Jurgen Klopp has never been one to sugarcoat things. The former Liverpool manager, now serving as a pundit for MagentaTV, watched the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa and came away thoroughly unimpressed, calling the match “tactically poor” despite Mexico’s clean 2-0 victory on June 12.
Klopp pulls no punches on both sides
The German coach, who joined MagentaTV for exclusive punditry duties starting in November 2025, did not limit his criticism to the losing side. He spread it generously across both squads.
“Tactically, that was just poor! Simply not good from both teams.”
Klopp zeroed in on the defensive positioning from Mexico and South Africa alike. His core argument: both teams created vulnerabilities through poor structure that invited counter-attacks, effectively negating whatever numerical advantages they held in different phases of play.
