Miroslav Klose, Germany's all-time leading goalscorer, is now making his mark as a coach. His FC Nuremberg side currently sits second in the 2. Bundesliga, and Klose is using his vast experience to nurture the next generation of talent.

A Striker's Instinct

Klose knows a thing or two about finding the net. With 16 goals across four World Cups, he held the record for the most goals in men's World Cup history until this summer. Even now, only Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi have surpassed his tally. But despite his prolific career, Klose insists that almost all of his goals came from inside the penalty area.

"Thankfully, we've moved away a little from the idea of the false nine or having a second striker playing around the main striker, with everyone coming towards the ball," Klose explains. "For me, the most important thing is that you need someone who is there to score goals. You need someone in the box because that's where you're closest to the goal."

That philosophy is at the heart of his coaching. He emphasizes the importance of practising the final ball, whether it's a cross, a shot, or a pass. "When you develop automatisms and players get to know each other better, that's when you see harmony on the pitch," he adds. "It can make things look effortless, but it involves a huge amount of work."

From Player to Coach

Klose's attention to detail stems from his playing days, when he would study opponents' movements and analyse goalkeepers' positioning. "When goals are scored, the whole team deserves credit," he says. "But you still need someone who has that ability in their feet or in their head to put the ball in the net."

Klose's own journey to the top was not straightforward. Born in communist Poland, he moved to West Germany at age eight. He played in the lower leagues while training as a carpenter before joining Kaiserslautern. He was in his early 20s when he established himself in top-flight football, and just two years after his Bundesliga debut, he was starting a World Cup final.

That experience of overcoming near-misses and working hard may offer solace to Harry Kane and England, suggesting that a major tournament triumph remains possible. Klose admires Kane's evolution and uses him as an example to his young players. "You could always see his quality, and he's worked incredibly hard to get where he is," Klose says. "He's also a great role model for me, particularly because he has stayed in Germany. I often tell my players that they should look at someone like him as an example."

Building Young Talent

Klose has a knack for working with young talent, having previously coached Bayern Munich's under-17s. His Nuremberg side is the youngest in the 2. Bundesliga, with an average age of 23.3 years. "You need that balance and a certain core of experienced players," he explains. "But we're very brave in that respect. Over the three years I've been here, we've made progress in how we assess young players and in the conversations we have about them."

Among the 11 players with the most minutes for Nuremberg this season, seven are 22 or under, including top scorer Mohamed Ali Zoma, who has already been capped by Italy. "These players are so talented that we have absolutely no hesitation in giving them opportunities, regardless of the scoreline," Klose says.

Klose's coaching journey began with the national team before he joined Bayern, briefly becoming Hansi Flick's assistant, and then took his first managerial role at Rheindorf Altach in Austria. He joined Nuremberg in 2024 and steered them to 10th and eighth-placed finishes. This season, they sit second, behind Hertha BSC, and are the league's joint-top scorers, with eyes on a return to the Bundesliga for the first time since 2019.

"When I first arrived, I spoke to the youth coaches about the club's DNA and its coaching philosophy, and what they focus on," Klose recalls. "There was already a lot of common ground. We suggested trying certain things because we wanted to do a little more in particular areas, and they were open to that. That's important. We benefit from this because our young players are getting opportunities in the first team, and everyone is paying attention to their development."

Klose is comfortable with his progress as a manager, mirroring the humble nature that earned him fair play awards in Germany and Italy. "I'm very comfortable with the steps I've taken, even though it involves a huge amount of work," he says. "You learn something every day. I've said that I'm already a much better manager than I was three years ago. That's perfectly normal, and you have to embrace it."

So what does a Miroslav Klose team look like? "Personally, as a player, I always liked having the ball for long periods, and that hasn't changed," he explains. "When you have the ball, you have a certain level of dominance. I know you also have to be very adaptable in terms of possession, and that's something we are. We constantly show the players different ways of playing out of situations. It's great to see how they develop and to be able to support individual players along the way. That's exactly the approach I like to take as a manager."