Only a few hours to go until kick-off: Germany face Poland in Saint-Denis on Thursday evening (21:00 CEST). It’s their second group game at EURO 2016 and the World Champions can take another step towards the round of 16. Assistant manager Marcus Sorg spoke to DFB.de about the current situation, the latest news and the atmosphere amongst the squad.
DFB.de: Mr Sorg, so let’s start with the Poland team. Wojciech Szczesny is injured so Lukasz Fabianski will probably start in goal. Is that an advantage for you?
Sorg: That’s more of a question for Andy Köpke. Poland generally have good goalkeepers. The decision as to who would be their number one was only taken shortly before the start of the tournament. Szczesny and Fabianski are both of a similar standard – for us, it’s not overly important which of them starts in goal.
DFB.de: Poland have two very good goalkeepers. What could you say about Adam Nawalka’s team?
Sorg: One of their greatest qualities is being well organised on the break. During qualifying for the European Championship, they impressed in this area on several occasions and showed how dangerous they can be. The team are well set-up, Krzysztof Mączyński and Grzegorz Krychowiak, who play in central midfield, are strong in the challenge and both read the game very well. When Poland win the ball, they’re dangerous because they move it about relatively quickly.
DFB.de: How do today’s opponents differ from Ukraine?
Sorg: Ukraine have tried to create lots of one-on-one situations, while Poland prefer to pass it around and use the space.
DFB.de: And they have Robert Lewandowski up top, who is capable of a goal or two...
Only a few hours to go until kick-off: Germany face Poland in Saint-Denis on Thursday evening (21:00 CEST). It’s their second group game at EURO 2016 and the World Champions can take another step towards the round of 16. Assistant manager Marcus Sorg spoke to DFB.de about the current situation, the latest news and the atmosphere amongst the squad.
DFB.de: Mr Sorg, so let’s start with the Poland team. Wojciech Szczesny is injured so Lukasz Fabianski will probably start in goal. Is that an advantage for you?
Sorg: That’s more of a question for Andy Köpke. Poland generally have good goalkeepers. The decision as to who would be their number one was only taken shortly before the start of the tournament. Szczesny and Fabianski are both of a similar standard – for us, it’s not overly important which of them starts in goal.
DFB.de: Poland have two very good goalkeepers. What could you say about Adam Nawalka’s team?
Sorg: One of their greatest qualities is being well organised on the break. During qualifying for the European Championship, they impressed in this area on several occasions and showed how dangerous they can be. The team are well set-up, Krzysztof Mączyński and Grzegorz Krychowiak, who play in central midfield, are strong in the challenge and both read the game very well. When Poland win the ball, they’re dangerous because they move it about relatively quickly.
DFB.de: How do today’s opponents differ from Ukraine?
Sorg: Ukraine have tried to create lots of one-on-one situations, while Poland prefer to pass it around and use the space.
DFB.de: And they have Robert Lewandowski up top, who is capable of a goal or two...
Sorg: They have Lewandowski, who we know from the Bundesliga, but we don’t need to talk about his skills. They have other players too, who we must pay attention to and be aware of. They netted 33 goals in qualifying, the most out of all teams.
DFB.de: Robert Lewandowski’s partner in attack is Arkadiusz Milik. What distinguishes him?
Sorg: He is quick and uses the ball well. Er ist schnell, kann die Bälle gut verarbeiten. He had some initial difficulties in Germany but he has flourished in the Netherlands. His development is very positive. He scored 21 goals for Ajax and also provided an impressive eight assists. He was also the player, who netted against Northern Ireland.
DFB.de: They boast lots of strengths – what are Poland’s weaknesses?
Sorg: We have analysed their team and now how we can pose them problems. However, I wouldn’t want to give much away ahead of the game. What I can say is that Poland are well organised – nevertheless, there will equally be gaps that we can find and exploit. We have the players to do just that.
DFB.de: Who exactly? Who is likely to be given the nod by the manager this evening?
Sorg: It remains the case that we don’t want to reveal our line-up beforehand. The team will be the first to be told and everyone can see the instructions that we’ve given to the players at 21:00 CEST this evening.
DFB.de: At the final training session, there was a return to Stade de France after the terror attacks from the 13th November 2015 in Paris. What was that like?
Sorg: I wasn’t there in November so it wasn’t a return for me. But I can imagine that one or two of the players were affected. Jogi reported yesterday that several memories had come flooding back to him on the journey to the stadium. Above all, thoughts with the victims of the attacks and their families. This will also have been the case with several others.
DFB.de: Do you believe that the events from November will have an impact on the game this evening?
Sorg: No, the players must put that to the back of their minds. At kick-off, focus will be fully on the football. The players can’t let it detract from their excitement for the game. This evening it’s about football and nothing else.
