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Germany’s football great Lothar Matthaus has once again criticised Jurgen Klopp over his recent remarks about Julian Nagelsmann’s tactical approach, insisting the former Liverpool manager went too far by ‘interfering’ from the sidelines. Although Klopp later issued a public apology following Germany’s 7-1 thrashing of Curacao in their World Cup opener, Matthaus believes the damage had already been done.

Matthaus condemns Klopp’s ‘careless’ comments

Matthaus expressed his displeasure and surprise at the timing of Klopp’s and Thomas Muller’s statements, made just two days before Germany’s first match of the World Cup. Both men had suggested that Deniz Undav should start instead of Jamal Musiala against Curacao, a suggestion that did not sit well with Matthaus, who criticised them for putting unnecessary pressure on the coach.

The legendary former Germany captain said that both Klopp and Muller would have been angered if they had faced similar interference during their own playing or coaching careers.

In his column for Sky Germany, Matthaus wrote: “I was astonished by what Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Muller said two days before the Curacao match. Jurgen has been a coach long enough and might return to management one day; Thomas is still playing. Neither of them would have appreciated any outside interference. It wasn’t the right moment, and the words were not appropriate.”

Klopp’s slip of the tongue

Musiala eventually started Germany’s World Cup campaign, but the controversy deepened during MagentaTV’s pre-match broadcast when Klopp, appearing as a pundit alongside Muller, quipped: “Fortunately, Julian Nagelsmann is still picking the team.”

Given the ongoing speculation linking Klopp to the future Germany national team role, Matthaus and several viewers viewed his use of the word “still” as an unprofessional dig at Nagelsmann, implying added pressure. Muller further added to the moment by joking with Klopp about forgetting it was only June, referencing the expected September timeline when analysts believe Klopp could potentially take charge.

Following Germany’s emphatic 7-1 victory, Klopp moved quickly to address the issue, apologising publicly to Nagelsmann. “I’ve already found the most hated word of the year: ‘Still’,” Klopp said, admitting he wanted to “punch himself in the face” for his thoughtless remark.

Matthaus: Klopp’s apology was the ‘bare minimum’

Despite Klopp’s public apology, Matthaus remained unimpressed, arguing that an experienced professional like Klopp should have exercised better judgement.

“Klopp apologised to Nagelsmann on Sunday after the match and said, ‘Even at 59, I’m still stupid.’ That’s typical Jurgen—he admits his mistake with humour,” Matthaus said. “He apologised, which was the minimum he could do. But something like that should never have happened; it was careless. There’s a lot of joking around on MagentaTV, so we might need to brace ourselves for more offhand comments from Jurgen and Thomas.”

Looking ahead to the Ivory Coast test

Matthaus also cautioned that upcoming matches in North America would present tougher challenges for Nagelsmann’s side. With Ivory Coast next on the schedule, he emphasised that tactical adaptability would be crucial to sustaining the team’s strong start.

“Ivory Coast is a different level compared to Curacao,” Matthaus noted. “Yan Diomande played on the right in their 1-0 win against Ecuador, but he can also operate on the left. In that position, he would have a speed advantage over Joshua Kimmich that he wouldn’t have on the right against Brown. It’s fine to criticise when a player performs poorly, but we should also think about how to unite as football Germany to support the team.”

Can Germany maintain their momentum at the World Cup?