offers more context and time for development.
“These tournaments are all about winning,” Klopp unequivocally stated. He humorously illustrated this point: “Did you ever hear 10 years after the World Cup that someone said, look, they went out in the quarterfinal but I tell you, the football they played was incredible! I don’t think somebody would write that on your gravestone.” He emphasized the stark reality: “Actually, he was not successful but he had great ideas, or she. Fantastic! Super! Your family barely has enough to eat so that’s why we have to deliver [in] this job,” highlighting the ruthless, results-driven nature of international football management.
