Die Mannschaft have arrived in Lille where they will face the Ukraine on Sunday evening from 21:00 CEST. Head coach Joachim Löw and Toni Kroos faced the media in the final press-conference ahead of their opening group match to talk about the rising anticipation as their tournament start edges closer.
Joachim Löw on...
...the captaincy: I will inform the team on Sunday who our captain will be. Bastian Schweinsteiger remains our real captain though, since I know that he will make an appearance during the tournament.
...his frame of mind: I'm glad that the tournament is getting underway. The anticipation is rising by the hour. After three weeks of hard work, you're just happy to get things started.
...the injury situation: In terms of players who had knocks, we have no worries. Otherwise, Mats Hummels completed the full training session yesterday and is at 100 percent individually. But the Ukraine game comes around too early, in the next weeks we will be able to count on him though.
...the pressure the World Champions will face: I don't feel any pressure, I just look forward to the occasion. Expectations are high, but we can handle that quite well. We have a lot of experienced players and I think we are used to these kinds of situations.
...their formation in defence: I don't want to reveal any information to our opponents beforehand. Sometimes there are surprises in certain positions. You shouldn't attach too much importance to whether we play with three of four at the back. That can change throughout the game. It's important to stay versatile.
...Mesut Özil: Mesut is in outstanding shape. In 2014 he had some problems getting physically fit. He has outstanding and truly unique qualities in his position. Özil will obviously play on Sunday.
Die Mannschaft have arrived in Lille where they will face the Ukraine on Sunday evening from 21:00 CEST. Head coach Joachim Löw and Toni Kroos faced the media in the final press-conference ahead of their opening group match to talk about the rising anticipation as their tournament start edges closer.
Joachim Löw on...
...the captaincy: I will inform the team on Sunday who our captain will be. Bastian Schweinsteiger remains our real captain though, since I know that he will make an appearance during the tournament.
...his frame of mind: I'm glad that the tournament is getting underway. The anticipation is rising by the hour. After three weeks of hard work, you're just happy to get things started.
...the injury situation: In terms of players who had knocks, we have no worries. Otherwise, Mats Hummels completed the full training session yesterday and is at 100 percent individually. But the Ukraine game comes around too early, in the next weeks we will be able to count on him though.
...the pressure the World Champions will face: I don't feel any pressure, I just look forward to the occasion. Expectations are high, but we can handle that quite well. We have a lot of experienced players and I think we are used to these kinds of situations.
...their formation in defence: I don't want to reveal any information to our opponents beforehand. Sometimes there are surprises in certain positions. You shouldn't attach too much importance to whether we play with three of four at the back. That can change throughout the game. It's important to stay versatile.
...Mesut Özil: Mesut is in outstanding shape. In 2014 he had some problems getting physically fit. He has outstanding and truly unique qualities in his position. Özil will obviously play on Sunday.
...comparing Ukraine and Poland: They are comparable, as they have the same basic setup. Both teams play with a good structure and then try to break with three or four men on the counter.
Toni Kroos on...
...Sunday's game: It won't be an easy game. Ukraine certainly aren’t a bad team.
...the atmosphere within the team: Everyone is looking forward to the action getting started. It's the reason why we are all here.
