Jonathan Tah remains a regular on the German national team. Although the center back hasn’t always started for FC Bayern recently, he enjoys the full confidence of national team coach Jürgen Klopp. The 59-year-old has now made it clear that the recent rotation at the German record champions has no impact whatsoever on Tah’s standing on the DFB team.
The Munich club is currently facing a difficult personnel situation. Numerous injuries are forcing management to carefully manage the workload of the remaining key players. As a result, Tah, too, has been given regular breaks recently.
For Klopp, however, this is no reason to doubt the 30-year-old’s qualities. When announcing his new DFB squad, the national team coach made it clear that the Bayern defender remains a key part of his plans.
Klopp makes it clear: Tah is practically a sure thing
“Jona is one of those players you simply have to have on the roster—he’s practically a sure thing,” Klopp explained.
In doing so, the national team coach made it clear just how important the center back is to his plans.
Klopp does not view the fact that Tah has not played in every match for FC Bayern recently as a negative at all. Rather, he expressly praised how Munich has handled its tight personnel situation. “Bayern is rotating its lineup during this incredibly difficult phase, especially because of the injuries,” explained the former Liverpool coach.
In his view, it’s important not to overburden the remaining healthy players. “You don’t want to send the same players out for every single game, because otherwise they’ll be the next ones to get injured,” Klopp emphasized.
The German national team coach was therefore impressed by how Bayern is currently guiding its team through this difficult phase. “Bayern has handled this incredibly cleverly,” praised the 59-year-old.
“Jonathan is an absolute top center back”
Klopp cited the recent Champions League victory over Atlético Madrid as an example.
In the 2-0 away win, the Munich team delivered a convincing team performance despite numerous absences and controlled the Spanish side for long stretches of the game. “They put on an outstanding performance in Madrid—I have to say that,” Klopp enthused.
The German national team coach was particularly impressed by the fact that Bayern remained a dangerous offensive threat even with a defensively oriented lineup. “You don’t just go to Atlético and win there like that. They did an outstanding job,” he emphasized.
Tom Bischof also received special praise for his performance in Madrid. The young midfielder played a fantastic game.
However, the focus of Klopp’s comments was on the importance of Jonathan Tah. “Jonathan is an absolute top center back,” the national team coach made unmistakably clear.
The fact that the Bayern player was occasionally rested as part of load management never called his nomination into question. “Even though he sometimes got a break due to rotation, we never considered leaving him at home,” Klopp explained.
For Tah, these statements are a clear show of support. The center back has to regularly prove himself at FC Bayern given the strong competition in the defense.
With Dayot Upamecano, he also has a defensive partner at his side who is currently in outstanding form.
For Klopp, however, the division of roles on the national team is clear: regardless of his individual playing time at FC Bayern, Tah is one of the most important defensive players in the DFB squad.
The national team coach therefore does not view Munich’s recent rotation moves as a warning sign, but rather as a sensible decision during an exceptionally difficult phase.