After watching his side overpower Romania on Tuesday evening, U-21 national team coach Horst Hrubesch is full of confidence as he prepares to travel to the 2015 UEFA U-21 European Championship play-off draw. "For starters, I can go there happy now," Hrubesch said after the impressive 8-0 win in Magdeburg. "There’s no need for us to hide ourselves away; we can hold our heads high. It doesn’t make sense to speculate about who we might face. We’re not afraid."
In Nyon on Friday, Germany will discover the identity of their opponents for the two crucial play-off matches – which will be played on 8 and 14 October. This two-legged tie will decide who travels to next summer’s European Championships in the Czech Republic, but Hrubesch’s young charges will have little to fear if they can deliver another similarly strong performance, having already navigated difficult obstacles on the way to this stage of qualification.
Hrubesch: "They’re a proper team"
For Hrubesch, the players’ performance was much more important than the result itself. "They’re a proper team," he said. "I worked with an ever-changing side for a long time, but now they have gelled a little." He added that it was important "to see that we can also plan for the play-offs with these players".
Nevertheless, the U-21 coach was without several key figures for last Friday’s 2-0 triumph over Ireland and Tuesday’s romp against Romania. The list of injury absentees included 1899 Hoffenheim’s Kevin Volland, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Leno and Max Meyer of Schalke 04, while Hannover 96 midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt was suspended. In theory too, 2014 World Cup winners such as Matthias Ginter, Shkodran Mustafi, Julian Draxler, Erik Durm and even Mario Götze are also still eligible to play at U-21 level.
Despite these absentees, the current squad put on a fine show against the Romanians. "That was absolutely fantastic; we had great fun," said captain Moritz Leitner. "Whenever someone is injured or absent, the others give it their all, and that’s just great." The Stuttgart midfielder believes the team have shown what they can do "no matter who’s playing".
After watching his side overpower Romania on Tuesday evening, U-21 national team coach Horst Hrubesch is full of confidence as he prepares to travel to the 2015 UEFA U-21 European Championship play-off draw. "For starters, I can go there happy now," Hrubesch said after the impressive 8-0 win in Magdeburg. "There’s no need for us to hide ourselves away; we can hold our heads high. It doesn’t make sense to speculate about who we might face. We’re not afraid."
In Nyon on Friday, Germany will discover the identity of their opponents for the two crucial play-off matches – which will be played on 8 and 14 October. This two-legged tie will decide who travels to next summer’s European Championships in the Czech Republic, but Hrubesch’s young charges will have little to fear if they can deliver another similarly strong performance, having already navigated difficult obstacles on the way to this stage of qualification.
Hrubesch: "They’re a proper team"
For Hrubesch, the players’ performance was much more important than the result itself. "They’re a proper team," he said. "I worked with an ever-changing side for a long time, but now they have gelled a little." He added that it was important "to see that we can also plan for the play-offs with these players".
Nevertheless, the U-21 coach was without several key figures for last Friday’s 2-0 triumph over Ireland and Tuesday’s romp against Romania. The list of injury absentees included 1899 Hoffenheim’s Kevin Volland, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Leno and Max Meyer of Schalke 04, while Hannover 96 midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt was suspended. In theory too, 2014 World Cup winners such as Matthias Ginter, Shkodran Mustafi, Julian Draxler, Erik Durm and even Mario Götze are also still eligible to play at U-21 level.
Despite these absentees, the current squad put on a fine show against the Romanians. "That was absolutely fantastic; we had great fun," said captain Moritz Leitner. "Whenever someone is injured or absent, the others give it their all, and that’s just great." The Stuttgart midfielder believes the team have shown what they can do "no matter who’s playing".
