The Germany U21 national team secured their place in the European Championship semi-finals in the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Having also qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio as a result, it’s a dream come true for head coach Horst Hrubesch and his side. They haven’t lost sight of their main aim though, namely the European Championship trophy. Portugal await Germany in the U21 semi-final on Saturday.
Dominique Heintz played the full 90 minutes in both the convincing 3-0 victory over Denmark and the enthralling 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic in the group stages. The 1. FC Kaiserslautern centre back, who will ply his trade for 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga from next season, has impressed with his uncompromising style of play.
In an interview with DFB.de, Dominique Heintz spoke on the mood inside the camp, how the tournament has gone so far and the semi-final against Portugal. He also explains what would be the perfect way to start life with his new employers in Cologne.
DFB.de: Mr. Heintz, the U21 national side have now been together uninterrupted since 2nd June. Is the mood good like before or is it slowly beginning to feel like cabin fever?
Dominique Heintz: We don’t have that feeling at all. We function superbly as a team, just like before. And we’ve had a free afternoon after every game at the tournament so far. As is the case with other players, my family are also here in the town so we go to eat something together or do something fun together. It’s good and also important to free your mind. After that, you can prepare for the sporting tasks again.
DFB.de: How would you label the mood of the team?
Heintz: We get along excellently and know each other well. Everyone understands one another, even if you spend more time with one or two players. Even players who haven’t featured at the tournament yet are in full swing and respond to being on the bench as if they were playing themselves. It’s a great thing and indicates our team spirit. But at the same time, it’s also important that everyone has their free space now and again. You can then switch off in your room and relax. Only by doing that can you get that freshness you need for a European Championship.
DFB.de: You sat on the bench for the first game against Serbia but played the full duration in the two most recent games. How has the situation been for you?
The Germany U21 national team secured their place in the European Championship semi-finals in the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Having also qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio as a result, it’s a dream come true for head coach Horst Hrubesch and his side. They haven’t lost sight of their main aim though, namely the European Championship trophy. Portugal await Germany in the U21 semi-final on Saturday.
Dominique Heintz played the full 90 minutes in both the convincing 3-0 victory over Denmark and the enthralling 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic in the group stages. The 1. FC Kaiserslautern centre back, who will ply his trade for 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga from next season, has impressed with his uncompromising style of play.
In an interview with DFB.de, Dominique Heintz spoke on the mood inside the camp, how the tournament has gone so far and the semi-final against Portugal. He also explains what would be the perfect way to start life with his new employers in Cologne.
DFB.de: Mr. Heintz, the U21 national side have now been together uninterrupted since 2nd June. Is the mood good like before or is it slowly beginning to feel like cabin fever?
Dominique Heintz: We don’t have that feeling at all. We function superbly as a team, just like before. And we’ve had a free afternoon after every game at the tournament so far. As is the case with other players, my family are also here in the town so we go to eat something together or do something fun together. It’s good and also important to free your mind. After that, you can prepare for the sporting tasks again.
DFB.de: How would you label the mood of the team?
Heintz: We get along excellently and know each other well. Everyone understands one another, even if you spend more time with one or two players. Even players who haven’t featured at the tournament yet are in full swing and respond to being on the bench as if they were playing themselves. It’s a great thing and indicates our team spirit. But at the same time, it’s also important that everyone has their free space now and again. You can then switch off in your room and relax. Only by doing that can you get that freshness you need for a European Championship.
DFB.de: You sat on the bench for the first game against Serbia but played the full duration in the two most recent games. How has the situation been for you?
Heintz:The manager already said to me prior to the opening game that I was very good at the training camp in Austria and that it would be a really close call for me. But it wasn’t a problem for me. Initially, I was happy to be there in the first place, with all the quality that we have. I’ve only played in the second division and both of the other centre backs have gathered a lot of experience in the Bundesliga already. Matze [Ginter] is a World Cup winner, Robin [Knoche] is a DFB Cup winner – that says it all. If you look at our bench, any one of those players can start; we have an enormous amount of quality. It then pleased me all the more not only to help the team from the outside, also doing my bit on the pitch.
DFB.de: Were you happy with your performances against Denmark and the Czech Republic?
Heintz: Yes. I think I had two good games. My first game at the tournament – the 3-0 win over Denmark – was of course surprising. After a game like that, during which the whole team played superbly, you immediately gain confidence. It wasn’t as good against the Czech Republic but despite that, we reached our first goal of making the Olympics, and we did it together, as a team – that was crucial.
DFB.de: Despite that, the team seemed somewhat subdued following the final whistle against the Czech Republic. Did you only realise later that you had achieved something historic with qualification for the Olympics? After all, it’s the first time since 1988 that a German side will be at the tournament.
Heintz: Straight after the game, we were somewhat disappointed as we wanted to win against the Czech Republic. As a footballer, you always want to win and we also had big chances to win the game. Straight after opening the scoring, we could have put the game to bed, and even had good chances ourselves after the Czech Republic equalised. We lightened the mood later on the bus though once we realised what we had achieved. We then sang and celebrated.
DFB.de: You’ve achieved the minimal goal of qualifying for the Olympics. Will that degree of pressure now fade and can the team play with a bit more freedom in the semis?
Heintz: I wouldn’t call it pressure, but we of course know that expectations in Germany are high. And so they should be when you look at the squad that we have. We’re delighted to have achieved our first goal. We wanted to do it for ourselves, but for the manager too. The Olympics will be another high point for him. He always said to us that it is his dream. It will be a once in a lifetime experience for us too.
DFB.de: How much do you feel the support here in the Czech Republic and from the German fans back home?
Heintz: We feel it a lot, of course first hand via our families and friends. I think it’s great that lots of people are watching our games and hope just as many or perhaps even more cross their fingers for us in front of the TV on Saturday. We also see the many congratulatory wishes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on our Social Media Wall. It motivates us and we’ll now do everything to progress to the final.
DFB.de: Portugal await you in the semi-finals on your path to the final. How are the team preparing?
Heintz: Just like we always do. We’ve seen Portugal’s matches on television. The intense preparation and analysis with the coaches then begins from today. We’ll look at various scenarios and carve out a plan from it. If you want the trophy, then you have to overcome every team. Portugal are perhaps an opponent who accommodate us a bit as they’re a team that want to play football. It will be a thrilling encounter.
DFB.de: You’ll move from 1. FC Kaiserslautern to 1. FC Köln following the EUROs. You already announced your decision prior to the tournament.
Heintz: The step for me wasn’t easy after spending 16 years with FCK. I’ve played for them at every level, from the youth side right up to the first team, and it was always great to play for this club and these fans. But I now want to take the step up to the top flight to develop further. 1. FC Köln were very interested in me and impressed me with their ideas. The best thing, of course, would be to join Köln as a European Champion. That would be the perfect start in order to break through there.
