"Jürgen Klopp, of all people, should know better." That's Lothar Matthaus — 1990 World Cup winner, former Germany captain — publicly calling out the man many expect to eventually take charge of the national team. Before Germany have even played a game.
The row stems from Klopp and Thomas Muller, both working as TV pundits at the tournament, advising that Jamal Musiala should be left out of Germany's opening match against Curacao in favour of Deniz Undav. Nagelsmann's response was diplomatically icy: "They can talk about anything they want to talk about. I will concentrate on my team and on my work." Translation: stay in your lane.
What makes this messier than your standard pundit noise is context. Klopp is widely reported to be the leading candidate to replace Nagelsmann if Germany underperform. So when he publicly questions a selection call, it doesn't land as neutral analysis — it lands as a man auditioning for someone else's job while they're still in it. Matthaus said it plainly: "Klopp's comments aren't exactly making Nagelsmann's job any easier."
Neuer gets the nod, Nagelsmann stays focused
Amid the noise, Nagelsmann confirmed Manuel Neuer will start in goal against Curacao — a decision that carries its own subplot. Neuer reversed his international retirement to rejoin the squad, controversial given that Oliver Baumann handled the entire qualifying campaign and pre-tournament warm-ups after Neuer picked up a calf injury.
Nagelsmann backed the call directly: "He has played a lot and we trust him a lot. I think he can bring top, top performance." Matthaus agrees — he sees Neuer as central to any deep run Germany might make. That consensus at least gives Nagelsmann one thing to build on. Nathaniel Brown was also confirmed to start at wing back.
The bigger question is whether any of this friction — Klopp sniping from the studio, Matthaus firing back publicly, Nagelsmann managing it all with diplomatic deflection — affects what happens on the pitch. Germany's World Cup odds will ultimately be shaped by Musiala, Neuer, and the squad, not a TV debate. But atmospheres like this have a way of festering if results go wrong.
"I'd like to see what Klopp would have said if a pundit had advised him to bench one of his regular starters before an important Champions League match," Matthaus said. It's a fair point. And nobody's really answered it.
