Klose: I spoke with several German and Italian players on the phone. I haven't talked to the coach yet, because I know how much is going on during these tournaments. Afterwards there will be plenty of time for that.
Question: What was your impression from these phone calls - are the German or the Italian players more nervous ahead of this quarterfinal?
Klose: I didn't talk to any of them this past week, I've only been texting with a few of them. They are all very focussed and respect on both sides is very high. I think that any potential fear from Germany's side will quickly turn into motivation knowing that they have to get it right this time. But in case we do fall behind, no one should think 'oh here comes another defeat.' We have the quality to prevail against Italy. What we sometimes lack is the clinical touch when we create chances against defensively solid sides.
Question: Who is the favourite on Saturday?
Klose: I don't see a clear favourite, but I'm really excited to see the game played out. I watched the friendly back in March with my family in Munich. I thought Germany played really, really well that night and Italy were rather disappointing. So far at this European Championship both teams have excited me.
Question: Will the winner of this game also be crowned European Champions?
Klose: No team has played as well as Germany and Italy at this EURO so far. If Germany gets past Italy, they have really good chance of lifting the title. But even then they have to keep focussing on taking things one game at a time. Potentially meeting France in the semi-final will be anything but easy, but they've shown weakness in defensive areas.
Question: What has been your impression of Germany's performances so far?
Miroslav Klose is Germany's all-time leading goalscorer having bagged 71 goals in 137 appearances for the national team and he is also the record scorer at the World Cup with 16 oals to his name. The 38-year-old took part in seven tournaments for Germany between the World Cups in 2002 and 2014. In a recent interview, Klose discusses watching a tournament as a fan for the first time in 16 years and his expectations of Saturday’s quarterfinal clash between Germany and Italy.
Question: Mr Klose, what is it like for you to be watching a major tournament as a fan for the first time since the European Championship in 2000?
Miroslav Klose: Completely relaxed. I've watched all of Germany's and Italy's games and a few others too.
Question: From where have you been following the tournament? Have you been to a public viewing event or invited friends over for a BBQ?
Klose: The weather hasn't been good enough for that. I made myself comfortable in front of my TV and simply enjoyed watching the games. I'm really looking forward to the quarterfinal between Germany and Italy.
Question: Did you ever feel a tingling sensation in your feet, telling you that you wanted to be back on the pitch?
Klose: Not at all. It's fascinating for me to simply watch this tournament as a fan again. Just like in the past, when I would stand on the fence to watch Kaiserslautern's Bundesliga team. Eventually I became part of them but now I'm back on the other side.
Question: Have you been in contact with Joachim Löw or any of the players during the tournament?
Klose: I spoke with several German and Italian players on the phone. I haven't talked to the coach yet, because I know how much is going on during these tournaments. Afterwards there will be plenty of time for that.
Question: What was your impression from these phone calls - are the German or the Italian players more nervous ahead of this quarterfinal?
Klose: I didn't talk to any of them this past week, I've only been texting with a few of them. They are all very focussed and respect on both sides is very high. I think that any potential fear from Germany's side will quickly turn into motivation knowing that they have to get it right this time. But in case we do fall behind, no one should think 'oh here comes another defeat.' We have the quality to prevail against Italy. What we sometimes lack is the clinical touch when we create chances against defensively solid sides.
Question: Who is the favourite on Saturday?
Klose: I don't see a clear favourite, but I'm really excited to see the game played out. I watched the friendly back in March with my family in Munich. I thought Germany played really, really well that night and Italy were rather disappointing. So far at this European Championship both teams have excited me.
Question: Will the winner of this game also be crowned European Champions?
Klose: No team has played as well as Germany and Italy at this EURO so far. If Germany gets past Italy, they have really good chance of lifting the title. But even then they have to keep focussing on taking things one game at a time. Potentially meeting France in the semi-final will be anything but easy, but they've shown weakness in defensive areas.
Question: What has been your impression of Germany's performances so far?
Klose: It's been a bit like the tournaments that I participated in as well. They had good games in the group stage, but also struggled at times. But they produced a convincing performance in their last game and further grew as a unit, which was visible by the reaction from the bench when they scored.
