…THE WORLD CUP QUARTERFINAL AGAINST FRANCE TWO YEARS AGO: The game was even but we took the lead early. France had a number of good goalscoring opportunities. We won’t gain much from thinking back to that game though, as France are playing differently under Deschamps than they were two years ago.
…THE FRANCE TEAM AND GRIEZMANN: Griezmann is a world class player and maybe one of the most important in the France squad. However, with Pogba, Giroud and the others there are a lot of other players that we can’t afford to let out of our sight.
…THE HEIST AGAINST ITALY: I knew that we could score against Italy but the past counts for nothing, it’s all about the present. We were obviously unbelievably happy after the game; there was pure joy and an immense excitement. We have all calmed down bit by bit though. The players were mentally and physically tired. We put in an extremely energetic performance.
…A POSSIBLE BACK THREE AGAINST FRANCE: I don’t know about that yet but I’ll be considering it. It was necessary against Italy, even if it harmed us going forwards. Questions were asked of our intelligence and patience against Italy. France will be even harder to calculate.
…THOMAS MÜLLER'S GOAL DROUGHT: It isn’t worrying me. Thomas is someone who doesn’t let things like this affect him. I have the feeling that if we really needed a goal he would score. Playing Müller as a striker is a possibility but we might also play with two up front.
…TONI KROOS' POSSIBLE MIDFIELD PARTNER: Emre Can can play in a number of different positions. He is someone who would be good for the team. Julian Weigl is also a very good player though but has a different playing style. We will wait two or three days then see what our decision will be. I am not considering Joshua Kimmich playing in the centre as we have other options.
…POSSIBLE CHANGES TO THE STARTING XI: The situation is clear. We will make changes and find solutions. I will bring new names into the side and I have total faith in every one of the players. They are all at a very high level and in good physical condition. It doesn’t worry me.
…TONI KROOS: Toni is an essential part of the system we play. There are not many players who are as calm as Toni and so aware of their strengths. He is a player who can take a match in the right direction with his technical ability.
Germany’s squad news is the hot topic after their triumph against Italy on penalties on Saturday night, to set-up a EURO 2016 semi-final clash with the hosts France in Marseille on Thursday. Head coach Joachim Löw will definitely be without Mario Gomez who injured his hamstring against the Squadra Azzurra and will miss the rest of the tournament.
Sami Khedira (muscular injury) will also be unavailable for the match against France and DFB captain Bastian Schweinsteiger (Knee ligament strain) is in a race against time to return to fitness. DFB.de have rounded up the important quotes from Löw’s press conference in Évian.
JOACHIM LÖW ON…
…THE TEAM AHEAD OF THE FRANCE GAME: The match against Italy he left a physical mark on the squad. Mario Gomez will be out for the rest of the tournament, he won’t be available to us for our remaining matches. Sami Khedira will definitely miss Thursday’s semi-final, while Bastian Schweinsteiger picked up a mild knee ligament strain. We will do everything to try and get him fit in time to play. We will have to wait and see how it goes in the next couple of days.
…MARIO GOMEZ: He will remain here with us to be treated. He told me yesterday that he wants to stay. He is a part of this team and was playing really well for us up until his injury. We will miss his presence. He just needs one chance to score; he’s a striker who is always dangerous when he receives that final pass in the box. We will also miss his quality in the air.
…BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER: He made a brilliant return against Italy and kept up with the pace of the game until the very end. He impressed me, but I can’t play people if they have a knock and are not 100 percent. I obviously hope that he will be fit because he offers a lot to the team. I hope our captain plays.
…SEMI-FINAL OPPONENTS FRANCE: France have played amazingly. They have won a number of matches in the closing stages during the tournament so far, which shows that they have a very, very strong character. France are a team full of confidence, that has momentum, strength and power in attack. They are extremely strong. We have respect for them, however, we know what we have to do regardless of the personnel situation. I am looking forward to the match.
…THE FAVOURITES TAG: I am not thinking about that. It would be easy to say that France are the favourites because we have a lot of injuries and they have home advantage. That doesn’t matter during the 90 minutes though. These are two teams with a real focus to their play. It will be an even match. Games like this are amazing, I love knockout matches between such great teams.
…THE WORLD CUP QUARTERFINAL AGAINST FRANCE TWO YEARS AGO: The game was even but we took the lead early. France had a number of good goalscoring opportunities. We won’t gain much from thinking back to that game though, as France are playing differently under Deschamps than they were two years ago.
…THE FRANCE TEAM AND GRIEZMANN: Griezmann is a world class player and maybe one of the most important in the France squad. However, with Pogba, Giroud and the others there are a lot of other players that we can’t afford to let out of our sight.
…THE HEIST AGAINST ITALY: I knew that we could score against Italy but the past counts for nothing, it’s all about the present. We were obviously unbelievably happy after the game; there was pure joy and an immense excitement. We have all calmed down bit by bit though. The players were mentally and physically tired. We put in an extremely energetic performance.
…A POSSIBLE BACK THREE AGAINST FRANCE: I don’t know about that yet but I’ll be considering it. It was necessary against Italy, even if it harmed us going forwards. Questions were asked of our intelligence and patience against Italy. France will be even harder to calculate.
…THOMAS MÜLLER'S GOAL DROUGHT: It isn’t worrying me. Thomas is someone who doesn’t let things like this affect him. I have the feeling that if we really needed a goal he would score. Playing Müller as a striker is a possibility but we might also play with two up front.
…TONI KROOS' POSSIBLE MIDFIELD PARTNER: Emre Can can play in a number of different positions. He is someone who would be good for the team. Julian Weigl is also a very good player though but has a different playing style. We will wait two or three days then see what our decision will be. I am not considering Joshua Kimmich playing in the centre as we have other options.
…POSSIBLE CHANGES TO THE STARTING XI: The situation is clear. We will make changes and find solutions. I will bring new names into the side and I have total faith in every one of the players. They are all at a very high level and in good physical condition. It doesn’t worry me.
…TONI KROOS: Toni is an essential part of the system we play. There are not many players who are as calm as Toni and so aware of their strengths. He is a player who can take a match in the right direction with his technical ability.
…THE CRITICISM OF HIS CHANGE IN TACTICS AGAINST ITALY: People will always have a different opinion. I am open to such discussions. What I don’t think is right, is when people personally attack my colleagues. Outsiders do not know what goes on internally. Anyway, these kind of discussions a normal and are a part of football.
... BENEDIKT HÖWEDES’ PERFORMANCE AGAINST ITALY: He did brilliantly. He hardly lost out in a challenge and did well standing his ground. He’s a player, who can be used in lots of different systems, and that versatility means he’s unbelievably useful for managers.
... JULIAN DRAXLER’S PERFORMANCE: He is a player with incredible technical ability and pace. What he’s still lacking though is consistency. But I’m very, very pleased with him. He is someone who is good in and can finish off one-on-one situations. I expect to see more good things from him in the rest of the tournament. He will be extremely important for the national team in the coming years.
... THE UPCOMING DEPARTURE FROM ÉVIAN: We’ve felt completely welcome. Being near to the training pitches was extremely worthwhile. The location was the best solution. We’ve felt very comfortable and it’s always a bit tricky to say goodbye. We feel like the tournament has only just begun because we’re still full of energy.
