The DFB Team have been preparing in Chile for seven days and their U17 World Cup campaign finally gets up and running later today. Head coach Christian Wück goes into the game full of excitement: “We now have that World Cup feeling. Everyone here is excited about the tournament. It’s about time we got started.”
Germany’s campaign starts against Australia, who are competing in the tournament for the 12th time, this evening (21:00 CEST). Their best finish so far came in the 1999 edition of the competition, which took place in New Zealand. The “Aussies” were beaten in the final by Brazil on penalties. They reached this year’s World Cup by virtue of qualifying for the semis of the 2014 AFC U16 Asian Championship. They failed to make the final, losing 4-1 on penalties to South Korea, but their performance confirmed their spot in Chile.
Wück: "Australia have some great players"
Soon after reaching the tournament, Australia U17 head coach and former senior international Tony Vidmar explained that his side “still have a lot to learn but at least we have 12 months to prepare for the World Cup.” They have used this time effectively – they have faced amateur senior teams regularly over the course of the past year and have developed into a strong team.
Australia’s key players are striker Cameron Joice, who netted four times at last year’s AFC U16 Asian Championship (more than any of his teammates), and midfielder Joe Caletti. “We’ve made the most of the videos out there – we’ve watched them a lot. They have some great players, some of which are progressing well in the European league,” analysed Christian Wück.
DFB Team at full strength
One of Australia’s hallmarks is their style of football. It’s not tiki-taka but it’s also not kick and rush. “Like ourselves, they prefer to play shorter passes – it’s rare to see them play a long ball,” added Wück. However, the U17 coach has faith in his side. “We need to focus on our own game and show confidence. If we do that, we stand a good chance of winning the match.”
The 42-year-old has the full squad at his disposal for the first game of the tournament. On Friday Patrick Fritsch (Borussia Dortmund) joined the squad, replacing the injured Dennis Geiger (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim). “Patrick is an option even though he didn’t travel with us originally. He gave a good account of himself in final training.”
The DFB Team have been preparing in Chile for seven days and their U17 World Cup campaign finally gets up and running later today. Head coach Christian Wück goes into the game full of excitement: “We now have that World Cup feeling. Everyone here is excited about the tournament. It’s about time we got started.”
Germany’s campaign starts against Australia, who are competing in the tournament for the 12th time, this evening (21:00 CEST). Their best finish so far came in the 1999 edition of the competition, which took place in New Zealand. The “Aussies” were beaten in the final by Brazil on penalties. They reached this year’s World Cup by virtue of qualifying for the semis of the 2014 AFC U16 Asian Championship. They failed to make the final, losing 4-1 on penalties to South Korea, but their performance confirmed their spot in Chile.
Wück: "Australia have some great players"
Soon after reaching the tournament, Australia U17 head coach and former senior international Tony Vidmar explained that his side “still have a lot to learn but at least we have 12 months to prepare for the World Cup.” They have used this time effectively – they have faced amateur senior teams regularly over the course of the past year and have developed into a strong team.
Australia’s key players are striker Cameron Joice, who netted four times at last year’s AFC U16 Asian Championship (more than any of his teammates), and midfielder Joe Caletti. “We’ve made the most of the videos out there – we’ve watched them a lot. They have some great players, some of which are progressing well in the European league,” analysed Christian Wück.
DFB Team at full strength
One of Australia’s hallmarks is their style of football. It’s not tiki-taka but it’s also not kick and rush. “Like ourselves, they prefer to play shorter passes – it’s rare to see them play a long ball,” added Wück. However, the U17 coach has faith in his side. “We need to focus on our own game and show confidence. If we do that, we stand a good chance of winning the match.”
The 42-year-old has the full squad at his disposal for the first game of the tournament. On Friday Patrick Fritsch (Borussia Dortmund) joined the squad, replacing the injured Dennis Geiger (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim). “Patrick is an option even though he didn’t travel with us originally. He gave a good account of himself in final training.”
