The battle to progress from Group C at EURO 2016 is reaching its climax. Germany have their destiny in their own hands and will most likely win the group with a win over Northern Ireland on Tuesday (18:00 CEST). The day before the game, assistant coach Thomas Schneider, who stood in for the unwell Joachim Löw, and defender Mats Hummels faced the media. DFB.de has summarised the most important quotes from the press conference.
THOMAS SCHNEIDER ON...
... possibly reaching the last 16 without having played: That would be nice, but we have our own objectives. We want to win the match and qualify as group winners.
... possible importance of today’s matches on the line-up: They will have no influence on our line-up. We will need every player throughout this tournament so it might be the case that one or two changes are made.
... thoughts about a new role for Thomas Müller: We are thinking about a lot of things, and we have thought about this, too. We’ll see tomorrow where he plays.
... opponents Northern Ireland: We have a lot of respect for the opposition. They played well in qualification and actually won their group. They have also played well here and convincing beat Ukraine.
... the chances of an appearance for Leroy Sané: Leroy has trained well as ever. He is doing a good job just like the other players. Perhaps his chance will come at some point during the tournament.
... the discussion of leaders: It has been noted by the team but it is a pointless discussion. We have enough players in the team who have shown their leadership qualities in the past.
MATS HUMMELS ON...
... opponents Northern Ireland: I have never played them before, but the British teams all play in a similar way. We know how strong they are physically and mentally. We want to be the best team from the first whistle and never give them the impression that they can beat us.
The battle to progress from Group C at EURO 2016 is reaching its climax. Germany have their destiny in their own hands and will most likely win the group with a win over Northern Ireland on Tuesday (18:00 CEST). The day before the game, assistant coach Thomas Schneider, who stood in for the unwell Joachim Löw, and defender Mats Hummels faced the media. DFB.de has summarised the most important quotes from the press conference.
THOMAS SCHNEIDER ON...
... possibly reaching the last 16 without having played: That would be nice, but we have our own objectives. We want to win the match and qualify as group winners.
... possible importance of today’s matches on the line-up: They will have no influence on our line-up. We will need every player throughout this tournament so it might be the case that one or two changes are made.
... thoughts about a new role for Thomas Müller: We are thinking about a lot of things, and we have thought about this, too. We’ll see tomorrow where he plays.
... opponents Northern Ireland: We have a lot of respect for the opposition. They played well in qualification and actually won their group. They have also played well here and convincing beat Ukraine.
... the chances of an appearance for Leroy Sané: Leroy has trained well as ever. He is doing a good job just like the other players. Perhaps his chance will come at some point during the tournament.
... the discussion of leaders: It has been noted by the team but it is a pointless discussion. We have enough players in the team who have shown their leadership qualities in the past.
MATS HUMMELS ON...
... opponents Northern Ireland: I have never played them before, but the British teams all play in a similar way. We know how strong they are physically and mentally. We want to be the best team from the first whistle and never give them the impression that they can beat us.
... his way of playing against defensive opposition: Of course it has some influence on my game. The important thing for me is how many players stay forward. It’s not necessarily the case that I go forward a lot against deep-lying opponents. So it does not have a massive effect on my play because my role in the team is not to be attacking.
... coach Löw’s demeanour: He is always relaxed. He even has a smile on his face in difficult situations. He has passed this relaxed nature on to us. He was not loud against Poland – I have never known him to be too loud.
... the influence of the situation in the table: I’d say that it plays a role. If we are 1-0 up and Poland are 3-0 ahead, then we will not sit back but go for a second goal. The result in the other game can influence our match.
... the possibility of facing France in the last 16: We want to avoid that, we want to win the group. We know how strong France are. Just like us, they have not hit top form yet, but we know that they are one of the best sides. We would not have a problem facing them later in the tournament.
... the central defensive partnership with Boateng: There is always a boss in defence, but that is not me – we always have to work together and both be leaders. It is important to find a balance. You can say that we are equal partners.
