Jürgen Klopp emphasized that he wants to watch again tonight the video highlighting the Greek national team’s strengths so he can finalize his own game plan in Germany ahead of the two teams’ second matchup on Sunday night at Toumba Stadium.
The “Mannschaft” coach was also asked about Kostas Tsimikas, as well as the speculation regarding a goalkeeper change, and the reports in the German media following Kimmich’s departure.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In detail:
On the match against Greece: “We’ve actually never played here at Toumba. We’ll definitely try to get a better result than in the first match. Greece played very disciplined against us. We played very well against Serbia.”
On whether he’ll switch goalkeepers again and on Karl: “Did I ever say that I switch goalkeepers every game? No, we won’t be switching goalkeepers. As for Karl, it’s a similar situation to Gnabri’s. We believe that with the training he’s done, he’ll return to good form at his club.”
On the fact that on Thursday he wasn’t sure how to approach the match against Greece and whether anything has changed now: “No one can know for sure in soccer. Greece took a 2-0 lead, and then the Netherlands created problems. We’ll watch the video tonight. Greece has a strong defensive line.”
On Tsimikas: “I didn’t know what I’d said. I was happy to see him today, too. To be honest, we didn’t talk about soccer. We’ll see tomorrow if he learned anything from me…”.
On whether he’s decided on the starting 11: “Unless you ask him (Pavlovic) questions, you won’t find out if he’ll play. We’ll go for the win. I believe all the players deserve to play. The roster is high-quality and very strong; you’ll find out everything else tomorrow.”
On the rumors about Kimmich: “I’m not going to engage with the stories you’re trying to create, regardless of my answer. Kimmich played great, and we have three midfielders. We need players who run a lot, so why should only one play? I’m very satisfied with everyone and really looking forward to the future. I’m stepping down (ed. note: joke), but I’m happy for Kimmich.”
On whether Urbig will play in goal: “He hasn’t had the chance to play like he has now. He’s made a very good impression on me. That position doesn’t worry me. We have a lot of players, and we don’t need to have a starter just yet.”
On the discussion about the “golden” generation of Greek players: “Are you comparing 2004 to now? Pavlovic was born in 2004, so he can’t answer that. What should I say now? I’ll have to rely on my memory. Back then, Greece—with limited possession and few chances—had Charisteas, who scored. Now they have top-tier players with quality and at a young age. The best age to establish yourself. Otto led them to the Euro. Without Otto, they wouldn’t have achieved anything.”
*Photo source: KYPE
