All 21 players in the Germany squad participated in the final training session ahead of their World Cup qualifier with Azerbaijan tonight. Mesut Özil was also able to train without feeling any pain. Assistant coach Marcus Sorg reveals his impressions of Baku.
DFB.de: Mesut Özil had to miss the final training session in Kaiserau because of some back problems. Was he able to train yesterday, Mr Sorg?
Marcus Sorg: Everyone trained here in Baku and everyone is fit, including Mesut Özil, who is no longer in any pain.
DFB.de: The Tofiq Bakhramov Stadion sold out weeks ago and the press conference was packed. Baku is clearly incredibly excited to be hosting the world champions. What is the team expecting from this evening?
Sorg: Azerbaijan’s team just has a good, positive mentality. They are fit, work very hard and have been really committed in their qualifiers so far, especially in defence. They beat Norway 1-0 and managed to get a 0-0 draw in the Czech Republic. Azerbaijan are currently third in the group and the fans will definitely be dreaming of reaching their first ever World Cup finals, so we need to be more alert from the start and play with greater intensity. We need to let the ball do the work and keep up our dynamic on the pitch. We need a good plan to play our game. That means we cannot forget that Azerbaijan’s big thing is their mentality. If they counter, it will get very loud and that will spur them on to do all they can to take that chance. But we are well-prepared for this.
DFB.de: Northern Ireland scored three goals from set pieces in their 4-0 win over Azerbaijan. Is that something you have particularly practiced?
Sorg: Northern Ireland are perfectly geared up to do well from set pieces. We are a little bit different. Our strength is the technical side of our game and we need to fully utilise that today, especially against a team like Azerbaijan, where everything has to go right.
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All 21 players in the Germany squad participated in the final training session ahead of their World Cup qualifier with Azerbaijan tonight. Mesut Özil was also able to train without feeling any pain. Assistant coach Marcus Sorg reveals his impressions of Baku.
DFB.de: Mesut Özil had to miss the final training session in Kaiserau because of some back problems. Was he able to train yesterday, Mr Sorg?
Marcus Sorg: Everyone trained here in Baku and everyone is fit, including Mesut Özil, who is no longer in any pain.
DFB.de: The Tofiq Bakhramov Stadion sold out weeks ago and the press conference was packed. Baku is clearly incredibly excited to be hosting the world champions. What is the team expecting from this evening?
Sorg: Azerbaijan’s team just has a good, positive mentality. They are fit, work very hard and have been really committed in their qualifiers so far, especially in defence. They beat Norway 1-0 and managed to get a 0-0 draw in the Czech Republic. Azerbaijan are currently third in the group and the fans will definitely be dreaming of reaching their first ever World Cup finals, so we need to be more alert from the start and play with greater intensity. We need to let the ball do the work and keep up our dynamic on the pitch. We need a good plan to play our game. That means we cannot forget that Azerbaijan’s big thing is their mentality. If they counter, it will get very loud and that will spur them on to do all they can to take that chance. But we are well-prepared for this.
DFB.de: Northern Ireland scored three goals from set pieces in their 4-0 win over Azerbaijan. Is that something you have particularly practiced?
Sorg: Northern Ireland are perfectly geared up to do well from set pieces. We are a little bit different. Our strength is the technical side of our game and we need to fully utilise that today, especially against a team like Azerbaijan, where everything has to go right.
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DFB.de: How much have you experienced the atmosphere in the city here in Baku?
Sorg: We’ve only been here a couple of days and have mainly been having meetings as well as doing video analyses in the hotel, plus training in the stadium. The people here have been really friendly and welcoming to us.
DFB.de: Do Azerbaijan have a chance of finishing in second place in the group?
Sorg: Everything that you can’t predict is what makes football such an exciting game. Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic and Norway could all do it. Anything is possible in football. Azerbaijan will do everything they possibly can today, especially when they get a chance in front of our goal. Our concentration levels need to be high.
DFB.de: How proud are you that Die Mannschaft have gone 648 minutes without conceding a goal?
Sorg: The work that goes into defence is the fundamental to everything else. We must not be sloppy.
DFB.de: Are you happy with the condition of the pitch?
Sorg: It’s fantastic. I was really surprised at how well it has been maintained. It fulfills all the criteria for having a good game.
DFB.de: Thomas Müller would overtake team manager Oliver Bierhoff in the national team goalscorers list. Is that an extra motivation for this evening?
Sorg: I’m not sure if it is for Thomas. I’d be pleased if it happens (laughs).
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