Jurgen Klopp verdict reached after first match as Germany head coach against the Netherlands

Germany’s media have reached an instant verdict on Jürgen Klopp after his first match as head coach of the four-time World Cup winners.

Germany made the short trip to the Johan Cruijff ArenA, where they were hosted by Xavi’s Netherlands in UEFA Nations League Group A on Thursday evening (September 24).

Felix Nmecha had the honour of becoming the first Germany player to score under Klopp’s tutelage, with Barcelona winger Karim Adeyemi providing the assist.

Germany resembled a typical Klopp team, with the head coach appearing to prompt an aggressive press from his players with a single hand gesture.

READ NEXT: Israel's Saied Abu Farchi sent off in Nations League clash against Austria for goal celebration

But Cody Gakpo, who Klopp signed during his time at Liverpool, came back to haunt the Germany manager, equalising in second-half stoppage time to make it 1-1.

German media issue instant Jurgen Klopp verdict

After the match, fans and the German media gave their honest verdicts on Klopp’s Germany, with BILD dishing out praise and explaining how he had already solved four major issues.

“The team gave their all for the country, immediately fully embracing the ‘classic battle’ against Holland – exactly what Klopp had demanded,” BILD wrote.

“We've got our pace back: Klopp fixed the biggest weakness of the World Cup in record time. With Adeyemi and Schade, he fielded classic wingers, and the whole team was in the high-pressing mode that Klopp's teams are known for. Press, press, press! In the 4-2-3-1 system with a new zonal marking system, every player knew the plan better than during the entire World Cup debacle – and that after just two training sessions.

“We were lucky again: I would never have allowed Van Dijk's 13th-minute goal to go 1-0 up. The completely uncharacteristic shaky passes in the build-up play from goalkeeper Ter Stegen (who later improved) went unpunished. Gakpo's equalizer in the 90th minute was well-deserved.

“The most important takeaway: It's simply fun to watch. It's a rollercoaster ride – and sometimes things go wrong – but you look forward to international matches.”

READ NEXT: India head coach responds to Carlo Ancelotti's take on why India has 'poorly-ranked' national team

Kicker issued a similar take on the performance, suggesting that Germany are already moving in the right direction under their new boss.

Sportschau reported: “Klopp's DFB debut was marked by enthusiasm and mistakes.

“Until stoppage time, it looked like a dream debut for Germany coach Jürgen Klopp. But then the Netherlands equalized against an enthusiastic but error-prone German team.

“The draw was ultimately deserved. The German team demonstrated the passion and commitment demanded by Klopp; Karim Adeyemi had the first promising opportunity in the penalty area after just 45 seconds, but opted to pass instead of shooting himself.

“The German team maintained the pressure, quickly winning back possession after losing the ball, but despite their enthusiasm, they also had a significant error rate.”

Tagesspiegel added: “Jürgen Klopp brings energy and courage to the German national team. However, the old defensive problems haven't disappeared under his leadership. Nevertheless, the draw against the Netherlands is an encouraging sign.”

Spox wrote: “Jürgen Klopp immediately reignited the national team's enthusiasm, but missed the hoped-for dream start.”

Sky Germany waded in: “The German national team showed a clear reaction to their World Cup exit in their first game under Jürgen Klopp. However, injuries to Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz marred the start.”

Jurgen Klopp ‘happy’ with Germany performance

Klopp himself also spoke after the draw, explaining how he was happy with the result despite “badly” wanting to win.

“I was very, very, very pleased with a lot of the individual performances. Overall, I was very happy with the passion we showed,” he said. “We can play better and play more football, that's for sure.”

Germany return to action against Greece on September 27 before taking on Serbia on October 1. The four-time world champions round off their opening Nations League fixtures with a trip to face Greece on October 4.