A clever pass from the left wing into the middle. Number 18 controls the ball with his left foot on the edge of the box and strikes with his right. The ball flies into the bottom right hand corner and the Germany U21 side are 1-0 up against England. It was the winning goal, and Nadiem Amiri’s firsts for the U21s under coach Stefan Kuntz.
Amiri has had a successful season in the Bundesliga this year, finishing in fourth place with TSG Hoffenheim and securing a Champions League qualification spot. The 20-year old made 33 appearances this season for TSG Hoffenheim, starting 20 times for the club. “I am very happy with how the season went,” summed up Amiri. “You have to remember that we were fighting against relegation just over a year ago and now we have secured a place in Europe.”
Amiri: “Playing at the Euros will be an absolute highlight”
Amiri made a big impact in the TSG Hoffenheim midfield this season with two goals, four assists and many impressive performances. He wants to continue this momentum going into the U21 European Championships with Germany. “We will be playing against some of the best teams with the best young talent at the European Championships. Playing at the tournament will be an absolute highlight. You always want to play at the very top level as a footballer.”
Kuntz has been working his team hard at the training camp in Graussau ahead of the upcoming first round matches against Czech Republic, Denmark and Italy. The team have been working hard on tactics to prepare for the tournament since last Thursday. The team are completing recovery exercises now after two intense days of training.
Speaking to players individually
“Most players went on a short holiday immediately after the end of the season. We were working on getting back to full fitness ahead of the European Championships,” said Amiri. He is not only referring to physical fitness, but also mental. “We have to be fully focused. Sometimes that can be a deciding factor in games,” added the right-footer.
For this season, Kuntz has been speaking to the players individually to go through certain tactics and explain their role in the team to them. “Everyone here has a real desire to win. We hate losing, whether it be in a training match or even playing table tennis at the hotel,” added Amiri.
Amiri: “We have some incredible individual players”
In addition to mental strength, there is another important factor that the players should keep in mind. “We have to ensure that the fun of the game is not lost. We are all professional footballers and we know how focused we must be on the pitch to deliver our best performances. We still have a lot of fun though. We are also a group of friends.”
Quality is also an important factor. “We have some incredible individual players,” said Amiri who played for SV Waldhof Mannheim as a youth player. “We have a lot of quality going forward and we can definitely score more goals than our opponents. We have to deliver our best performances at the upcoming tournament.”
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A clever pass from the left wing into the middle. Number 18 controls the ball with his left foot on the edge of the box and strikes with his right. The ball flies into the bottom right hand corner and the Germany U21 side are 1-0 up against England. It was the winning goal, and Nadiem Amiri’s firsts for the U21s under coach Stefan Kuntz.
Amiri has had a successful season in the Bundesliga this year, finishing in fourth place with TSG Hoffenheim and securing a Champions League qualification spot. The 20-year old made 33 appearances this season for TSG Hoffenheim, starting 20 times for the club. “I am very happy with how the season went,” summed up Amiri. “You have to remember that we were fighting against relegation just over a year ago and now we have secured a place in Europe.”
Amiri: “Playing at the Euros will be an absolute highlight”
Amiri made a big impact in the TSG Hoffenheim midfield this season with two goals, four assists and many impressive performances. He wants to continue this momentum going into the U21 European Championships with Germany. “We will be playing against some of the best teams with the best young talent at the European Championships. Playing at the tournament will be an absolute highlight. You always want to play at the very top level as a footballer.”
Kuntz has been working his team hard at the training camp in Graussau ahead of the upcoming first round matches against Czech Republic, Denmark and Italy. The team have been working hard on tactics to prepare for the tournament since last Thursday. The team are completing recovery exercises now after two intense days of training.
Speaking to players individually
“Most players went on a short holiday immediately after the end of the season. We were working on getting back to full fitness ahead of the European Championships,” said Amiri. He is not only referring to physical fitness, but also mental. “We have to be fully focused. Sometimes that can be a deciding factor in games,” added the right-footer.
For this season, Kuntz has been speaking to the players individually to go through certain tactics and explain their role in the team to them. “Everyone here has a real desire to win. We hate losing, whether it be in a training match or even playing table tennis at the hotel,” added Amiri.
Amiri: “We have some incredible individual players”
In addition to mental strength, there is another important factor that the players should keep in mind. “We have to ensure that the fun of the game is not lost. We are all professional footballers and we know how focused we must be on the pitch to deliver our best performances. We still have a lot of fun though. We are also a group of friends.”
Quality is also an important factor. “We have some incredible individual players,” said Amiri who played for SV Waldhof Mannheim as a youth player. “We have a lot of quality going forward and we can definitely score more goals than our opponents. We have to deliver our best performances at the upcoming tournament.”
