Vitaly Janelt is starting from scratch with the German national team at age 28, facing what he openly acknowledges as his final chance to establish himself on the international stage after six seasons of steady midfield work in the Premier League with Brentford.
A Long-Awaited Call to the National Team
Speaking to reporters in a media room set up by the German Football Association (DFB) in Herzogenaurach, Janelt addressed his overdue inclusion in the squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures. Despite making 166 appearances in the English top flight—putting him among an elite group of only seven German players with more matches in the division—his international career is effectively beginning from square one.
While previous national team boss Hansi Flick visited him in Brentford to observe his progress, current manager Jürgen Klopp is the first to actually hand him a senior call-up. With major tournaments approaching where Janelt will be 30 for the next European Championship and 32 for the subsequent World Cup, time is of the essence. In the current squad for the Nations League group stage matches against Serbia in Munich and Greece in Thessaloniki, Aleksandar Pavlović is the only other central midfielder ahead of him in the positional hierarchy.
Embracing the Defensive Grind in Klopp’s System
Janelt’s rise to the national team setup has been built on consistency, physical presence, and a willingness to do unglamorous defensive work. Discussing his role on the pitch, Janelt told reporters that he is comfortable doing the hard yards, describing it simply as doing the dirty work for his teams.
That relentless work rate and tactical discipline in pressing and counter-pressing first caught the eye of Klopp during early Premier League encounters, including a memorable 3-3 draw where the midfielder scored against Liverpool as a newly promoted player. Klopp’s tactical philosophy heavily emphasizes active defense and intense pressing from the front, a style Janelt knows intimately from his weekly battles in England.
Ahead of the fixtures, Klopp outlined clear selection criteria for keeping players in his plans moving forward, focusing on past international performances, club form, and tactical suitability for the active, aggressive style he demands against top-tier opponents. Janelt noted that Brentford operates under a remarkably similar tactical blueprint, pressing high and defending aggressively regardless of the opponent.
Overcoming Past Hurdles and Missing Champions League Experience
While the tactical fit is apparent, Janelt’s path to this point has had its unique detours. Years ago during his time with Germany’s under-19 national team, he was sent home alongside a teammate after smoking a shisha in a hotel room—an incident now far behind him as he proves himself at the highest club level. Still, a notable gap on his resume remains: despite his extensive Premier League durability, he has yet to feature in the UEFA Champions League.
