It’s Friday evening in Cottbus. 37 minutes to go in Germany’s European Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan. 3-0 to Germany. A low cross from the left wing is swung into the area by Marcel Hartel. Felix Platte attacks it with Azerbaijan’s Anton Krivotsyuk hot on his heels. Platte is first there and fires the ball in the direction of the goal, but it cannons off of the Azerbaijani’s head just in front of the goal and nestles in the back of the net. You could tell what he was thinking: “Is that my goal or an own goal?”
It’s the next morning in Oslo and Platte’s mood has clearly changed. “It doesn’t matter to me who scored the goal,” he said. “The main thing is that we won.” The 21-year-old sat down with DFB.de’s Peter Scheffler to talk on the fourth goal in retrospect, what kind of challenge Norway present and the role the striker plays in Stefan Kuntz’s team.
DFB.de: Felix, I want your honest answer now. Are you claiming that goal against Azerbaijan?
Felix Platte: On the pitch I naturally thought that I deserved to be credited for the goal. However, when I watched it on TV after the game, I have to admit that it wouldn’t have gone in without that touch from the defender. I think it would look better for both us if it was my name on the scoresheet though. (laughs)
DFB.de: You missed the first couple of internationals against Hungary and Kosovo. How does it feel to be back with the U21s?
Platte: My transfer from Schalke to Darmstadt in the summer was a big transition for me. So it felt like the right thing to do to take a bit of time to integrate myself into my new team. Now that I’ve settled in at Darmstadt, I feel like I’m fit and ready to play for the U21s. It feels great to be back with the boys and to try and do big things with the team.
DFB.de: There are only a handful of players left in the squad from the Euros-winning squad in Poland. What do you think of the “new” U21s?
Platte: That’s right, I know most of them through playing against them, but we have a another really good group of guys, who get along both on and off the pitch. As footballers, we have a lot of quality – you could see that in the game against Azerbaijan. Now we have time to work out how we want to play as a team.
It’s Friday evening in Cottbus. 37 minutes to go in Germany’s European Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan. 3-0 to Germany. A low cross from the left wing is swung into the area by Marcel Hartel. Felix Platte attacks it with Azerbaijan’s Anton Krivotsyuk hot on his heels. Platte is first there and fires the ball in the direction of the goal, but it cannons off of the Azerbaijani’s head just in front of the goal and nestles in the back of the net. You could tell what he was thinking: “Is that my goal or an own goal?”
It’s the next morning in Oslo and Platte’s mood has clearly changed. “It doesn’t matter to me who scored the goal,” he said. “The main thing is that we won.” The 21-year-old sat down with DFB.de’s Peter Scheffler to talk on the fourth goal in retrospect, what kind of challenge Norway present and the role the striker plays in Stefan Kuntz’s team.
DFB.de: Felix, I want your honest answer now. Are you claiming that goal against Azerbaijan?
Felix Platte: On the pitch I naturally thought that I deserved to be credited for the goal. However, when I watched it on TV after the game, I have to admit that it wouldn’t have gone in without that touch from the defender. I think it would look better for both us if it was my name on the scoresheet though. (laughs)
DFB.de: You missed the first couple of internationals against Hungary and Kosovo. How does it feel to be back with the U21s?
Platte: My transfer from Schalke to Darmstadt in the summer was a big transition for me. So it felt like the right thing to do to take a bit of time to integrate myself into my new team. Now that I’ve settled in at Darmstadt, I feel like I’m fit and ready to play for the U21s. It feels great to be back with the boys and to try and do big things with the team.
DFB.de: There are only a handful of players left in the squad from the Euros-winning squad in Poland. What do you think of the “new” U21s?
Platte: That’s right, I know most of them through playing against them, but we have a another really good group of guys, who get along both on and off the pitch. As footballers, we have a lot of quality – you could see that in the game against Azerbaijan. Now we have time to work out how we want to play as a team.
DFB.de: You made the step up to the team before the Euros as one of several rookies. Now you have the experiences of winning a title and scoring a decisive goal against England in the semi-final. How has your experience changed your role in the team?
Platte: The experience of not only playing in an U21 Euro championship, but also winning it, helped us all develop so much. Now it’s down to the experienced players to pass on our experience to the other lads – how to develop a strong mentality and really become a team together, what it takes to win a title and the finer details which can prove decisive.
DFB.de: Next you’ll be facing Norway on Thursday evening. What is the biggest challenge: the Astroturf or facing the Norway team?
Platte: Definitely facing Norway, even if we all haven’t played on Astroturf for a long time. They’re a completely different side to Azerbaijan and they have a lot more quality. They also have a star in their team in the shape of Martin Ødegaard, who we shouldn’t allow out of our sight. Nevertheless, we want to take three points from the match and if we play to the best of our ability, the points are there for us.
DFB.de: Apart from taking three points home from Norway, what are your goals for the current season?
Platte: I want to develop as a player at Darmstadt and get as much game time as I can. I was lacking experience at the top level until the end of last season and as a forward, game time means goals. The international matches with the U21s definitely help me develop my game. I’ll play with a newfound motivation in Darmstadt after my appearances for the U21s and the trust the coaching staff have placed in me.
