Effenberg responded to Klopp's first appearance as Germany's national team coach and reminded him to keep his promises.
“Klopp emphasized that the door to the national team is open to everyone – whether they are 18, 19, or 20-year-old young players, or more experienced players. Age is not important to him. This is a very clear signal, and the players must have heard it very clearly,” Effenberg said in an interview with midt-online.
Effenberg believes that Klopp emphasizes the principle of letting performance speak for itself, a message similar to that of his predecessor, Nagelsmann. Klopp "must stick to that."
Effenberg also said it was "inappropriate" for the former Liverpool manager to start his several-minute speech by talking about leaving. Klopp had told the media at the time, "If you behave badly and don't give my family peace and quiet, I'll leave."
Effenberg also cautioned against having overly high expectations for the new German national team coach. "We can certainly be happy, but we can't ignore reality: we are not yet a top team, either in Europe or globally. At least for now, we are not at that level," the former Bayern Munich player stated bluntly.
The SPORT1 commentator hopes the German team can regain its competitive form at Euro 2028, "and then earn the respect of their opponents and excite the fans with their performance at the 2030 World Cup." In his view, Klopp bears "full responsibility" for this.
Klopp faces a challenging task ahead. "He knows he and his work will be closely watched. That's how it is in German football. But he certainly knows what he promised," Effenberg said.
