Klopp trusts Adeyemi despite missing shot against Netherlands

Jürgen Klopp has long since forgiven Karim Adeyemi's colossal miss against the Netherlands and continues to rely on the lightning-fast attacker from FC Barcelona. “The Karim that I see here, that I get to know here, is a wonderful guy,” said the national coach before the national soccer team’s second game in the Nations League against Greece this evening (8:45 p.m./ARD) in Augsburg.

In Amsterdam on Thursday evening, the 24-year-old missed a great chance to make it 2-0 for the DFB team during a counterattack when he shot the ball unchallenged over the empty goal. For Klopp, that was a mishap that could happen, especially at high speed and an imperfect assist.

Klopp sees a challenge

It is now important that Adeyemi continues to believe in himself. “Now dealing with it is the big challenge in football life. And then we’ll work to ensure that he stays in the game,” said Klopp.

Adeyemi hit his forehead several times after the opportunity in the first half. He probably couldn't believe his mishap himself. Klopp was more lenient. «Karim is still a young guy who still has to develop, but is also allowed to. And here we are. And I really like the package he offers,” said the national coach.

Adeyemi moved from Borussia Dortmund to FC Barcelona in the summer. Under Hansi Flick as club coach, the winger is blossoming again in terms of sport. As national coach, Flick made him a national player a good five years ago. In 2022, Adeyemi was part of the World Cup squad, but was not used in Qatar.

He played his last international match before playing for Holland in October 2025 in the World Cup qualifier in Belfast against Northern Ireland. He was then no longer used by Klopp's predecessor Julian Nagelsmann and was not nominated for this summer's World Cup.

With his provocatively casual manner and his often extravagant outfit, Adeyemi offers a certain projection surface - on and off the pitch. In this he is somewhat similar to Leroy Sané, whose place he has now taken on the right wing in the DFB team - including jersey number 19.

Klopp wants Adeyemi's teammates to better showcase his strengths in speed and dribbling. “Karim offers a lot that I would really like to incorporate into our game,” said the national coach.

Of course, Adeyemi could have played much better in the 1-1 draw against Oranje, said the new DFB head coach. “Of course, but he could have played a lot worse. So it's completely fine for a first game under me, let's move on," said Klopp.