Jürgen Klopp has another important personnel decision to make ahead of the Nations League match against Serbia. Since Joshua Kimmich is not part of the DFB squad for the second week of international play, as planned, the German national team needs a temporary new captain.
Klopp has so far left open the question of who will lead the team onto the field in Munich on Thursday evening. “I have no idea; I haven’t given it a second thought. I’ll get around to it, I promise. In the end, someone will wear the armband,” the national team coach explained during the announcement of his two squads.
The previous vice-captains are also unavailable. Kai Havertz wasn’t scheduled to play in the second week of international matches anyway and is also sidelined with an injury. Antonio Rüdiger ended his national team career after the World Cup. So Klopp has to find a new solution.
Gnabry and Wirtz bring a lot of DFB experience to the table
Based on international appearances, Serge Gnabry would be the most obvious candidate. The Bayern Munich player has 61 caps and thus has the most international experience on the current roster.
However, the 31-year-old is still recovering from a muscle injury. In Klopp’s first two matches, Gnabry came off the bench. If he isn’t in the starting lineup against Serbia either, the question of who will captain the team is likely off the table for him anyway.
Florian Wirtz follows with 46 international appearances. For the 23-year-old, the captain’s armband would be a special honor. Whether Klopp would like to entrust his star attacker with the captaincy in addition to his on-field responsibilities, however, remains to be seen.
Wirtz is already a major focus for the national team. Klopp himself recently pointed out the pressure of expectation the Liverpool star is under. This is another reason why the national team coach might decide not to burden his playmaker with the additional responsibility of the captaincy.
Raum and Schlotterbeck are familiar with the role of captain
Two other options already have experience as leaders at the club level. David Raum has played in 39 international matches and also wears the captain’s armband at RB Leipzig.
The 28-year-old has repeatedly emphasized that the additional responsibility suits him. “I haven’t felt any extra pressure. On the contrary: I’ve grown from it; it’s helped me,” Raum said about his role in Leipzig. A prerequisite for him, however, would also be a spot in the starting lineup.
Nico Schlotterbeck is also among the potential candidates. The Dortmund player has made 30 appearances for Germany so far and has already taken on the responsibility of captain at BVB. The center back has also recently gained prominence within the national team.
Klopp must therefore choose between several different profiles. Gnabry and Wirtz have the most international experience, while Raum and Schlotterbeck are already familiar with the role of captain from their clubs. It will be clear by the time the match against Serbia kicks off who will replace Kimmich as the DFB captain.