Flick: Yes, he did a really good job and completely lived up to our expectations. But I’m sure the same would have applied to the other youngsters. The national team coach knows that he won’t be disappointed when he calls upon one of the younger players. It’s a good feeling.
DFB.de: Sane, Weigl, Kimmich and Tah could all take part at the Olympics in Rio later this summer.
Flick: Theoretically, yes.
DFB.de: And will they?
Flick: It won’t happen. We knew from the start that our players would only take part in one tournament this summer. The strain on them would be too high otherwise. The daily training sessions alone would be too intense. Making sure our players aren’t overworked is an extremely important aspect. It wouldn’t be responsible to have our players take part in the tournament in Brazil after this one here in France is over.
DFB.de: And if the players want to take part in the Olympics at all costs?
Flick: Principally I don’t have a problem with that, since it shows their ambition, their love for the game and their desire to represent Germany and the DFB. I also understand that the Olympic Games in Rio are very appealing to the players, but we also have to protect the players from themselves sometimes. Again: The strain on the players here at the EUROS is already extremely high even if they only have a few or no appearances at all. It’s not in the interest of the players or in the interest of German football if we send players to the Olympic Games when they have already been here in France. This was also discussed beforehand with the clubs.
The knockout stages at the 2016 European Championships are underway, with Germany getting in on the action on Sunday against Slovakia. DFB.de met with DFB sporting director Hansi Flick to discuss the standard at the EUROs, the development of the younger players and the strain on the squad during a tournament.
DFB.de: Mr. Flick, the group stages have come to an end, with the knockout stages now upon us. What is your verdict on the European Championship so far?
Hansi Flick: The tournament so far has been influenced by defensive performances. On average less than two goals per game have been scored, which isn’t a lot. It’s not been true entertainment for the viewers. I’ve always said that I’m not a fan of having 24 teams participating at this tournament. It hasn’t added to the entertainment factor so far.
DFB.de: Germany secured their ticket for the round of 16 by winning their group and keeping a clean sheet in all three games. So far so good, right?
Flick: Yes, the development of our team is going exactly according to plan. The team has learned something new from every game so far and the sporting leadership has done an excellent job so far. The performance against Northern Ireland was quite good. We may have lacked a clinical touch, but I’m convinced that our efficiency will improve as the tournament progresses.
DFB.de: There are a number of youngsters in Germany’s squad. How would you rate their contributions to the team so far?
Flick: We have a young team, but at the same time we have a lot of very experienced players. Neuer, Boateng, Hummels, Khedira, Kroos, Özil and Müller are all World Champions after all. Players like Jonathan Tah, Leroy Sane, Julian Weigl and Emre Can are having a hard time getting into the team due to the quality in the squad. But I’m hearing that their training performances are all really good and that they are helping keep the standard of football high in our training sessions. That’s exactly what we need. They all still have long and successful careers ahead of them and they will play in more tournaments. They will all profit from the experiences they are making here in France and I’m sure that we will see these players back in the DFB Team in future.
DFB.de: Joshua Kimmich has already proven that he is a reliable back-up when he started the game against Northern Ireland.
Flick: Yes, he did a really good job and completely lived up to our expectations. But I’m sure the same would have applied to the other youngsters. The national team coach knows that he won’t be disappointed when he calls upon one of the younger players. It’s a good feeling.
DFB.de: Sane, Weigl, Kimmich and Tah could all take part at the Olympics in Rio later this summer.
Flick: Theoretically, yes.
DFB.de: And will they?
Flick: It won’t happen. We knew from the start that our players would only take part in one tournament this summer. The strain on them would be too high otherwise. The daily training sessions alone would be too intense. Making sure our players aren’t overworked is an extremely important aspect. It wouldn’t be responsible to have our players take part in the tournament in Brazil after this one here in France is over.
DFB.de: And if the players want to take part in the Olympics at all costs?
Flick: Principally I don’t have a problem with that, since it shows their ambition, their love for the game and their desire to represent Germany and the DFB. I also understand that the Olympic Games in Rio are very appealing to the players, but we also have to protect the players from themselves sometimes. Again: The strain on the players here at the EUROS is already extremely high even if they only have a few or no appearances at all. It’s not in the interest of the players or in the interest of German football if we send players to the Olympic Games when they have already been here in France. This was also discussed beforehand with the clubs.
