Matthäus tears into Tuchel and Nagelsmann as Klopp era begins

Matthäus: Tuchel and Nagelsmann, 'too clever' coaches

Lothar Matthäus has not held back. The Germany legend sees the same fatal flaw in Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann, both try too hard to be the smartest man in the room. "You don't do that, unless he's injured. Those are the over-clever coaches who absolutely want to do something special," Matthäus said, reacting to Tuchel's tactical choices with England at this World Cup (1). He drew a direct line to Nagelsmann's exit with Germany in the round of 32. England lost to Argentina, by the way. 1–2.

Klopp inherits a broken dressing room

Jürgen Klopp agreed to basic contract terms with the DFB on Thursday. What he walks into is sobering. German media have painted a grim picture of the squad that crashed out in the round of 32 against Paraguay. One DFB official, quoted anonymously, said of Nagelsmann: "Perhaps the weight of the office crushed him, perhaps it came too early" (2). Klopp's rebuild starts in the rubble of that 1–2 defeat.

Schlotterbeck staying at Dortmund

Nico Schlotterbeck is not going to Real Madrid this summer. Reports linking the centre-back to the Bernabéu have been played down, and Dortmund sporting director Lars Ricken confirmed the focus is on his recovery: "It will still take a few weeks. We'll see if he can return before or after the first international break" (3). Klopp will want him fit for the autumn.

Woltemade spotted at Werder Bremen

Nick Woltemade showed up at his old club Werder Bremen after Germany's World Cup exit (1). No formal link yet, just a familiar face in familiar surroundings. The striker is a free agent.

U-20s out of Euros at quarterfinal stage

Spain knocked Germany's U-20s out of the European Championship. The quarterfinal defeat means no semifinal for Christian Wörns' side (4). Another youth campaign ends short.

Fan reactions

Germany's early World Cup exit still stings, and the fan mood has shifted from anger at Nagelsmann to cautious hope around Klopp. On r/soccer, attention has drifted to the tournament's deeper stages, Lionel Scaloni reaching a second consecutive final is the talk of the day. Read the thread.