The upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign marks the beginning of another important chapter for Germany, with Jurgen Klopp now tasked with transforming the national team into a genuine force again. Germany have an abundance of talented players, but talent alone will not be enough. Klopp has several major problems to solve if Germany are to return to the top of international football.
Here are three of the biggest challenges facing the new Germany manager.
1. Bringing Back the Fear Factor to Germany
The biggest problem Klopp must solve is arguably the simplest to identify but hardest to fix: Germany no longer frightens opponents like they once did.
The Germany team that won the 2014 World Cup was the perfect example of a side that commanded respect before a ball was even kicked. With players such as Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller, Germany had world-class quality throughout the pitch.
More importantly, they had an identity.
Opponents knew they were facing a team capable of controlling matches, surviving pressure and punishing even the smallest mistakes. Their famous 7-1 demolition of Brazil in the 2014 World Cup semi-final remains one of the most extraordinary results in international football history.
Since then, however, Germany has struggled to reach those same heights.
Their early exits from the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, combined with inconsistent performances in other major tournaments, have gradually weakened the aura surrounding German football.
Klopp's first major task, therefore, is not simply winning matches.
It is making opponents fear Germany again.
The Nations League provides the perfect opportunity to start rebuilding that reputation.
2. Help Florian Wirtz Get Back to His Best
The second major challenge involves one of Germany's biggest stars: Florian Wirtz
We have already covered this subject in depth separately, particularly because Wirtz's situation is also closely connected to Liverpool, the club where he currently plays and the same club Klopp famously transformed into champions of England and Europe.
Anyone who watched Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen knows just how special the midfielder can be.
He was one of the most exciting attacking players in European football, combining creativity, intelligence, technical ability and an extraordinary understanding of space. His performances were instrumental in Leverkusen's remarkable unbeaten domestic campaign and their historic Bundesliga title.
But his transition to Liverpool has not produced the same version of Wirtz.
He has looked like a shadow of the player who previously terrorised Bundesliga defences and established himself as one of Europe's brightest young stars.
That makes Klopp's role particularly fascinating.
Few managers understand Liverpool better than Klopp. He knows the club, its expectations, its tactical demands and the environment in which Wirtz is now attempting to establish himself.
More importantly, Klopp has a proven record of getting the best out of technically gifted attacking players.
Germany cannot afford to have Wirtz operating below his potential.
If Klopp can restore the confidence, freedom and consistency that made Wirtz such a devastating player at Leverkusen, Germany's attack could immediately become significantly more dangerous.
Getting Wirtz back to his best could therefore be one of the defining projects of Klopp's Germany tenure.
3. Change Germany's Shockingly Poor Mentality
Perhaps the most concerning issue, however, is Germany's mentality.
For a country with such a remarkable football history, some of the recent examples of Germany lacking the mentality expected from winners have been difficult to understand.
The 2026 World Cup provided perhaps the most shocking example.
Leon Goretzka, a senior Germany player with years of experience at the highest level and a career packed with major trophies, reportedly refused to take a penalty twice during their game against Paraguay.
The decision proved costly, as Germany eventually crashed out after failing to take their chances in the penalty shootout.
Whatever the circumstances surrounding those decisions, the broader concern is what they appeared to say about the team's mentality in a pressure situation.
For a nation that has historically been associated with composure, resilience and winning when the stakes are highest, such an incident is particularly damaging.
And this is where Klopp has a huge role to play.
Think about his Liverpool team.
They were not perfect, but they developed an extraordinary mentality. Players were expected to embrace pressure rather than hide from it. Whether it was a Champions League knockout match, a decisive Premier League fixture or a penalty shootout, Klopp's Liverpool sides developed an identity built around believing they could win.
A situation like Goretzka refusing a penalty twice would be difficult to imagine in Klopp's Liverpool at their peak.
That mentality is precisely what Germany now needs.
Klopp must make his players understand that being a senior international means taking responsibility when the pressure is greatest.
Germany cannot simply behave like a talented team.
They have to behave like winners.
Klopp Has a Huge Job Ahead
Germany still have the players to compete with the world's best.
The problem is that talent needs to be combined with identity, confidence and mentality.
Klopp therefore has three enormous challenges ahead of him: restore Germany's fear factor, help Wirtz rediscover his best form and completely change the mentality of a squad that has recently struggled under pressure.
The Nations League will be the first major test.
If Klopp can solve these problems, Germany could once again become the team nobody wants to face.
And that, ultimately, should be the goal: not simply to make Germany competitive again, but to make the national team feared again.