Because a duo did it ‘incredibly well’: Jürgen Klopp explains surprising decision to do without Yann Aurel Bisseck

For the heart of his defence, Germany coach Jürgen Klopp chose Nico Schlotterbeck, Waldemar Anton (both Borussia Dortmund) and Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), as expected. Malick Thiaw (Newcastle United) getting the nod ahead of Bisseck was less predictable. The 25-year-old has been in outstanding form for months, starts regularly for the Nerazzurri and recently scored a spectacular Champions League goal, while Thiaw has lately been on the bench at Newcastle.

In an interview lasting around half an hour with DFB.TV, Klopp praised Anton and Thiaw for their performances against Serbia (2-0) and Greece (0-0) in the second half of the extended international break in early October. Both played the full 90 minutes and, Klopp stressed, had done "an unbelievably good job" after Schlotterbeck left because of injury. Their selection was therefore "clear" to the 59-year-old, despite Bisseck being one of the few bright spots in the 1-0 defeat by Greece, Klopp's home debut.

Thiaw's lack of starts for the struggling Magpies does not concern Klopp, even though Bisseck plays regularly. "Malick has now, I think, not played in three consecutive games for his club," he said, adding: "That doesn't have such huge relevance for me." Klopp said he was in contact with the former Schalke player and stressed again: "He simply did so well for us that we want to have the lad with us. And Schlotti was also absolutely clear."

Klopp would understand debate over Bisseck's absence

Klopp knows Bisseck's absence will raise questions. "Now, of course, comes the question, and I understand it, if Thiaw isn't playing, but Bisseck plays every game and isn't in the squad," he said. "That's one of those discussions that, firstly, are legitimate and, secondly, only happen when you have more quality than you're actually allowed to take with you. I could think of a few more who are doing really well. But for us, at this moment, that is the core we're going with now."

Next matches

SER

UEFA Nations League A

13 Nov 2026

14:45

GER

Earlier in the interview, Klopp made clear that the door remained open to those left out. Alongside Bisseck, Karim Adeyemi (Barcelona) and Nick Woltemade (Juventus Turin) are also somewhat surprising absentees. "There are, however, three or four months between this round and the next, and of course everyone immediately has the opportunity to show what they can do again," Klopp added while discussing the centre-backs. "This isn't set in stone for the next 20 years; it's for these matches, building on what we experienced together and worked towards in the first camp. That's how we're approaching the future for now."

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Tah overlooked: Klopp enthuses about Bayern Munich and praises rotation

Asked why he had not mentioned Tah in his explanation, Klopp admitted: "Jona is in the squad anyway. That's why I just forgot to mention him." The 30-year-old is no longer an undisputed starter at Bayern Munich either. Apart from the game against Atletico Madrid, he has had to make way for Min-Jae Kim in important matches. Dayot Upamecano, by contrast, is untouchable.

Rotation at the German record champions was the right approach "in this incredibly difficult period", Klopp explained. "They're doing it very cleverly," added the former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coach, before praising Bayern's latest Champions League display. "They played an incredible game in Madrid. I don't even know how many defensive players were on the pitch at the end. But they were still dangerous going forward. That was a really very impressive performance. You don't just win at Atletico."

On Tah, Klopp drew a comparison with two other Bayern internationals. "There [in Madrid; editor's note], Tom [Bischof; editor's note], among others, had a huge game and Aleksandar Pavlovic was rested. Tah is a top centre-back and that's why, although he was rotated, we didn't consider leaving him at home."

Which two of the four candidates will start remains unclear. Schlotterbeck and Tah had recently been regarded as the established pairing. Germany first face Serbia (13 November), before the Netherlands await in their final Nations League group match (16 November).

Who else was selected? Jürgen Klopp's squad at a glance