Lennart Karl did not play in the DFB’s victory in Serbia. Jürgen Klopp explains his substitution decisions and gives the Bayern talent hope.
For Lennart Karl, the Nations League match against Serbia ended without a single minute of playing time. During the German national team’s 3-1 victory in Belgrade, the FC Bayern forward had to watch from the sidelines the entire time. National team coach Jürgen Klopp later explained on RTL why the 18-year-old didn’t get a chance to play, even in the second half.
“When you make decisions, you look at all eleven players and consider who has put in the most work on the field and who should be substituted,” Klopp said.
A substitution that had already been planned then took a different course than originally intended: “Actually, we wanted to take Derry Scherhant out and bring in Said El Mala. But Brajan Gruda had some mild cramps or something like that, so I couldn’t just send Said back and tell him to sit down again.”
So El Mala came into the game for Brajan Gruda. The Leipzig player had been given the nod over Karl on the right wing from the start and had scored the goal that made it 3–0 after halftime.
Klopp praises Karl’s training and promises more opportunities
Klopp explicitly acknowledged that the decision might have been disappointing for the Bayern youngster. “I know it’s not particularly nice when young players aren’t in the starting lineup or aren’t brought on as substitutes. But some players were decisive today, and tomorrow it will be others.”
According to the national team coach, the decision not to select Karl was not due to his attitude or his performance during the training camp. On the contrary: Klopp gave the Munich native a very positive assessment: “Lenny is a wonderful young man. He trained really, really well and is fully integrated into the team. He didn’t play today because the player who played in his position also plays very good soccer. But there will be plenty more opportunities.”
Karl had arrived at the national team on the heels of some sporting successes. For FC Bayern, he had scored in both the Champions League victory over Atlético Madrid and the subsequent Bundesliga win in Mainz. In both matches, he showcased his qualities in the center behind Harry Kane and established himself as a candidate for a bigger role in Munich’s offense.
In the DFB squad, however, he had to be patient this time. The next opportunity will come on Monday against the Netherlands.