It’s the last game of a long season: Germany will face Estonia in Mainz on Tuesday (20:45 CEST) in their final European Championship qualification match ahead of the summer break. Following a 2-0 win against Belarus, Marcus Sorg (who will continue to replace head coach Joachim Löw) and Serge Gnabry spoke about the upcoming match against Estonia. DFB.de reports on today’s press conference.
Marcus Sorg on…
…the opponents from Estonia: I’m expecting Estonia to play very defensively. They are able to defend well no matter where and have a solid formation. We faced a similar opponent in Belarus. We have to learn from that match.
…communicating with head coach Joachim Löw: He was very pleased with the win in Borisov. He knows that it’s not easy for the players to deliver the same level of effort, especially after having had a short break in between. We may have been missing a bit of follow-through on our chances in front of goal, but overall, he was happy.
…the youngsters on the team: We’re a team that’s going through a rebuilding phase, with many young players. We’re a team with a strong sense of community and need to foster and challenge every single player. With two games and 22 players in the squad, it’s not possible to let everyone play. That’s something the boys are aware of and they handle it very professionally. The most important thing is that we become consistent.
…potential changes against Estonia: We won't force wholesale changes as we want a certain amount of stability and familiarity. We will make a couple of changes in order to find a good combination. Manuel Neuer will definitely continue in goal.
…the state of development: Every positive result helps a team, especially one that’s in the midst of rebuilding. Our last few matches have gone really well. Even in the beginning, when the results weren’t coming the way we had hoped, the effort was there. We want to keep the level of excitement that the team has and spread it outwards so that the fans are also with us.
…Lukas Klostermann and Jonathan Tah making the switch to the U21s: For now, the game against Estonia is all that matters. The boys are under the same burden as the U21s. As a result, they should have no problem making the switch.
…Serge Gnabry: We decided about a year ago that we were going to rebuild. Serge is a player that fits in very well with us, due to his manner of playing. He is versatile and a key player for us—however, that doesn’t meant that he will always feature. In the end, it’s the level of effort that counts.
Serge Gnabry on…
…conclusions from the match against Belarus: We had a lot of chances and could have very well scored more goals. Overall, we played well.
…the match against Estonia: We’re heading into the match as the clear favourites. I reckon that Estonia will line up deep in their half in order to prevent us from scoring. It will take patience in order to break through, which won’t be easy. But, I’m confident that we will be able to take the three points.
…his role in the team: Sometimes it feels a bit like we’re an U21s group here. There are many young players on the team. Everyone has taken on responsibility, something that I’m also happy to do.
…sharing the work with Marco Reus and Leroy Sané: We rotate a lot on offence, which makes life difficult for our opponents. We all try to bring our own strengths to the table in order to create goals.
…the development of the team after starting anew: The development has been very positive. Lately we’ve started winning again, which is a nice feeling. Obviously, we try to be as successful as possible in all our matches.
…the fans: The more fans at the games and the public training sessions, the higher our motivation is. Having that support from the stands helps lead us to victory.
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It’s the last game of a long season: Germany will face Estonia in Mainz on Tuesday (20:45 CEST) in their final European Championship qualification match ahead of the summer break. Following a 2-0 win against Belarus, Marcus Sorg (who will continue to replace head coach Joachim Löw) and Serge Gnabry spoke about the upcoming match against Estonia. DFB.de reports on today’s press conference.
Marcus Sorg on…
…the opponents from Estonia: I’m expecting Estonia to play very defensively. They are able to defend well no matter where and have a solid formation. We faced a similar opponent in Belarus. We have to learn from that match.
…communicating with head coach Joachim Löw: He was very pleased with the win in Borisov. He knows that it’s not easy for the players to deliver the same level of effort, especially after having had a short break in between. We may have been missing a bit of follow-through on our chances in front of goal, but overall, he was happy.
…the youngsters on the team: We’re a team that’s going through a rebuilding phase, with many young players. We’re a team with a strong sense of community and need to foster and challenge every single player. With two games and 22 players in the squad, it’s not possible to let everyone play. That’s something the boys are aware of and they handle it very professionally. The most important thing is that we become consistent.
…potential changes against Estonia: We won't force wholesale changes as we want a certain amount of stability and familiarity. We will make a couple of changes in order to find a good combination. Manuel Neuer will definitely continue in goal.
…the state of development: Every positive result helps a team, especially one that’s in the midst of rebuilding. Our last few matches have gone really well. Even in the beginning, when the results weren’t coming the way we had hoped, the effort was there. We want to keep the level of excitement that the team has and spread it outwards so that the fans are also with us.
…Lukas Klostermann and Jonathan Tah making the switch to the U21s: For now, the game against Estonia is all that matters. The boys are under the same burden as the U21s. As a result, they should have no problem making the switch.
…Serge Gnabry: We decided about a year ago that we were going to rebuild. Serge is a player that fits in very well with us, due to his manner of playing. He is versatile and a key player for us—however, that doesn’t meant that he will always feature. In the end, it’s the level of effort that counts.
Serge Gnabry on…
…conclusions from the match against Belarus: We had a lot of chances and could have very well scored more goals. Overall, we played well.
…the match against Estonia: We’re heading into the match as the clear favourites. I reckon that Estonia will line up deep in their half in order to prevent us from scoring. It will take patience in order to break through, which won’t be easy. But, I’m confident that we will be able to take the three points.
…his role in the team: Sometimes it feels a bit like we’re an U21s group here. There are many young players on the team. Everyone has taken on responsibility, something that I’m also happy to do.
…sharing the work with Marco Reus and Leroy Sané: We rotate a lot on offence, which makes life difficult for our opponents. We all try to bring our own strengths to the table in order to create goals.
…the development of the team after starting anew: The development has been very positive. Lately we’ve started winning again, which is a nice feeling. Obviously, we try to be as successful as possible in all our matches.
…the fans: The more fans at the games and the public training sessions, the higher our motivation is. Having that support from the stands helps lead us to victory.
