Jurgen Klopp has dropped himself into Germany's World Cup selection argument, backing Deniz Undav for the number 10 role and putting fresh pressure on Julian Nagelsmann's choices. Speaking on Magenta TV during Germany's World Cup opener against Curacao in Houston, Klopp said Nagelsmann is still picking the team, "for now," before adding: "We've brought Undav into the game because he can play in the number 10 role."
The comment matters because it was not a vague television aside. It was a direct view on Germany's starting shape at the World Cup, with Klopp publicly favoring Deniz Undav over Jamal Musiala in a role that often decides how Germany connects midfield to attack. For readers searching his name now, that is the point: Klopp was not talking in generalities, he was arguing for a specific selection in a live tournament setting.
Klopp's own standing makes the remark harder to ignore. He left Liverpool in 2024 and has since taken the role of head of global football at Red Bull, but he is now on punditry duty for Germany's tournament coverage. He was also joined in the studio by Thomas Muller, which only sharpened the sense that this was a serious football discussion rather than passing commentary. The debate centered on Germany's lineup choice for its opener against Curacao, with the World Cup spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The backlash came quickly. Lothar Matthaus said he was "very surprised" to see Klopp and Thomas Muller advise playing Deniz Undav instead of Jamal Musiala in the opening match, and he said Klopp's comments "aren't exactly making Nagelsmann's job any easier." Matthaus added that such interference is not well received, especially among fellow coaches, and argued that Germany need the quality of a Musiala if they are to have a successful World Cup. In his view, that means trust and playing time, not public debate over whether Undav should start.
That leaves Nagelsmann with a choice that now carries extra noise. He can treat Klopp's view as television talk and keep his selection line intact, or he can react to the public argument and change the balance of his attack. Either way, the next Germany team sheet will show whether the debate stayed in the studio or spilled into the squad itself.
