Tactician backed for national revival
Owomoyela is convinced that Klopp can replicate his club success with Die Mannschaft after succeeding Julian Nagelsmann following this summer's World Cup exit. Leaving his role as Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull, the former Anfield chief penned a four-year deal in July running through Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup. He officially assumed charge in August to begin rebuilding the four-time world champions.
Instant impact suits limited schedule
Unlike day-to-day club management, international football offers coaches limited time on the training pitch to implement their tactical ideas and assess their squad options.
Speaking at a media round in Munich attended by Bulinews, Owomoyela explained why his former manager is ideally suited to overcoming those constraints: "He is able to change the important things in a short matter of time, and that's what makes him a good fit. I wish he could have the Germany guys every day [to practice] but that's not the case. As I said, he's able to create an instant impact and a clear vision of what to do.
"Now more than before, his reputation helps players believe what he is saying. All of that is a good fit for a coach with less time but can make things happen. It's just about finding the right people. He used a lot of players [in his first international period] and that will be the case going forward too."
Relentless intensity defines coaching methods
Owomoyela experienced Klopp's methods first-hand at Dortmund between 2008 and 2013, winning two Bundesliga titles and the DFB-Pokal. Recalling how the tactician combined dressing-room freedom with relentless physical demands, the Hamburg native added: "He was a coach who pushed for hard work but have fun while doing it. He always had fun it seemed, Even though he asked a lot of us, he would let us have fun as well.
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"He was the loudest in the dressing rooms, so he gave you that kind of freedom. But, you had to back it up on the pitch working hard and doing what he asked. He could create pictures. He made it really easy to understands where he wanted you to go and what he wanted you to do. It was like a movie in your head. So, that kind of ability to get you motivated to do what you need to do, it's what puts him above many others. He wanted us to play the most intense football.
"It was hunt, hunt, hunt, always hunt. If you got the ball, run fast at your opponent as hard as possible. If they [the opponent] got the ball, go hunt it [back] again. He would play games too, if we ran 120 kilometres [as a team] one week, next week he would say let's do 124 [kilometres]. We believed in what he was saying. Even though we lost games and derbies, he would say it doesn't matter because he felt we were going in the right direction."
Mixed results mark opening games
Klopp's tenure has begun steadily across his first four UEFA Nations League fixtures, yielding one win, two draws and one defeat with three goals scored and two conceded. After opening with a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands and a shock 1-0 home defeat to Greece in September, Germany beat Serbia 2-0 on October 1 before drawing 0-0 away in Greece three days later. The 59-year-old will now look to build momentum in the November international window.