In the Czech Republic, Germany are aiming for a second European U21 Championship title. Five games to the title; the first is against Serbia tonight at 20:45 CEST in Prague’s Generali Arena. DFB.de is here to provide you with the most important information and opinions before the first group game.
For the last two weeks, the German U21s have been preparing intensively, and the unity in the team has been there for all to see since the first day of the training camp. The team are ready to push themselves to the limit to achieve their goal. Matthias Ginter got straight to the point when he said, “it’s nice to finally get going. It’s about time.”
“Take on responsibility”: World Cup winner Ginter at the Euros
The defender knows all about lifting big titles. He was the youngest member of the senior squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and this experience now makes him a key player for the U21s. “My experiences at the World Cup have allowed me to develop further this last year,” explains the 21-year-old. “Now I’d like to lead here and take on some reasonability.”
At the press conference the day before the match (or as UEFA call it: “matchday minus one”), no efforts were spared to try and coax details of the starting line-up out of Horst Hrubesch for the game against Serbia. Understandably, with the quality in the German squad and the many options that the German coach has at his disposal in every position, the 64-year-old gave the journalists present a straightforward answer: “you will see tomorrow when the line-up is announced.” The players already know two days before kickoff who is playing. “Because they are seasoned professionals, not little kids, I can rest assured that it will stay in the camp,” says Hrubesch.
"Play the first game like a final"
The title isn’t the only goal for the U21s at these Euros, because qualification for the semi-finals also guarantees qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. No German football team has been at the greatest sporting event in the world since 1988. Olympic beach volleyball medallists Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann both visited the team’s training camp to give the team some extra motivation. “Since their visit we absolutely want to go to Rio and experience that unique atmosphere,” says Emre Can.
But first there is the match against Serbia. Already the competition’s surprise package, they beat twice-defending champions Spain in the playoffs to qualify. “The fact that Serbia have already knocked out Spain shows everyone how much quality they really have,” says captain Volland about the team containing Dortmund’s Milos Jojic. “We have to play the first game like a final and win it to progress from the group.”
“Serbia have impressed with their willingness to run and fight. They are not a group of individuals, but a team who remain compact as a unit and challenge hard,” says Hrubesch in agreement. “But we have the quality to get past them, and we are ready to invest everything for the win.”
Emulating Neuer and Co.
At no point do you get the feeling that the German team would be taking their purportedly easier group lightly. Their Group A includes Serbia, Denmark and the Czech Republic, whilst Group B contains England, Italy, Sweden and Portugal. “There are no easy tasks at this tournament,” says Hrubesch. “We are thinking one step at a time, one opponent at a time. We can only progress here when we function as a team.”
In the Czech Republic, Germany are aiming for a second European U21 Championship title. Five games to the title; the first is against Serbia tonight at 20:45 CEST in Prague’s Generali Arena. DFB.de is here to provide you with the most important information and opinions before the first group game.
For the last two weeks, the German U21s have been preparing intensively, and the unity in the team has been there for all to see since the first day of the training camp. The team are ready to push themselves to the limit to achieve their goal. Matthias Ginter got straight to the point when he said, “it’s nice to finally get going. It’s about time.”
“Take on responsibility”: World Cup winner Ginter at the Euros
The defender knows all about lifting big titles. He was the youngest member of the senior squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and this experience now makes him a key player for the U21s. “My experiences at the World Cup have allowed me to develop further this last year,” explains the 21-year-old. “Now I’d like to lead here and take on some reasonability.”
At the press conference the day before the match (or as UEFA call it: “matchday minus one”), no efforts were spared to try and coax details of the starting line-up out of Horst Hrubesch for the game against Serbia. Understandably, with the quality in the German squad and the many options that the German coach has at his disposal in every position, the 64-year-old gave the journalists present a straightforward answer: “you will see tomorrow when the line-up is announced.” The players already know two days before kickoff who is playing. “Because they are seasoned professionals, not little kids, I can rest assured that it will stay in the camp,” says Hrubesch.
"Play the first game like a final"
The title isn’t the only goal for the U21s at these Euros, because qualification for the semi-finals also guarantees qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. No German football team has been at the greatest sporting event in the world since 1988. Olympic beach volleyball medallists Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann both visited the team’s training camp to give the team some extra motivation. “Since their visit we absolutely want to go to Rio and experience that unique atmosphere,” says Emre Can.
But first there is the match against Serbia. Already the competition’s surprise package, they beat twice-defending champions Spain in the playoffs to qualify. “The fact that Serbia have already knocked out Spain shows everyone how much quality they really have,” says captain Volland about the team containing Dortmund’s Milos Jojic. “We have to play the first game like a final and win it to progress from the group.”
“Serbia have impressed with their willingness to run and fight. They are not a group of individuals, but a team who remain compact as a unit and challenge hard,” says Hrubesch in agreement. “But we have the quality to get past them, and we are ready to invest everything for the win.”
Emulating Neuer and Co.
At no point do you get the feeling that the German team would be taking their purportedly easier group lightly. Their Group A includes Serbia, Denmark and the Czech Republic, whilst Group B contains England, Italy, Sweden and Portugal. “There are no easy tasks at this tournament,” says Hrubesch. “We are thinking one step at a time, one opponent at a time. We can only progress here when we function as a team.”
The team are constantly reminded of their Euro motto at their hotel: “live your childhood dream”. There couldn’t be a better slogan, because all these players have the “class of 2009” in their minds, after they became European champions four years ago under Hrubesch. Six members of that team can now call themselves World Champion: Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Benedikt Höwedes, Sami Khedira and Mesut Özil. The “childhood dream” should spur them on for Euro glory. A strong drive and the belief in their own strengths should help the team make their dream a reality.
