Germany U17s face France in European Championship final

Cup final time! At 19:00 (CEST) this evening, the Germany U17s side, captained by Felix Passlack, will face France as they look to add another European title to the one won by Mario Götze, Shkodran Mustafi, Marc-André ter Stegen und Co. in 2009.

It can all come full circle for the Germany U17s this evening. When the side met three weeks ago in the Lindner Hotel in Frankfurt, ahead of the trip to Bulgaria, they were surprised by Wolfgang Niersbach. The DFB President insisted on meeting the 18 players personally to give them his best wishes and remind everyone what it means to win a tournament. “Each of you needs to push yourself to the limit”, said the 64 year old. “Success is only possible if you give everything for each other.”

The players and the coaching team took heed of his advice, especially when the DFB President told them that he has made a note in his calendar for the final. “I would be very happy if I can get to travel to Burgas on the 22nd May to watch you in the final.”

"The team that holds their nerves will win"

The team have clearly taken on board the DFB President’s words. The U17s have fought their way to the Euro final against France with enormous team spirit and commitment. The game will not be easily decided, according to Christian Wück. “For me, it’s the two best teams are in the final, both from their playing ability and potential, as well as their mentality. The team that holds their nerves will win.”

How do you reduce the pressure on 16 and 17 year olds, ahead of such an important match, indeed the biggest of their career until now? “We tell the players that it’s just like any other game and we prepare ourselves as usual”, explained Wück. That means? “Two sessions where we analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent. We expect the players to be active participants and discuss different tactics. That way it allows us to see if they understand our instructions. Through that both the players and we coaches are fully reassured.”

Best defence against the best attack

The French’s biggest strengths are clear to see. No team has managed more goals in the competition than them – eleven so far. The German side, however, have not conceded yet and are therefore have the best defence. “There’s not much difference”, said Wück. “France have also only conceded one and we’ve scored just three goals fewer than they have. It will be a very even game, which is the best we could hope for.”

Despite that, Germany will be especially focussed on keeping France’s attacking trio of Odsonne Edouard (five goals), Bilal Boutobba (one goal, four assists) and Nanitamo Ikone (three goals, one assist), out of the game. “Three players at a top international standard”, admitted Christian Wück. “It’s going to be hard work on our defence. We need to work together as a team to stop these individuals.”

Wück: "Fresh players will play"

The manager is waiting until shortly before the match to decide his starting XI, in order to keep the tension high. Until now Wück has been frivolous when changing his team. During the 1-0 win against Russia in the semifinal there were nine new players in the starting XI, compared to the quarterfinal. Other than the backup keeper Markus Schubert, every player has featured so far. “It shows how equal the level of quality is in the squad”, expressed Wück. I may yet be the key to success, as according to the manager “fresh players will play” later on this evening.

The rotation is not just for the purpose of allowing players to recover, it also contributes to a fantastic atmosphere. An important factor that Wolfgang Niersbach also emphasised three weeks ago. If the DFB President keeps his promise and travels to support the U17s, alongside general secretary Helmut Sandrock and sporting director Hansi Flick, as well as the injured Niklas Dorsch, the circle could be complete with another speech to the players and coaching staff. Hopefully this time at the victory party.