Shortly before Jürgen Klopp’s first squad announcement, Toni Kroos is causing a stir with an unusual dig at three German national team players. In a joint podcast with his brother Felix, the 2014 World Cup champion took aim at, among others, the two Bayern stars Jamal Musiala and Aleksandar Pavlovic.
It all started with a challenge from Felix Kroos. Toni was asked to name three players whom Klopp might select for the upcoming international matches but who hadn’t been part of the German squad at the last World Cup.
Kroos then gave a surprising answer: “I wrote down three players who weren’t at the World Cup: Pavlovic, Wirtz, and Musiala,” the 36-year-old explained with a laugh.
Of course, all three players were part of the German World Cup squad. With his remark, Kroos was rather alluding to the fact that, in his view, the trio had apparently gone largely unnoticed during the tournament.
Kroos Takes a Jibe at DFB Stars
Even Felix Kroos didn’t get the dig at first. “Huh? What? Which World Cup weren’t they at?” he asked, confused, before the penny dropped: “Because they were inconspicuous, or what?”
For Musiala, Wirtz, and Pavlovic in particular, the tournament didn’t go as many had hoped it would. All three had gone into the World Cup with high expectations.
Wirtz did manage three assists, at least. Musiala and Pavlovic, on the other hand, were barely able to make an impact for the rest of the tournament after decent performances in the opener against Curaçao. In that sense, they mirrored the German team’s overall disappointing performance.
This is unlikely to change their fundamental importance to the future of the national team. Under Klopp, all three could continue to play an important role. On Thursday, the new national team coach will announce his roster for the first time.
Kroos calls for Karl and Bischof to join the DFB
Kroos didn’t stop at that subtle dig, however. The former Real Madrid star also named players he would actually like to see join the national team for the first time or return to the squad more regularly.
He has his sights set in particular on two young players from FC Bayern: Tom Bischof and Lennart Karl. Kroos would also like to see Saïd El Mala from 1. FC Köln on the roster.
As for Bischof, his wish might already come true. According to information from Sky reporter Florian Plettenberg, Klopp plans to call up the 21-year-old Bayern pro to his first squad.
It remains to be seen whether Karl will also get an immediate chance. The 18-year-old has recently been making a name for himself at FC Bayern and is considered one of Germany’s greatest offensive talents.
We’ll know for sure on Thursday, when Klopp announces his first roster for the Nations League matches against the Netherlands, Greece, and Serbia. In addition to the question of potential newcomers, it will also be interesting to see what roles Musiala, Pavlovic, and Wirtz will play under the new national team coach.