The Germany under-19 team are out of the European under-19 Championships after losing 4-1 to England in the group stage. Frank Kramer’s side finished third in group B, having won just three points from their three games. The 45-year old spoke to DFB.de in an interview about the tournament and explained what he would like to work on and why the players will have benefitted from the experience.
DFB.de Mr Kramer, the under-19s are out of the tournament after losing 4-1 to England. What did you think of the tournament?
Frank Kramer: We played with a lot of passion and courage. I can’t blame the team at all. You could clearly see that we had just as many opportunities as our opponents, but England and Holland both defended well and made the most of their chances. We were punished for not making the most of ours. We never came out best in one-on-one duels.
DFB.de You criticised the players for their behaviour in the six-yard box. Why?
Kramer: The games were largely decided by how effective teams were in the six-yard box, both defensively and offensively. We were not assertive or effective enough.
DFB.de Is that something you have only noticed this tournament?
Kramer: Kind of. Even though we won all six of our qualification matches, there were times where we could have been more effective in the box. You must realise that teams at a top international level have a lot to give at tournaments like this.
DFB.de You had to enter the tournament with a weaker team due to some players being unavailable. Do you think you would have done better with the likes of Felix Passlack, Dženis Burnić or Salih Özcan?
Kramer: Definitely. The team suffered a few setbacks at the beginning of the tournament. These players would have been able to lead the team with their experience had they been available. If one leader is missing, it affects the structure of the whole team. This was exemplified in the match against the Netherlands when we completely lost our structure after going 2-1 down.
DFB.de Things got even worse in Georgia when some of your key players got injured…
Kramer: We had to do without Dominik Franke in our first match because he was ill. Mats Köhlert also picked up an injury and was no longer available for selection. Then Julian Chabot got injured just before the start of the tournament. We lost many quality players which had a big effect on the team.
DFB.de: Was Janni Sera not available for the tournament?
Kramer: Of course we would have liked to have him with us, he would have helped the team a lot, but we prioritise the development of our players over everything else. Janni was out injured for a year, came back at the end of the season and had an intense few weeks. He didn’t need to be playing in a European Championship. He needed a recovery period to prepare for the next step in his career.
DFB.de Is it difficult to put our own personal goals aside?
Kramer: No. Our main goal is to develop our players. We want to prepare them so well that they will be playing for the under-21s or the national first team.
DFB.de Is it important for you that the player’s clubs work hard on this too?
Kramer: Of course. I would like to thank the clubs for supporting us with player development. The clubs have allowed the players to come to us at an important time of year when they would usually be preparing for the new season. I would like to thank FC Bayern for taking Maxime Awoudja out of their training camp and sending him to Georgia with us as a replacement for Julian Chabot. The clubs also benefit from the players featuring internationally as they gain so much experience.
DFB.de It was your first tournament as head coach of the Germany under-19s. What have you learnt from it?
Kramer: I have learnt a lot. There is a lot of challenges involved with preparing players for a big tournament: How do we keep all our players fit? How do we motivate them? How do you focus on the next task as a coach? I will learn a lot from overcoming such challenges at this tournament. I would like to thank the players, the coaching staff and the DFB for this opportunity. Now we have to learn from our experiences and develop our players so that they can be ready to move up to the under-21s and national team.
created by ps
###more###
The Germany under-19 team are out of the European under-19 Championships after losing 4-1 to England in the group stage. Frank Kramer’s side finished third in group B, having won just three points from their three games. The 45-year old spoke to DFB.de in an interview about the tournament and explained what he would like to work on and why the players will have benefitted from the experience.
DFB.de Mr Kramer, the under-19s are out of the tournament after losing 4-1 to England. What did you think of the tournament?
Frank Kramer: We played with a lot of passion and courage. I can’t blame the team at all. You could clearly see that we had just as many opportunities as our opponents, but England and Holland both defended well and made the most of their chances. We were punished for not making the most of ours. We never came out best in one-on-one duels.
DFB.de You criticised the players for their behaviour in the six-yard box. Why?
Kramer: The games were largely decided by how effective teams were in the six-yard box, both defensively and offensively. We were not assertive or effective enough.
DFB.de Is that something you have only noticed this tournament?
Kramer: Kind of. Even though we won all six of our qualification matches, there were times where we could have been more effective in the box. You must realise that teams at a top international level have a lot to give at tournaments like this.
DFB.de You had to enter the tournament with a weaker team due to some players being unavailable. Do you think you would have done better with the likes of Felix Passlack, Dženis Burnić or Salih Özcan?
Kramer: Definitely. The team suffered a few setbacks at the beginning of the tournament. These players would have been able to lead the team with their experience had they been available. If one leader is missing, it affects the structure of the whole team. This was exemplified in the match against the Netherlands when we completely lost our structure after going 2-1 down.
###more###
DFB.de Things got even worse in Georgia when some of your key players got injured…
Kramer: We had to do without Dominik Franke in our first match because he was ill. Mats Köhlert also picked up an injury and was no longer available for selection. Then Julian Chabot got injured just before the start of the tournament. We lost many quality players which had a big effect on the team.
DFB.de: Was Janni Sera not available for the tournament?
Kramer: Of course we would have liked to have him with us, he would have helped the team a lot, but we prioritise the development of our players over everything else. Janni was out injured for a year, came back at the end of the season and had an intense few weeks. He didn’t need to be playing in a European Championship. He needed a recovery period to prepare for the next step in his career.
DFB.de Is it difficult to put our own personal goals aside?
Kramer: No. Our main goal is to develop our players. We want to prepare them so well that they will be playing for the under-21s or the national first team.
DFB.de Is it important for you that the player’s clubs work hard on this too?
Kramer: Of course. I would like to thank the clubs for supporting us with player development. The clubs have allowed the players to come to us at an important time of year when they would usually be preparing for the new season. I would like to thank FC Bayern for taking Maxime Awoudja out of their training camp and sending him to Georgia with us as a replacement for Julian Chabot. The clubs also benefit from the players featuring internationally as they gain so much experience.
DFB.de It was your first tournament as head coach of the Germany under-19s. What have you learnt from it?
Kramer: I have learnt a lot. There is a lot of challenges involved with preparing players for a big tournament: How do we keep all our players fit? How do we motivate them? How do you focus on the next task as a coach? I will learn a lot from overcoming such challenges at this tournament. I would like to thank the players, the coaching staff and the DFB for this opportunity. Now we have to learn from our experiences and develop our players so that they can be ready to move up to the under-21s and national team.
###more###
