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German football great Lothar Matthaus has delivered a firm warning to newly appointed national team manager Jurgen Klopp, saying that his well-known charisma and top-level pedigree will count for nothing if he does not produce immediate results. While he expressed huge excitement over the former Liverpool boss signing a four-year contract, Matthaus made it clear that Klopp is walking into a harsh reality as he tries to restore a basic level of consistency after Germany’s latest disastrous World Cup cycle.

A new man for an old problem

Klopp has taken charge after Julian Nagelsmann’s departure following yet another disappointing World Cup campaign, extending a difficult spell for the national side that goes back to their group-stage exit in Russia in 2018. Neither Joachim Low’s eventual successor Hansi Flick nor Nagelsmann himself managed to bring Germany back to the standard expected of a nation with their football pedigree, leaving Klopp to inherit a squad and a set of issues that previous attempts have failed to solve.

His appointment had long been seen as only a matter of time in German football circles, with the timing simply never falling into place until now. Klopp comes in with energy, established links across the DFB hierarchy, and a strong knowledge of the domestic game, all of which made him the obvious choice once the job became available.

Matthaus was quick to add a strong note of realism to the conversation. Speaking to Sky Sport, the legend warned that even a manager of Klopp’s stature will not be given a long honeymoon by the demanding German media if the tactical change does not bring immediate improvement on the field.

“Now it depends on how it is implemented,” Matthaus said bluntly. “Despite his charisma, his personality and his successes, he is also judged by results. Klopp is 20 years older than Julian Nagelsmann, and he has correspondingly more experience. Communication is Jurgen’s great strength; he should do one or two things better than his predecessor in dealing with the players. But even he is only allowed to play with eleven men who have a German passport.”

The challenge of squad personnel

One of the biggest problems for Klopp is the sense that the national team pool has stood still. For several years, critics have said that Germany has leaned too much on familiar names who have not been able to reproduce their club form on the international stage.

Matthaus expanded on that issue by saying Klopp cannot simply produce world-class players out of nowhere to fix the team’s depth concerns. “In the past, one or the other talent may have been left behind because the last national coach sometimes relied on other players who didn’t perform as well anymore but who had a certain standing with him.”

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No overnight revolution

Matthaus also tried to cool expectations of any instant squad overhaul under the new coach, stressing that identifying talent will not happen overnight. “Of course, Klopp can't invent new players, but he will look around so that he and his coaching team have everyone in view. Then he will try to form a team that will lead us back to where we expect them to be,” he added, underlining the need for a fresh and broad assessment of the player pool.

Klopp will not have the comfort of a gentle start to international management, with a demanding run of competitive fixtures waiting for him as soon as the autumn international windows come into view. Germany are set to begin their gruelling UEFA Nations League group-stage campaign against highly disciplined tactical opposition in the form of the Netherlands, Greece, and Serbia.