DFB.de: Müller is replaced by Champions League winner Marc-André ter Stegen, who will join the squad before their departure towards Prague on June 13th. You watched the final on Saturday with the rest of the team.
Hrubesch: That's correct. We had a big BBQ that evening and watched the game. I was very happy to see how much the boys were rooting for Marc. We are all extremely happy for him and he fully deserves it with his performances.
DFB.de: What will be Germany's game plan in the Czech Republic?
Hrubesch: We want to dictate the games we play in and have a lot of possession. When the opponent is on the ball, we intend to put pressure on them early on and force them to make mistakes. We also put a lot of focus on a quick transition from defence to attack and the other way around. Our game is very demanding in terms of distance covered by each player and I'm convinced that we can be successful this way.
DFB.de: You gave your players the Sunday afternoon off. Most of them went on bike tours through the mountains or relaxed at the pool. What did you do yesterday?
Hrubesch: I went fishing with my assistant coach Thomas Nörenberg and our team's doctor. We found a real nice spot and it's a big hobby of ours. Although I do have to admit that I wasn't as successful as the others.
DFB.de: What happened?
Hrubesch: I didn’t catch a single fish, while the others were pulling out one trout after the other. Thankfully though, I was able to profit from their fishing prowess as we later had the fish during our BBQ and I was able to eat some of their caught fish. (laughs)
Germany U21s are still at the training camp in Leogang until Wednesday, before heading off towards the Czech Republic, where the U21 European Championships will take place (June 17th-30th). The team coached by Horst Hrubesch has been in Austria since June 2nd to intensely prepare for the EUROs. Germany's group opponents are Serbia (June 17th), Denmark (June 20th) and hosts Czech Republic (June 23rd).
Hrubesch announced his final squad yesterday, which includes the freshly crowned Champions League winner Marc-André ter Stegen from FC Barcelona. DFB.de spoke with the U21 coach about his decision making process for the squad, his demands from the team and how he spent his Sunday afternoon.
DFB.de: Mr. Hrubesch, today is your sixth day in the training camp and overall the team has had ten training sessions. What are your first impressions?
Horst Hrubesch: First of all, I'm glad that no player has suffered any injuries yet. My first impression is very positive. The team has understood what's at stake. Everyone is showing a lot of focus and our training sessions have a very high intensity. The conditions here in Leogang are superb.
DFB.de: You still were forced to make some tough decisions when announcing the final squad. Jean Zimmer, Jeremy Toljan and Marius Müller will not be taking part at the EUROs.
Hrubesch: It really wasn’t an easy decision for us in the coaching staff. The reason these three players are not part of the squad, was not due to their training performances.
DFB.de: What were the reasons?
Hrubesch: We had told Marius Müller before the training camp began that he would not make the final squad after he was called up following Loris Karius' injury. His performances here were nonetheless highly impressive. Jean Zimmer and Jeremy Toljan also gave 100% in training and raised the quality on the pitch. In the end there are always minor details that make the difference.
DFB.de: Müller is replaced by Champions League winner Marc-André ter Stegen, who will join the squad before their departure towards Prague on June 13th. You watched the final on Saturday with the rest of the team.
Hrubesch: That's correct. We had a big BBQ that evening and watched the game. I was very happy to see how much the boys were rooting for Marc. We are all extremely happy for him and he fully deserves it with his performances.
DFB.de: What will be Germany's game plan in the Czech Republic?
Hrubesch: We want to dictate the games we play in and have a lot of possession. When the opponent is on the ball, we intend to put pressure on them early on and force them to make mistakes. We also put a lot of focus on a quick transition from defence to attack and the other way around. Our game is very demanding in terms of distance covered by each player and I'm convinced that we can be successful this way.
DFB.de: You gave your players the Sunday afternoon off. Most of them went on bike tours through the mountains or relaxed at the pool. What did you do yesterday?
Hrubesch: I went fishing with my assistant coach Thomas Nörenberg and our team's doctor. We found a real nice spot and it's a big hobby of ours. Although I do have to admit that I wasn't as successful as the others.
DFB.de: What happened?
Hrubesch: I didn’t catch a single fish, while the others were pulling out one trout after the other. Thankfully though, I was able to profit from their fishing prowess as we later had the fish during our BBQ and I was able to eat some of their caught fish. (laughs)
