Jürgen Klopp began his tenure with the Germany national team during the current international break. For the former Liverpool manager, what followed was a nightmare.
Under Klopp, Germany continued to struggle in the UEFA Nations League. Die Mannschaft controlled the match and squandered chance after chance, yet still couldn't break down the Greek defence, drawing 0-0 on Sunday evening.
Germany sit third in the group with just five points from four matches. Dery Scherhant, who shone in attack, was one of the few bright spots on another frustrating evening.
Across the international break, Germany played four matches. They drew 1-1 with the Netherlands, lost to Greece by a single goal, picked up their only win against Serbia 2-0, then drew goalless with Greece.
The website "Foot Mercato" published a report discussing what happened with Germany at the start of the Klopp era.
A worrying start for Klopp
One thing is certain: Klopp's start with Germany is taking a very worrying turn. Five points from four matches leaves them third in their UEFA Nations League group, behind the Netherlands and Greece on eight points apiece, which means they will only reach the quarter-finals with difficulty.
Things began well for Klopp's men, though. Germany controlled the first half and looked extremely lively, creating numerous chances and registering 13 shots on goal before the break, compared with just one for the Greeks. Jonathan Burkardt even thought he had opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, but the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled out his goal for a handball by Tom Bischof at the start of the move.
From there, Germany gradually lost their fluidity against the Greek defence, and their limitations in the final third became glaringly obvious.
With the attack struggling, Scherhant stood out as one of the stars of the evening. On his second appearance for Germany, the young Freiburg winger was lively and dangerous, especially on the left flank. He set up Burkardt's disallowed goal and nearly scored himself with a shot that struck the post just before the break. He kept posing a threat after the restart, until he was substituted in the 82nd minute.
Klopp reassures everyone
Florian Wirtz said: "We pressed hard, but we didn't score that damned goal, it's frustrating. Overall, we can be satisfied with our performance, there were many positive aspects. We mustn't forget that we have only played together for one week. We really wanted to win, but we didn't manage it, and yet, clearly, it wasn't all bad."
Scherhant added: "We played very well in the first half, and we should simply have rewarded ourselves with a goal. We can build on this performance, but of course, winning would have been more enjoyable."
In the press conference afterwards, Klopp sought once again to reassure everyone despite the team's lowly position in the standings.
He said: "The hardest thing in football is playing against a packed defence. For that, you need automatic reactions. In the short time available to us, it's clear we didn't train enough. I'm very satisfied because I know where we came from. I'm very, very, very impressed with the team. My feeling of disappointment right now surprised me, but we played three days ago, and it's difficult to maintain that rhythm for 90 minutes against a very strong Greek team."
He continued: "Our counter-pressing was very effective 90% of the time. From the 60th minute onwards, we became a little tense, which is why the passages of play were no longer as clear as they had been."
Confidence aside, this latest result leaves the former Liverpool manager with one win, two draws and one defeat in his first four matches in charge of Germany.
The picture grows all the more worrying given Germany lost their head-to-head against Greece, a defeat and a draw.
Already under scrutiny, the manager must find quick attacking solutions before the final two matches, first away against Serbia and then against the Netherlands. Collecting points is crucial to keeping any hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals alive.