5 managers who can replace Joachim Low as Germany boss
In a major announcement, it has been confirmed that long-time Germany manager Joachim Low will step down from his position after this summer’s European Championship.
With Joachim Low finally departing Germany’s national side, who is likely to lead Die Mannschaft into the 2022 World Cup finals?
Low had been under plenty of pressure recently. Germany followed their disastrous World Cup 2018 campaign with an equally poor 2018-19 UEFA Nations League showing and fell to Spain 6-0 in their last match.
However, there are plenty of reasons for German fans to be hopeful – particularly with talent such as Serge Gnabry and Timo Werner still around.
With this in mind, here are five possible candidates to succeed Joachim Low as Germany manager.
#1 Jurgen Klopp
Officially at least, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has ruled himself out of the running to succeed Joachim Low as Germany manager.
However, does that mean that the former Borussia Dortmund manager can be simply looked over here? Surprisingly, the answer might be no.
It’s true that Klopp does have another three years remaining on his contract at Liverpool. But after a massively successful period at Anfield, it’s also hard to deny that the 2020-21 campaign has been the German boss’s worst one yet.
Liverpool currently sit in eighth place in the Premier League table. They’ve lost their last six home matches, have taken just three points from their last seven matches. A top-four spot is looking increasingly doubtful for the reigning champions.
Very few Reds fans have begun to question Klopp and his methods. But missing out on Champions League qualification could do untold financial damage to the club.
Would owners FSG – who have given Klopp their support – really allow this to happen without consequences?
More intriguingly, Liverpool would appear to have a ready-made replacement in line – club legend Steven Gerrard, who has just won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers.
So even though Klopp has ruled himself out, if he were fired by Liverpool at the end of 2020-21, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see him back in the running.
#2 Julian Nagelsmann
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is already one of the more in-demand managers out there.
He’s been linked to Tottenham Hotspur on numerous occasions this season and has also been mentioned as a possible future Real Madrid boss.
So could he be the man to succeed Joachim Low as Germany’s manager? It’s definitely possible and it’d probably be a smart move.
Despite being just 33 years old, Nagelsmann has already seen plenty of success in his managerial career. He led Hoffenheim to the Champions League in the 2016-17 season and then helped Leipzig to the same tournament's semi-finals in 2019-20.
Nagelsmann’s Leipzig side are renowned for their attacking verve, always keeping a quick tempo and putting massive amounts of pressure on their opponents.
His team doesn’t always rely heavily on possession, but they can transition into an attack at a frightening pace when they do get the ball.
And thus far, the style has worked well for Leipzig, who have an impressive 60.8% win rate under Nagelsmann.
Nagelsmann’s contract with Leipzig officially expires in 2023. But while he’s said he’s willing to stay at the club until that stage, if Germany came knocking, it’s unlikely that he’d be able to turn them down.