Jurgen Klopp has wasted no time putting his stamp on Germany. For his first four matches in charge — all UEFA Nations League fixtures — he's named 44 players across two separate squads, rotating his roster around a brutal schedule that could easily break a less organised setup.
The fixtures: Netherlands on September 24, Greece on September 27, Serbia on October 1, and Greece again on October 4. Klopp's solution is to split his squad cleanly in two — one group handles the Netherlands and first Greece match, the other takes Serbia and the second Greece game. UEFA's rules allow unlimited squad changes as long as a list of 23 is submitted before midnight before each match. Klopp is using that flexibility to its absolute limit.
Managing the big names carefully
Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala are the standout presences here, with both appearing in their respective squads but expected to be limited to two matches each. Florian Wirtz, back in the mix after the World Cup cycle, gets the same treatment. These aren't players you burn in an October Nations League double-header.
The call-ups that turn heads are Elversberg midfielder Felix Keidel and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Younes Ebnoutalib — players with minimal or no senior international experience getting a genuine look under a new regime. That's a Klopp move: trust youth, create competition, disrupt comfort zones.
Who's out is equally telling. Dennis Undav — Germany's top scorer at the 2026 World Cup — doesn't make either squad. Neither does Leroy Sane, now at Galatasaray, or Pascal Gross, who has been a reliable Premier League operator at Brighton. No explanation needed, really. New manager, new pecking order.
What this means for Germany's Nations League odds
Splitting your squad across four games is a calculated risk. If injuries hit or results go sideways early, the rotation strategy becomes a talking point very quickly. Germany's Nations League prospects are harder to price when you genuinely don't know which eleven Klopp considers his best — because right now, neither does he.
That's probably the point. Four games, 44 players, and Klopp gets to find out exactly who he's working with before the real competitive windows arrive. The audition starts September 24.
