On the penultimate evening before Germany kickoff their World Cup campaign against Japan, head coach Hansi Flick and Joshua Kimmich spoke about their preparation as well as their goals and expectations from the first group stage game during their press conference in Doha. DFB.de has summarised their statements:
Hansi Flick on...
...hopes of winning the World Cup: That’s our goal. We have had very good training sessions in the last few days. We have prepared well for this game. The group is very strong, but we’re heading into the game with positive feelings and are looking forward to getting going.
...the “One Love” armbands and potential sanctions: The reason for the armband was that the team wanted to make a point. FIFA put a stop to it and threatened punishments if it was on display. For those countries that played yesterday, it was extremely short notice. The armband is a symbol for diversity and values which we represent and live by. We treat each other with a great deal of respect and esteem, but as far as those values are concerned, there are parties who don’t see it that way. Yellow cards wouldn’t have been a problem, but the manner in which it was left open and threatened so shortly before the game put the likes of England and the Netherlands in a difficult position. There wasn’t any time to react to it; therefore those countries said that we will remove that pressure from the players’ shoulders. I think it’s a real shame that you aren’t allowed to stand up for human rights any more.
...the loss of Leroy Sané: It’s frustrating to have to go without Leroy. He is a difference maker. We’re hoping that he will be available to play on Sunday. We’ll work on it with the medical team.
...expectations back home: All the big nations have to goal of becoming world champions, that’s why we are here in Qatar. I think you have to deal with the pressure in a positive way. We have to push ourselves to our absolute limits and that’s something to expect from the players given the enormous quality they possess.
...diversity in the national team: The national team stands what exactly what the armbands represented: diversity. We experience it every day; those are our values. I am really happy to have these players in the squad playing for Germany. They give us so much potential because of their quality.
...Thomas Müller: He’s an option. Today in training, he did very well.
...Japan: I have to come out and say that I’m a fan of Japan. Their players are trained very well, both tactically and technically. It’s a big task waiting for us. But we are well prepared for the game. Anything is possible, just like we saw today. You can’t underestimate any opponent.
Joshua Kimmich on...
...the “One Love” armbands: At the end of the day, it was a decision made by the nations, all of which have contributed. Generally speaking, I was a little bit surprised because back in September when it was announced no one thought it would do much. Now, I’ve got the feeling that it is a powerful symbol. We have always spoken about the abuses and I believe that we, as players, should reflect them and point them out. We want to now focus on the sporting side of things. I’m personally really excited to finally be getting going. It was twelve years ago that the World Cup was awarded to Qatar, when I was 15. You are already in a bubble here, so you as the press have the opportunity to see what life is really like here.
...motivation: We’re massively motivated. We all know that the last World Cup didn’t reflect us and our quality. We’ve had to wait a long time for this. It will be important to start well. During the World Cup and the European Championship, we lost each of the first group-stage games, so my focus is more on that front and I’m certain we will get the win.
...the anticipation for the World Cup: Of course, the World Cup has been discussed a lot amongst the squad. It is important for us players to take advantage of the opportunity, but we have to manage the balancing act and focus on the sporting side of things. It’s the biggest tournament there is for a footballer. It is a massive childhood dream to play here. It’s always going to be spoken about that it’s hard to get excited for. Everyone is on fire and wants to play a good tournament; we all can't help where the World Cup is taking place.
...Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané: I was watching Thomas and he has been training really well. I have the feeling from what I’ve seen in training that he’s fit. It was rather untypical of him to be injured. Everyone knows the skill he has. The fact that Leroy is out is really disappointing. He is in really good form with his speed and threat in front of goal. He can hurt any opponent. I hope he’ll be back soon and can help us.
...his position as a number six: I’m focusing like I have been for the last few tournaments. I’m happy to be playing in the centre of the park. Everyone in the team has the responsibility for our success, everyone is important, especially when the tournament can last a long while.
...Daichi Kamada: He is a very intelligent player with lots of energy and good on the ball. He recently scored in the Bundesliga. Japan have lots of players in the Bundesliga in general. Almost all of them are fast, nimble, strong and technical. We’re in for a challenge.
created by mmc/abg
###more###
On the penultimate evening before Germany kickoff their World Cup campaign against Japan, head coach Hansi Flick and Joshua Kimmich spoke about their preparation as well as their goals and expectations from the first group stage game during their press conference in Doha. DFB.de has summarised their statements:
Hansi Flick on...
...hopes of winning the World Cup: That’s our goal. We have had very good training sessions in the last few days. We have prepared well for this game. The group is very strong, but we’re heading into the game with positive feelings and are looking forward to getting going.
...the “One Love” armbands and potential sanctions: The reason for the armband was that the team wanted to make a point. FIFA put a stop to it and threatened punishments if it was on display. For those countries that played yesterday, it was extremely short notice. The armband is a symbol for diversity and values which we represent and live by. We treat each other with a great deal of respect and esteem, but as far as those values are concerned, there are parties who don’t see it that way. Yellow cards wouldn’t have been a problem, but the manner in which it was left open and threatened so shortly before the game put the likes of England and the Netherlands in a difficult position. There wasn’t any time to react to it; therefore those countries said that we will remove that pressure from the players’ shoulders. I think it’s a real shame that you aren’t allowed to stand up for human rights any more.
...the loss of Leroy Sané: It’s frustrating to have to go without Leroy. He is a difference maker. We’re hoping that he will be available to play on Sunday. We’ll work on it with the medical team.
...expectations back home: All the big nations have to goal of becoming world champions, that’s why we are here in Qatar. I think you have to deal with the pressure in a positive way. We have to push ourselves to our absolute limits and that’s something to expect from the players given the enormous quality they possess.
...diversity in the national team: The national team stands what exactly what the armbands represented: diversity. We experience it every day; those are our values. I am really happy to have these players in the squad playing for Germany. They give us so much potential because of their quality.
...Thomas Müller: He’s an option. Today in training, he did very well.
...Japan: I have to come out and say that I’m a fan of Japan. Their players are trained very well, both tactically and technically. It’s a big task waiting for us. But we are well prepared for the game. Anything is possible, just like we saw today. You can’t underestimate any opponent.
Joshua Kimmich on...
...the “One Love” armbands: At the end of the day, it was a decision made by the nations, all of which have contributed. Generally speaking, I was a little bit surprised because back in September when it was announced no one thought it would do much. Now, I’ve got the feeling that it is a powerful symbol. We have always spoken about the abuses and I believe that we, as players, should reflect them and point them out. We want to now focus on the sporting side of things. I’m personally really excited to finally be getting going. It was twelve years ago that the World Cup was awarded to Qatar, when I was 15. You are already in a bubble here, so you as the press have the opportunity to see what life is really like here.
...motivation: We’re massively motivated. We all know that the last World Cup didn’t reflect us and our quality. We’ve had to wait a long time for this. It will be important to start well. During the World Cup and the European Championship, we lost each of the first group-stage games, so my focus is more on that front and I’m certain we will get the win.
...the anticipation for the World Cup: Of course, the World Cup has been discussed a lot amongst the squad. It is important for us players to take advantage of the opportunity, but we have to manage the balancing act and focus on the sporting side of things. It’s the biggest tournament there is for a footballer. It is a massive childhood dream to play here. It’s always going to be spoken about that it’s hard to get excited for. Everyone is on fire and wants to play a good tournament; we all can't help where the World Cup is taking place.
...Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané: I was watching Thomas and he has been training really well. I have the feeling from what I’ve seen in training that he’s fit. It was rather untypical of him to be injured. Everyone knows the skill he has. The fact that Leroy is out is really disappointing. He is in really good form with his speed and threat in front of goal. He can hurt any opponent. I hope he’ll be back soon and can help us.
...his position as a number six: I’m focusing like I have been for the last few tournaments. I’m happy to be playing in the centre of the park. Everyone in the team has the responsibility for our success, everyone is important, especially when the tournament can last a long while.
...Daichi Kamada: He is a very intelligent player with lots of energy and good on the ball. He recently scored in the Bundesliga. Japan have lots of players in the Bundesliga in general. Almost all of them are fast, nimble, strong and technical. We’re in for a challenge.
