Game day, the clock is ticking, and soon the curtain will be raised. Germany face Poland tonight in Frankfurt (20:45 CEST) in a European Championship qualifier. The World champions meet the group leaders. Both teams have the opportunity to take a big step towards qualification for France 2016. How are things shaping up in the Germany camp? Is there tension is in the air? Assistant coach Thomas Schneider talks to DFB editor Steffen Lüdeke.
DFB.de: Mr. Schneider, only a few hours to go. Can you bring us up to date, what is the current atmosphere in the squad?
Thomas Schneider: Very positive. There’s always a sense of 'the calm before the storm' on matchdays. You get the impression that everybody is fully concentrated, whilst also being relatively relaxed. This mixture is typical in the hours leading up to a game, particularly before important matches.
DFB.de: What’s the general schedule on matchday, and what are the preparations in the final hours leading up to the game?
Schneider: There aren’t really any big surprises. On matchdays, we have a light training session with the fitness coaches – the so-called 'light sweat'. As well as the meal times, there’s also a final team meeting, usually just before lunch. The schedule doesn’t tend to change very much, it’s good for the players to have a familiar routine.
DFB.de: Marco Reus had to pull out through injury; Mesut Özil was suffering with a knock. Is everyone else fit? Can you tell us anything yet?
Schneider: It’s looking good with Mesut, he played well in the final training session. Other than that, I can tell you that we will put out a very strong side for the match (laughs). I’m not going to give anything away, we don’t want to make it too easy for the Poles. As the head coach has already revealed though, don’t be surprised if Manuel Neuer starts in goal and Mario Götze is in the starting XI.
DFB.de: You experienced your first competitive defeat as assistant coach against Poland. How fresh are the memories?
Game day, the clock is ticking, and soon the curtain will be raised. Germany face Poland tonight in Frankfurt (20:45 CEST) in a European Championship qualifier. The World champions meet the group leaders. Both teams have the opportunity to take a big step towards qualification for France 2016. How are things shaping up in the Germany camp? Is there tension is in the air? Assistant coach Thomas Schneider talks to DFB editor Steffen Lüdeke.
DFB.de: Mr. Schneider, only a few hours to go. Can you bring us up to date, what is the current atmosphere in the squad?
Thomas Schneider: Very positive. There’s always a sense of 'the calm before the storm' on matchdays. You get the impression that everybody is fully concentrated, whilst also being relatively relaxed. This mixture is typical in the hours leading up to a game, particularly before important matches.
DFB.de: What’s the general schedule on matchday, and what are the preparations in the final hours leading up to the game?
Schneider: There aren’t really any big surprises. On matchdays, we have a light training session with the fitness coaches – the so-called 'light sweat'. As well as the meal times, there’s also a final team meeting, usually just before lunch. The schedule doesn’t tend to change very much, it’s good for the players to have a familiar routine.
DFB.de: Marco Reus had to pull out through injury; Mesut Özil was suffering with a knock. Is everyone else fit? Can you tell us anything yet?
Schneider: It’s looking good with Mesut, he played well in the final training session. Other than that, I can tell you that we will put out a very strong side for the match (laughs). I’m not going to give anything away, we don’t want to make it too easy for the Poles. As the head coach has already revealed though, don’t be surprised if Manuel Neuer starts in goal and Mario Götze is in the starting XI.
DFB.de: You experienced your first competitive defeat as assistant coach against Poland. How fresh are the memories?
Schneider: It wasn’t all that long ago. We lost the game, and we didn’t have any excuses. There were a lot of positives to take however; we put Poland under pressure and created chances – the shot ratio was 27:5. But that’s life. We didn’t manage to score, but Poland did. We know the outcome of the game, and we’ve got the chance to make amends tonight and correct the group standings.
DFB.de: The Polish team have not only beaten Germany, with Adam Nawalka’s side enjoying a very impressive qualification campaign. What are their strengths?
Schneider: A lot has been said about their attacking players, and Robert Lewandowski, who is without question a world class striker. However, Poland carry many different attacking threats, with nine players scoring in qualifying so far. The goals are only worth something because they are very solid at the back. They have conceded just three goals, which is no coincidence. There’s no question that Poland have a strong team, but we are better. We are world champions, and our players have the quality, experience, desire and means to win the game later this evening.
