Could Thomas Tuchel or Jürgen Klopp take over the German men’s national team?

Are we really doing this? Former Bayern Munich man Hansi Flick is an elite coach, but off the heels of Germany’s unfortunate exit at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, speculation about a possible successor is already beginning.

First, there’s no indication that Flick will be fired by the German national footballing association, the DFB. And there’s also no indication that he will step away — least of all in the raw days after such a fresh disappointment. If anything, things are trending the opposite direction:

Finally, there’s no denying that while Germany could have done better — the same could be said of nearly every other team at the tournament — they also put in the kind of performance that usually puts them through. It’s just that Japan were giant-slayers twice and Spain had an opening-day smashing of an out-of-tune Costa Rica team to cushion them ahead on tiebreaks.

But the usual names are being discussed. If Bayern Munich’s sextuple-winning magic man wasn’t it, maybe it’s time for one of the other top German coaches? First up, Liverpool FC’s Jürgen Klopp, whose team is flagging in the English Premier League after a long spell of success:

Next, there’s recently-fired Chelsea FC coach Thomas Tuchel:

Via @iMiaSanMia, Bild is also reporting that Tuchel’s strained relationship with Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke would be an impediment to any future collaboration. Watzke is reportedly set to become “more involved” in the national team going forward, per that report.

BFW quick take:

Aside of the fact that neither man seems interested for a job for which there is no opening, what might they bring differently to the national team? Tuchel’s Chelsea collapse is still fresh in the mind, while Klopp’s struggles with an under-resourced Liverpool this year might be a spot of concern as well.

For my part, it’s In Flick We Trust — all the way. The time to learn and get better starts now and there’s nobody better suited.

And in case you haven’t listened to it yet, here’s a special edition postgame + weekend warm up podcast to get you ready for the weekend! We look at Germany’s shortcomings, Hansi Flick’s approach, Japan’s wonderful run...and close out with some classical music talk! Listen below or on Spotify.

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