Klose details youth development as Nuremberg climb to second

Miroslav Klose has described the work behind Nuremberg's development of young players as his team sit second in Germany's 2. Bundesliga. In an interview published by BBC Sport on Tuesday, the former Germany striker explained how closer cooperation with the club's youth coaches has helped bring emerging players into the first team.

Nuremberg are behind Hertha BSC in the standings and share the division's highest goals tally, according to the BBC report. Klose took charge in 2024 and led the club to finishes of 10th and eighth in his first two seasons. They are now seeking a return to the Bundesliga, where they last played in 2019.

The team's progress has come with the youngest average age in the division: 23.3 years, using Transfermarkt figures cited by BBC Sport. Seven of Nuremberg's 11 players with the most minutes this season are aged 22 or younger. That group includes leading scorer Mohamed Ali Zoma, who has already represented Italy, while 17-year-old midfielder Marc Kornwachs is another young player highlighted in the interview.

Klose said discussions with academy coaches began when he arrived, covering the club's identity, training approach and areas where his staff wanted to make changes. He described a willingness on both sides to work together, with first-team opportunities following when young players demonstrated they could compete at the required level. He also stressed the need to retain experienced players alongside that developing talent.

For Kornwachs, Klose identified consistency and establishing himself in the team as priorities, rather than treating early praise as the end of his development. More broadly, he said assessing young players involves understanding both their footballing ability and their physical readiness. Klose pointed to Harry Kane as an example for his players, emphasising the importance of continued work and learning rather than assuming improvement will happen automatically.

The 48-year-old previously coached Bayern Munich's under-17 side and worked as Hansi Flick's assistant before taking his first senior managerial position at Austria's Rheindorf Altach. At Nuremberg, he described an approach built around possession, adaptability and detailed attacking practice. His emphasis on developing players' understanding of one another accompanies a league campaign in which the club's young squad has moved into second place.