DFB Team coach Joachim Löw and left-back Jonas Hector attended the final press-conference ahead of Germany's round of 16 clash with Slovakia on Sunday to talk about the opponent, their strengths and Jerome Boateng's situation.
JOACHIM LÖW ON...
... Jerome Boateng: He took part in our final training session. He arrived a bit early actually to do some tests on the pitch as he wasn't in training yesterday. He didn't raise any concerns afterwards and will receive further treatment tonight. As things stand, he will be playing.
... potential changes to the starting XI: Slovakia are a different opponent from Northern Ireland; they are considerably stronger. They will properly challenge us. We were given a wake-up call towards the end of May when we lost 3-1 to them. Slovakia work hard defensively and close down the space well. We won't get many opportunities. We have twenty players at our disposal to try and find the goal. I have thought about one or two changes.
... Slovakia: They are a very, very dangerous side on the counter attack and have similarities to Poland in that regard. They occupy space well and break forward with three or four players at pace. Almost everything is run by Marek Hamsik, who also has a fine finish on him. Slovakia have similar qualities on the break to Poland and for me they are one of the surprise packages of the group stage. They beat Russia, lost rather unfortunately to Wales and earned a draw against England. They played well against us back in May, where they looked brave, ambitious and technically versatile. They have an experienced defence, but we will find a way to perform better than England did.
... Bastian Schweinsteiger's development: He was injured for a very long time and the last time he started a game was in January. He is constantly improving in training and I like what I'm seeing. He is finding his rhythm and will be an important player for us this tournament.
... Mario Götze: Mario may have lacked fortune in some of his attempts so far, but I'm satisfied with his efforts. He's made a lot of good runs and worked hard for the team. I get the feeling he is improving still. He is good for our game with his technique and the passes he is able to play.
... Germany's lack of a clinical touch: I was obviously unhappy with the fact that we didn’t score more goals, but so were our players. Everyone knows that we can't be as careless with our chances in our next game, because we won't be getting as many.
... Joshua Kimmich: He didn't show any signs of nerves at all. I can play him whenever I need.
JONAS HECTOR ON...
... his anticipation prior to the round of 16: It's crunch time. You are allowed to make one or maybe even two mistakes during the group stages, but now its win or go home. It's an exciting feeling and everyone is ready for it.
... the advantage of having played Slovakia in May already: We all saw that we had the game under control, deserved to be up 1-0 and should've added to our lead. Our defence wasn't as organised as during this tournament however, which is not surprising since we were still in preparation. We saw how dangerous they can be, especially from set pieces and we saw their individual quality.
... what it would mean to have Boateng in the team: If you’ve seen our games so far, you will know how important Jerome is for our defence. He looked good this morning and I think he is ready for the game.
... the lacking clinical touch: I think that we all know that we should've scored more goals in our last game. You can train certain automatisms, but in a game everything is different. As long as we keep a clean sheet a single goal is enough.
... Germany’s defensive stability: We've defended well in the last games and allowed very little for the opposition. Knowing what we are capable of makes us more confident.
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DFB Team coach Joachim Löw and left-back Jonas Hector attended the final press-conference ahead of Germany's round of 16 clash with Slovakia on Sunday to talk about the opponent, their strengths and Jerome Boateng's situation.
JOACHIM LÖW ON...
... Jerome Boateng: He took part in our final training session. He arrived a bit early actually to do some tests on the pitch as he wasn't in training yesterday. He didn't raise any concerns afterwards and will receive further treatment tonight. As things stand, he will be playing.
... potential changes to the starting XI: Slovakia are a different opponent from Northern Ireland; they are considerably stronger. They will properly challenge us. We were given a wake-up call towards the end of May when we lost 3-1 to them. Slovakia work hard defensively and close down the space well. We won't get many opportunities. We have twenty players at our disposal to try and find the goal. I have thought about one or two changes.
... Slovakia: They are a very, very dangerous side on the counter attack and have similarities to Poland in that regard. They occupy space well and break forward with three or four players at pace. Almost everything is run by Marek Hamsik, who also has a fine finish on him. Slovakia have similar qualities on the break to Poland and for me they are one of the surprise packages of the group stage. They beat Russia, lost rather unfortunately to Wales and earned a draw against England. They played well against us back in May, where they looked brave, ambitious and technically versatile. They have an experienced defence, but we will find a way to perform better than England did.
... Bastian Schweinsteiger's development: He was injured for a very long time and the last time he started a game was in January. He is constantly improving in training and I like what I'm seeing. He is finding his rhythm and will be an important player for us this tournament.
... Mario Götze: Mario may have lacked fortune in some of his attempts so far, but I'm satisfied with his efforts. He's made a lot of good runs and worked hard for the team. I get the feeling he is improving still. He is good for our game with his technique and the passes he is able to play.
... Germany's lack of a clinical touch: I was obviously unhappy with the fact that we didn’t score more goals, but so were our players. Everyone knows that we can't be as careless with our chances in our next game, because we won't be getting as many.
... Joshua Kimmich: He didn't show any signs of nerves at all. I can play him whenever I need.
JONAS HECTOR ON...
... his anticipation prior to the round of 16: It's crunch time. You are allowed to make one or maybe even two mistakes during the group stages, but now its win or go home. It's an exciting feeling and everyone is ready for it.
... the advantage of having played Slovakia in May already: We all saw that we had the game under control, deserved to be up 1-0 and should've added to our lead. Our defence wasn't as organised as during this tournament however, which is not surprising since we were still in preparation. We saw how dangerous they can be, especially from set pieces and we saw their individual quality.
... what it would mean to have Boateng in the team: If you’ve seen our games so far, you will know how important Jerome is for our defence. He looked good this morning and I think he is ready for the game.
... the lacking clinical touch: I think that we all know that we should've scored more goals in our last game. You can train certain automatisms, but in a game everything is different. As long as we keep a clean sheet a single goal is enough.
... Germany’s defensive stability: We've defended well in the last games and allowed very little for the opposition. Knowing what we are capable of makes us more confident.
