Löw on Chile: “Need to be at our best”

Germany are in the final of the Confederations Cup for the first time. Head coach Joachim Löw and captain Julian Draxler shared their thoughts ahead of the final against Chile on Sunday at 20:00 CEST.

Joachim Löw on…

… the atmosphere in the team: The atmosphere is great. We were really happy after the semi-final to have made it to the final in St. Petersburg. That was our objective going into the Mexico game. We think that we deserved to be there. Germany and Chile have been the best two teams during this tournament.

… the final: I think that it will be a very tight and intense game tomorrow. Both teams want to win this title and we know what to expect. Chile are a brilliant team that have gelled very well, have great chemistry and experience, so we will need to be at our best if we are to win this game.

… the opposition: We admire Chile. It is a small country and they have won the Copa America against footballing giants like Argentina and Brazil. They have eight, nine, ten, eleven world class players in their ranks that are all top players at their clubs. Tactically they are very versatile. Chile will put just as much pressure on us as they have done in each game they have played so far. They keep the ball really well and always have a lot of possession. They have guys up front who would cause any team problems. We need to see if we can withstand that and put them under pressure ourselves. I hope that we will have the pace up top that we showed against Mexico. That was important for allowing us to break them down.

… a possible penalty shootout: Chile are very good at penalties. They converted their spot-kicks against Portugal excellently. Their goalkeeper also showed how good he is at keeping them out. We’ll also put forward some good takers and have a good goalkeeper. We want to avoid that and try to win the game before it gets to that.

… learning from the match in the group stage: There are a few issues that we need to address. We did not have control in the first fifteen minutes last time round. Chile were strong going forward. We could have been 2-0 down. Thankfully we got ourselves back into it. We need to take the game to that and control things. We also could have created one or two more chances going forward but overall it was a pretty even match. We were really organised for 80 minutes. We don’t want to be content with just a draw tomorrow. We want to win. We will need to keep their attackers at bay and create more chances when we attack than we did in the first game.

… criticism of the Confed-Cup squad: I’ve heard the criticism but it is not anything unusual. There is always speculation about the squad. There are always decisions that people will view differently. My decision was to go with a squad that had not had much international experience and I stand by my decisions. I felt that we could really sell ourselves. What it will be next year is difficult to say. No player has lost anything in this squad. On the contrary, they have all benefited and developed. That was the most important objective for me. As coaches, we have 100% fulfilled this aim. The players have gained experience that will help them in the future, so I am really pleased with this tournament.

… the U21 triumph: I naturally congratulated all those who were part of that immediately after the game. I was absolutely over the moon. It highlights their good work in the academies and clubs. We have a good foundation for next year. The World Cup is the most important tournament of all and definitely the most difficult. You need to perform at such a high level over the five weeks. You can barely afford any mistakes in those seven games. You have to push yourself to the limit each time. There is still one year to go until the World Cup in 2018. We have already experienced everything that can happen in the space of a year and which players may be forced out with injury. This tournament here is good for the players and their confidence. Competition for places is good and important. These two tournaments are not that significant for the World Cup next year.

Julian Draxler on…

… the final: We are preparing ourselves in an ideal way. We have set a lot of expectations for ourselves as a team. We know that Chile are a good side but we are all really up for it and want to win the match.

… the opposition: In my opinion, the final cannot really be compared to the group stage game, when we did not perform at our best. We have potential to do better but we know that Chile are very strong. They have a huge number of good players. I know that we will need to be at our very best to win but I am not really concerned because I know that we have prepared well for this. We will go onto the pitch as a team and fight with everything we have. We were asleep in the first 15 minutes in the group game. That was why we did not win. We need to perform at the highest level over 90 or 120 minutes to be able to cope against Chile. We are all fit and prepared. There is nothing better than starting your holiday with a title.

… the team’s development: Everyone that’s here deserves to be. We know that we are a strong side. We know that Germany has an array of great players that are sitting at home right now. We have grown together. Now we want to make that final step and beat Chile. The U21 showed us how it’s done. We have plenty of young players and the coaches have a wide range of choice. We should not be thinking about next year. We are proud of what we have achieved here at the Confed Cup.

… his role in the team: As the player in this team with the most appearances at international level, I have tried to take on more responsibility. I’ve really enjoyed it. The coach trusts me and we have done very well so far. I hope that we can show that tomorrow.

… the extreme conditions in St. Petersburg: We are used to playing in rain in Germany. I don’t think that the pitch or whether will have any impact. The match will not be decided on factors like that. I think that it will come down to how we perform on the day. Every one of us has got another 90 or 120 minutes in our legs.