Jürgen Klopp settles for draw in Germany debut as Netherlands equalize late

It looked, until the final moments, as though Germany would somehow hold on and grant Jürgen Klopp a victory in his first game as Germany coach.

"It felt mostly good," Klopp told German broadcaster RTL after the match, with his voice strained after a typically energetic display on the sidelines. "That was really exhausting for both teams today." He added that he naturally wanted a win but that he can "live with the point, too."

In the end, an injury time Cody Gakpo goal meant Klopp and his team had to settle for a 1-1 draw in their Nations League opener against the Netherlands. While the timing of the equalizer will sting, Germany was second best for much of the contest, which turned a ill-tempered at times. Nevertheless, Klopp was upbeat.

"I was very, very, very satisfied with many of the individual performances," he said, before admitting that "we can play better football and create more chances — that's for sure."

Gakpo plays his club football for Liverpool, where Klopp coached for more than eight years. So too does Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk, who thought he'd opened the scoring for the hosts early on, only to see his headed goal ruled out. A close-range finish from Lukas Nmecha then gave Germany the lead but not control of the game.

New faces, new coach, not yet new Germany

While there were a few patches of attacking play that resembled the kind of high-intensity, exhilarating football that Klopp produced at Liverpool and, before that, at Borussia Dortmund, Germany, looked shaky at the back and were thankful for some wasteful Dutch finishing.

It is, though, difficult to judge much at this early stage. Klopp replaced Julian Nagelsmann after another poor World Cup showing from Germany and, after naming two different squads for the four Nations Leagues games in an extended international period, is still assessing how to make the most of what he has. Three players — Younes Ebnoutalib, Yannik Engelhardt and Philipp Treu — made debuts on Thursday, and more are likely follow over the next three games.

"I won't promise anything [in terms of trophies]. What I can promise is that we will definitely give it a try," he told reporters ahead of the game. "There's an impression that we have less quality than other countries. When things aren't working, you take a closer look and try to bring about changes. That's what we're working on now."

After Germany lost Kai Havertz to injury in the first half, having already had to change to starting XI after Jamal Musiala pulled out of the match in the warmup, the team was left without much of their attacking experience and class.

Klopp's record should buy him time

But Klopp won't panic. His methods, both tactically and emotionally, will take time to bear fruit. At Liverpool, it took nearly five years to win a trophy; at Dortmund, it took three.

"When the system isn't yet in place and the processes aren't yet established, then something like this happens," he said about Wednesday's performance. "I was very pleased with the passion, the intensity, but we can definitely play better."

Usually, waiting for success would not be acceptable for German national team fans. But after repeated recent failures, and with Klopp a popular figure, he has more credit in that bank than his predecessor, Julian Nagelsmann. The last coach to win a World Cup for Germany, Joachim Löw, said he will need it.

"It is crucial now to give him the necessary time and space to implement his ideas," he told the 'Münchner Merkur/tz' newspaper. "Jürgen stands for energy, intensity and a strong bond between the team and the fans. But even for him, not everything will work from one day to the next. After a disappointing World Cup, it takes trust, patience and a team that once again plays for Germany with great conviction."

Klopp calls for German unity, seeks Greece win

Klopp has already tried to unite the country behind the team. On the touchline in Amsterdam, he ran through his familiar repertoire of fist bumps, beaming smiles and growls at officials in a cap emblazoned with the words "one of 83 million" on it.

The headgear has already become a familiar sight. It's a reference to Germany's population and the 59-year-old has also referenced the importance of his team, and their flag, as a symbol of nationhood at a time when the far-right AfD (Alternative for Germany) are making substantial electoral gains.

"I'd like to reclaim the flag for myself — or for us," Klopp said. "I want us to always wave it in a way that makes no one think: 'What's wrong with you?' But, rather, that people simply get the feeling that you're happy and understand how lucky you are to have been born, raised or moved to this wonderful country."

While Klopp's charisma makes such a lofty ambition seem somewhat feasible, he's also pragmatic enough to know that for the German national team to be universally loved, it needs to win. Augsburg on Saturday, against Greece in the Nations League, would be a good place to start.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar