Could be a good omen: Klopp matches 60-year-old unwanted record

Two games, one point, and only third place in the Nations League table: If you look only at the results, Jürgen Klopp's start as Germany head coach has been a failure.

Of course, it should also be said that pure results are only of secondary importance given the current state of German football. The fact that Klopp tried out a great deal in his first two matches against the Netherlands (0:0) and Greece (0:1) and sent out a team that was largely unfamiliar with one another—also forgiven!

Still, it is more than just unusual for a Germany head coach to go without a single win in his first two games. The last time this happened was more than 60 years ago, when Helmut Schön managed only a 1:1 draw against Sweden and Italy in 1964.

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One reason for optimism: that very same Schön went on to shape what was perhaps the best national team in the world in the years that followed. In 1972, he led Beckenbauer, Müller and co. to the European Championship title, before winning the World Cup on home soil in 1974.

Of course, we should not expect the current DFB generation to replicate that run of success. Still, the comparison between Klopp and Schön shows that good things sometimes take time...

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