INTERVIEW: Ex-Dortmund star Patrick Owomoyela on why Jürgen Klopp is "a good fit" for Germany

MÜNCHEN (Bulinews): Ex-Borussia Dortmund star Patrick Owomoyela is confident Jürgen Klopp is the right man who can restore the German national team to it’s former glory. 

“He is able to change the important things in a short matter of time, and that’s what makes him a good fit,” Owomoyela said at a media round in Munich attended by Bulinews.com.

“I wish he could have the Germany guys every day [to practice] but that’s not the case. As I said, he’s able to create an instant impact and a clear vision of what to do.

“Now more than before, his reputation helps players believe what he is saying. All of that is a good fit for a coach with less time but can make things happen.

“It’s just about finding the right people. He used a lot of players [in his first international period] and that will be the case going forward too,” the Hamburg native added.

Having played under Klopp at Dortmund for five seasons between 2008 and 2013, Owomoyela gave some fascinating insights into what the 59-year-old demands from his squad. 

“He was a coach who pushed for hard work but have fun while doing it. He always had fun it seemed, Even though he asked a lot of us, he would let us have fun as well.

“He was the loudest in the dressing rooms, so he gave you that kind of freedom. But, you had to back it up on the pitch working hard and doing what he asked.

“He could create pictures. He made it really easy to understands where he wanted you to go and what he wanted you to do. It was like a movie in your head.

“So, that kind of ability to get you motivated to do what you need to do, it’s what puts him above many others. He wanted us to play the most intense football.

“It was hunt, hunt, hunt, always hunt. If you got the ball, run fast at your opponent as hard as possible. If they [the opponent] got the ball, go hunt it [back] again.

“He would play games too, if we ran 120 kilometres [as a team] one week, next week he would say let’s do 124 [kilometres]. We believed in what he was saying.

“Even though we lost games and derbies, he would say it doesn’t matter because he felt we were going in the right direction,” he said, speaking with a undeniable passion.

Perhaps the proof is in the pudding. During his time at a once lowly BVB side, he transformed them into a deadly force which claimed two Bundesliga titles and a DFB-Pokal. 

Whether that can be replicated on the international stage is up for debate. However, in Owomoyela’s mind, Klopp possesses the necessary traits to bring dreams into reality.