Jogi till I die (or Qatar 2022): Germany’s alleged Jürgen Klopp fantasy

The DFB has once again acquitted Jogi Löw of blame after the German national team embarrassed itself in a historic 6-0 beating by Spain in the UEFA Nations League. In the initial aftermath of the game, DFB president Fritz Keller criticized Germany’s players for a “lack of heart” and the presidential board followed suite soon afterward, officially voting to retain Löw without reservation.

A hefty gamble is allegedly behind the DFB’s baffling dedication to Löw. Bild claims that the DFB is doubling down on their current course with Löw, whose contract runs through the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, because they are hoping and praying they can lure Jürgen Klopp away from Liverpool to coach Germany at the World Cup 2024.

Klopp recently renewed his contract with Liverpool through 2024. Bild puts the situation this way: “The chance to write a new summer fairy tale could appeal to Klopp. At the same time, the coaching icon could fulfill a great wish that even the Liverpool bosses would certainly not prevent.”

When someone throws “certainly” in a sentence, they are often begging important questions.

In this case, it is anything but certain that Klopp would be willing to leave Liverpool early, let alone that the “Liverpool bosses” would willingly let him leave. And that is assuming that Klopp is even still coaching Liverpool in 2024 and not already under contract somewhere else. You know how they say never rule anything out in soccer? Never count on anything either.

The biggest question this absurd plan begs, however, is whether Jogi Löw will survive Euro 202(1), or even this coming spring, when Germany has its last competitive matches before the tournament.

On reflection, it seems incredibly naive that the DFB supposedly hopes that Löw can drag the corpse of 2014 through another two tournaments so that in 2024 they can get the guy they really want now — and needed already in 2018.