27/07/2026

SPORTS MONDAY | JULY 27, 2026

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Klopp’s Germany mission begins Liverpool legend tasked with reviving fallen giants after World Cup disappointment

J URGEN KLOPP was once hailed as Liverpool’s footballing messiah. Now, the 59-year-old has been handed the challenge of restoring Germany’s pride after taking charge of a national team searching for answers. Klopp has signed a four-year contract to lead Germany through Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup, with his first match in charge scheduled against the

The former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool manager arrives with an impressive record. He won two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund before guiding Liverpool to Premier League and Champions League glory, building teams renowned for their intensity, unity and fighting spirit. Those qualities are exactly what German football officials hope he can bring to the national team. German Football Association (DFB) presi dent Bernd Neuendorf described Klopp as the organisation’s first choice after Nagelsmann’s departure. “He embodies passion, credibility and the ability to inspire people,” Neuendorf said. “After Julian Nagelsmann’s resignation, he was our unequivocal choice for the position of national team coach. That’s why we pursued him relentlessly.” Klopp will build his coaching team around former Liverpool assistants Pep Lijnders and Peter Krawietz as Germany attempt to replicate the success the trio enjoyed at Anfield. Support for Klopp’s appointment has been strong, with a recent poll by German football magazine Kicker showing 80% of readers believe he is the right man for the job. However, expectations are enormous and some believe Germany’s problems run deeper than simply changing coaches. The national team has suffered early exits at recent major tournaments, while concerns have grown over youth development, talent production and the connection between the players and supporters. Klopp’s biggest challenge will be restor ing belief and a sense of identity. His career has been built on creating teams with strong personalities and a collec tive spirit, qualities that helped him enough elite young talent, with concerns growing over youth development systems and the pathway from academy football to the sen ior national team. The Azzurri ’s failure to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was followed by another setback after they were eliminated from con tention for the 2026 tournament, prompting calls for sweeping changes. Pirlo’s appointment comes after Manchester City great Pep Guardiola rejected the opportunity to take charge of Italy. Italian Football Federation president Giovanni Malago had confirmed talks with Guardiola were taking place, but Sky Italy reported that the Spaniard informed officials he would not accept the role because of “per sonal reasons that go beyond football”. Guardiola had previously suggested he was unlikely to immediately return to club or inter national management after leaving Manchester City, saying he lacked the “energy” for another challenge – a sentiment similar to Jurgen Klopp’s explanation when he left Liverpool. Italy had been prepared to make financial exceptions to secure Guardiola, but the federa tion has now turned to a familiar figure in Pirlo, hoping his experience, football intelligence and understanding of the Italian game can help revive the national team. – The Independent/Agencies become a cult hero at every club he managed. Former Germany and Bayern Munich midfielder Stefan Effenberg believes Klopp can inject fresh opti

mism into the national team. “He can bring a new spirit of optimism,” Effenberg said. Borussia Dortmund chief executive Carsten Cramer also believes Klopp represents more than just a football appointment. “He embodies many of the things that our football and our country are missing right now,” Cramer said. For Klopp, the Germany job is the ultimate test. Success will not only be measured by trophies but by whether he can restore confidence in a football nation that has lost its way. The question now is whether Klopp can deliver another miracle – or whether Germany’s problems require a solution far beyond one man. – Agencies

Netherlands on Sept 24. His appointment comes after Germany suffered another major setback at the World Cup, exiting in the last-32 stage following a shock penalty shootout defeat by Paraguay. The result prompted Julian Nagelsmann’s res ignation and plunged German football into another period of uncertainty. Klopp, who was working as a television pundit during the tournament, now faces the task of rebuilding a team that has struggled to rediscover the winning mentality that once made Germany one of the world’s most feared football nations. “The national team can unite us Germans like almost nothing else. That’s precisely what makes this task so special for me,” Klopp said after being unveiled as the new h e a d coach.

6162/2026

26/07/2026 (SUN)

7338 9053 6235

Draw Date: 26/07/26 (Sun)

Draw No: 6109/26

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7338 9053 6235 GOAT

RM210,686.30

Newly appointed Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp. – REUTERSPIC

RM428,333.30

777 645+

OX

6 7 0 2 5 7 0 2 5 0 2 5 2 5

RM1,575,833.30

RAT 845 491+

Azzurri to appoint Pirlo

8 7 3 6 4 2 4 5 7 4

RM1,743,339.00

BOAR 535 534+

ITALY are set to appoint former World Cup winning midfielder Andrea Pirlo as their new national team coach, according to reports in the country, with the Azzurri turning to one of their greatest-ever players to lead a major rebuild. Pirlo, a key figure in Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph, is expected to sign a four-year con tract that will take him through to the 2030 World Cup, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported. The 47-year-old replaces Gennaro Gattuso, who resigned in April after Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, deepening a crisis that has gripped one of football’s tradi tional powerhouses. The appointment represents a return to the international stage for Pirlo, who enjoyed a glit tering playing career with Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus before moving into coaching. After retiring as a player, Pirlo took charge of Juventus, where he won the Italian Cup and Italian Super Cup in his first season, before later managing Sampdoria and Turkish club Fatih Karagumruk. He is currently coaching Dubai United. Italian football officials hope Pirlo can help restore the national team’s identity and address deeper structural problems that have contrib uted to the country’s decline on the global stage. Despite football remaining a national obsession, Italy has struggled to produce

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1,230,484.06

100,000.00

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