'Have fun under pressure': Klopp picks 44 players for first games

Jürgen Klopp has nominated 44 players in two squads for his first four matches as German national team coach where established players and newcomers are to "have fun under pressure" in his rebuilding mission.

Led by captain Joshua Kimmich, the large squad announced by Klopp on Thursday includes 16 players from the last World Cup group and another 16 uncapped players.

Matchday squads are limited to 23 players, but Klopp wants to manage the workload and also get a first impression of newcomers in the four Nations League matches against the Netherlands, Serbia and Greece (twice).

The first squad of 24 will feature in the Netherlands on September 24 and at home against Greece three days later. The other squad made up of the other 20 and a few from the first group will feature at home against Serbia on October 1 and in Greece on October 4.

New faces include surprises such as Mike Baur of Celtic, Hoffenheim's Bambasé Conté, Hennes Behrens of Augsburg, Freiburg players Max Rosenfelder, Philipp Treu, Derry Scherhant and Yannik Engelhardt as well as Eintracht Frankfurt's Younes Ebnoutalib, VfB Stuttgart's Finn Jeltsch and Felix Keidel from promoted Elversberg.

Others such as goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen of Ajax and wingers Serge Gnabry of Bayern Munich and Karim Adeyemi of Barcelona are returning after missing the World Cup.

“Putting the squad together was fun. I want to get to know as many players as possible and get as many impressions of them as possible,” Klopp said during his 70-minute news conference.

"We see something in the boys, we see a lot of potential. A great deal of talent caught our eye. Who can be a pillar of support in two years?", Klopp said, looking ahead at the next big event, Euro 2028.

"We didn't look at what we don't have, but at what we do have. We found a lot of football talent. I'm happy with the selection," Klopp said, urging his players to "have fun under pressure."

Former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coach Klopp succeeded Julian Nagelsmann, who resigned after a disappointing round of 32 exit at the World Cup in summer, and is tasked with rebuilding the team after mostly poor results at big events over the past years.

The new match calendar with four games by combining the September and October international windows allows Klopp the new approach with two squads.

The first 24 players will gather on Monday at the base camp in Herzogenaurach. The majority will then leave after the Greece home game and the other 20 will arrive.

Klopp can thus give Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck and Bayern Munich duo of Gnabry and Jamal Musiala a cautious start in their return from injuries and health problems, respectively. All three are part of squad one but Klopp plans to keep them for squad two to give them a rhythm again.

Augsburg goalkeeper Finn Dahmen is in both squads and a few outfield players are also to stay for the remaining two games.

Klopp said that ter Stegen will be between the posts for the first game in Amsterdam in what is now his home stadium after a loan move from Barcelona to Ajax.

"He is fit and brings the necessary experience," Klopp said.

The coach also confirmed that Kimmich, who is in the first squad, will play in midfield again like at Bayern after being used by Nagelsmann as right back.

Despite the size of the squad there was no place for the likes of VfB Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav, Galatasaray forward Leroy Sané and Hoffenheim keeper Oliver Baumann.

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and defender Antonio Rüdiger are no longer available as they have retired from the national team.