Van Dijk admits he disliked Klopp's hotel rule now being revived with Germany

Virgil van Dijk has admitted he was never a fan of Jurgen Klopp’s rule requiring players to stay together in a team hotel before matches — a policy the former Liverpool manager has now revived with the Germany national team after taking charge in 2025.

Klopp, 59, left Anfield in the summer of 2024 and spent 18 months as global head of football for Red Bull before being appointed Germany head coach. He has wasted little time reshaping the squad’s culture, introducing four new rules designed to restore Die Mannschaft’s standing after a difficult run at major tournaments.

Among the changes, Germany players are required to arrive for dinner together at the team hotel each evening — typically at 7pm or 8pm. Klopp has also barred families from accompanying the squad throughout major tournaments, limiting visits to occasional appearances. Two further bans have been reported: players will no longer be permitted to use mobile phones on matchdays, and haircuts are prohibited while at the team hotel.

The communal hotel policy is one Van Dijk was openly glad to see the back of at Liverpool. When Klopp’s successor Arne Slot scrapped the pre-match hotel stay in late 2024 — allowing players at Anfield to sleep at home before home fixtures — the Netherlands captain made his preference clear.

“It’s everyone’s own preference, but it’s the rules now,” Van Dijk said at the time. “Personally, I like to sleep in my own bed and be with my family, and so it works out quite well. But what we did in the past worked out quite well, too, as we’ve been very successful in terms of winning.”

The comments underline the balancing act Klopp faces in translating the methods that brought him six major trophies at Liverpool — including the Premier League and Champions League — to an international environment where player buy-in cannot be built over years of daily contact.

Klopp begins his Germany tenure with four UEFA Nations League fixtures over the next three weeks. Die Mannschaft open with an away trip to face the Netherlands on Thursday, followed by a home game against Serbia and a double-header against Greece.