Jürgen Klopp has his first victory as Germany head coach. After changing every player in the starting XI that lost to Greece, Germany responded with a commanding 2–0 Nations League victory over Serbia as Tom Bischof scored his first international goal and Florian Wirtz delivered the performance Klopp desperately needed.
Category: UEFA Nations League
By Abiodun Adewale Adeniyi | Founder & Editor, Beyond the Final Whistle
October 1, 2026
Three matches.
Three very different Germany performances.
And finally, Jürgen Klopp has his first victory.
Germany defeated Serbia 2–0 on Thursday night to give their new manager the breakthrough he had been waiting for following a difficult beginning to his international coaching career.
The result itself matters. But the manner in which Klopp achieved it may be even more significant.
After watching Germany draw 1–1 with the Netherlands and then suffer a shock 1–0 home defeat against Greece, Klopp responded dramatically.
He changed his entire starting XI.
Debuts were handed to goalkeeper Jonas Urbig and winger Derry Scherhant. Tom Bischof was given an opportunity in midfield. Florian Wirtz returned to the starting lineup.
And Germany looked rejuvenated.
For a manager trying to discover which players can translate his demanding football into the international game, this felt like considerably more than three Nations League points.
It felt like the first real step forward.
Klopp Tore Up the Greece Team — And Germany Responded
The contrast with Germany's previous match could hardly have been greater.
Only days earlier, Greece had stunned Klopp's side 1–0 in Augsburg, leaving the former Liverpool manager without a victory after his opening two games.
Beyond the Final Whistle examined the problems exposed that night in our previous report
on Klopp's tactical problems. Klopp's response against Serbia was emphatic.
Rather than making two or three adjustments, he selected an entirely different starting XI from the team that began against Greece. Reuters reported that Urbig and Scherhant were among the players handed their senior Germany debuts.
It was a gamble.
It was also a statement.
Reputation would not guarantee anybody a place in Klopp's Germany.
Performance would.
Klopp finally has his first Germany victory
Klopp's philosophy has always depended on commitment to the collective.
At Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, players who could not meet the physical and tactical requirements of his system rarely survived on reputation alone.
International football presents a different challenge because Klopp doesn't have months of daily training to teach those principles.
That makes selection particularly important.
And against Serbia, his new-look team delivered.
Tom Bischof Scores His First Germany Goal
Germany attacked Serbia repeatedly during the opening half but initially struggled to turn their superiority into goals.
Then came the breakthrough.
In the 39th minute, Wirtz found Bischof, who scored his first senior international goal in only his second Germany appearance.
For Bischof, it was a landmark moment.
For Klopp, it was validation of one of the changes he had made.
Germany's new manager isn't simply trying to win Nations League matches. His early selections suggest he is also assessing which members of Germany's next generation are capable of becoming part of a longer-term rebuild.
That process had already been evident before his first game.
When BTFW previewed Klopp's opening encounter against Xavi Hernández's Netherlands, we noted that Germany had included numerous inexperienced players and that Klopp appeared prepared to use this international window as a genuine rebuilding exercise.
You can read that earlier analysis here:
https://www.beyondthefinalwhistle.com/netherlands-germany-klopp-xavi-nations-league
Bischof's goal provided the clearest reward yet for that approach.
Florian Wirtz Produces the Performance Klopp Needed
If Bischof provided the breakthrough, Florian Wirtz provided the authority.
The Liverpool midfielder was heavily involved in Germany's attacking play and eventually scored the goal that effectively killed Serbia's hopes.
Shortly after the hour mark, Wirtz found space around the edge of the penalty area and finished neatly to make it 2–0. Reuters described Germany as deserving winners after attacking Serbia's goal in waves.
Wirtz's overall contribution went considerably beyond the goal.
The Times reported that he struck the post, played a role in the move leading to Bischof's opener and eventually wore the captain's armband during the second half.
Florian Wirtz was at the heart of Germany's best attacking moments
That performance was particularly timely.
Wirtz has been under scrutiny at Liverpool, but his qualities appear naturally suited to the type of football Klopp wants Germany to play.
He can receive between the lines.
He can carry the ball through pressure.
He sees passes quickly.
And, crucially for a Klopp team, he can accelerate an attack immediately after possession changes.
This is where Germany may have found something worth developing.
Are We Beginning to See Klopp's Germany?
One victory doesn't mean Germany's problems have disappeared.
But Serbia offered some of the first meaningful evidence of what Klopp wants his national team to become.
Intensity.
Forward movement.
Aggression after turnovers.
Players attacking space rather than simply circulating possession.
These are principles that defined Klopp's most successful club teams.
BTFW previously examined the pressing philosophy that made Klopp's Liverpool so difficult to play against:
https://beyondthefinalwhistle.com/liverpool-pressing-tactics/
The challenge has always been whether that philosophy can be transferred to international football.
Club managers work with their players almost every day.
International managers may have only a handful of training sessions before competitive matches.
Complex pressing structures require coordination. If one player presses while another drops, opponents can escape through the space created between them.
That is why Klopp cannot simply recreate his Liverpool system with Germany.
He has to adapt it.
Against Serbia, there were encouraging signs that the adaptation is beginning.
Three Games Tell the Story of Klopp's Start
Germany's first three matches under Klopp now form an interesting progression.
The opening game against the Netherlands ended 1–1 after Cody Gakpo scored a stoppage-time equaliser, denying Klopp victory on his debut.
Then came Greece.
Germany dominated periods of the match but failed to score and were punished in a 1–0 home defeat.
That result immediately increased the pressure surrounding Klopp's early tenure.
Then came Serbia.
New lineup.
New players.
New energy.
And finally, a victory.
That doesn't mean Klopp has discovered his strongest Germany XI.
In fact, his decision to replace the entire starting lineup suggests almost the opposite.
He is still experimenting.
But experimentation is much easier when accompanied by results.
Germany Still Have Work to Do
The Nations League group remains competitive.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Greece surrendered a two-goal advantage as the Netherlands recovered to draw 2–2, with Virgil van Dijk and Tijjani Reijnders scoring for the Dutch.
Germany therefore still have plenty to play for.
Their next match brings another meeting with Greece — the same opponent responsible for Klopp's first defeat.
That makes the rematch particularly interesting.
The first game exposed Germany's difficulties turning possession and pressure into goals.
The Serbia performance provided a possible response.
Now Klopp must demonstrate that the improvement can be repeated.
Wirtz Could Become Central to Klopp's Rebuild
Perhaps the biggest individual conclusion from Thursday night concerns Wirtz.
Klopp knows him well from Liverpool.
He understands what the midfielder can provide technically.
And he understands how devastating Wirtz can become when surrounded by runners.
Germany have plenty of talented players, but successful international teams usually require someone capable of controlling the spaces between midfield and attack.
Wirtz has the ability to become that player.
His performance against Serbia doesn't settle the question.
But it strengthens the argument.
If Klopp can build a system that allows Wirtz to receive possession higher up the pitch while Germany's forwards stretch opposition defences, the 23-year-old could become one of the central figures of this new era.
Klopp Finally Has Something to Build On
The celebrations shouldn't be exaggerated.
Germany beat Serbia in a Nations League group match.
There will be much bigger tests ahead.
But context matters.
Klopp had returned to coaching amid enormous expectations.
His first match ended with a stoppage-time disappointment.
His second ended in defeat.
A third game without victory would inevitably have intensified questions about whether his famous club methods could work at international level.
Instead, Germany produced their most convincing performance of his tenure.
Bischof announced himself.
Wirtz delivered.
Klopp's radical selection changes worked.
And Germany finally won.
The finished version of Klopp's national team remains some distance away.
But for the first time since he took the job, Germany have something tangible to build upon.
Beyond the Final Whistle, Germany's 2–0 victory over Serbia won't define Jürgen Klopp's reign, but it may represent the first genuine turning point. Changing the entire starting XI after the Greece defeat was a major gamble, and Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz rewarded that decision. The next challenge is proving that this wasn't simply one good night — but the beginning of a recognisable Klopp identity with Germany.
Has Jürgen Klopp finally found the foundations of his Germany team, or does he still need major changes before they can challenge Europe's best? Join the conversation on Beyond the Final Whistle.
