Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry played in a multitude of home games for FC Bayern when Julian Nagelsmann was head coach. Now, they’ll be hoping to take part in the new national team coach’s first home outing when Germany take on Turkey on Saturday (20:45 CET). The Bayern teammates spoke about Nagelsmann and his coaching staff, their current form and dealing with setbacks in a press conference three days before the game.
Leon Goretzka on...
...the anticipation ahead of the Turkey game: I’m looking forward to what will be a great game. The Olympiastadion will be sold out. The Turkish fans’ support for their team is always impressive and it’ll be like playing in the lion’s den. I hope that the atmosphere will benefit the quality of football and that it’ll be a great game.
...creating a positive mood: We want to be positive, but it only works if you play attractive, effective football. A sense of euphoria should come naturally if we do that.
...his possible role as a back-up in the Germany team: It really doesn’t matter what role you’re in. We have a good squad and the competition for places is always intense. Everyone has to bring their A game. I’ve got strengths that I can use to help the team out. It’s down to Julian to decide when I can do that.
...his hand injury: I’m feeling good. My hand generally feels fine. I’m playing with a splint which is okay despite it being a bit awkward. I didn’t think my injury was a setback. I’m happy with how the season’s gone so far.
...the new head coach’s tactics: Julian is very flexible as far as his tactics are concerned. We can’t really directly compare the tactics he’s using with the national team to the tactics he used at Bayern. We touched on what our approach would be in our first few training sessions. It’s still too easy to score goals against us. It’s partly because of our defending in the box, which we’re working on at the moment. Defence is the key to success, especially at tournaments.
...the so-called “Class of 95”: Our age group formed a very successful team at youth level and we won a lot of tournaments. But we’ve not been very successful as a senior side, with the exception of the Confederations Cup. It’s annoying for all of us. It does mean that we’re even more motivated to do well at the next tournament. We’ll do everything we can to put things right.
...Manuel Neuer: We’re really happy that Manu’s back in action after such a serious injury. It’s not a given and you can’t give him enough credit for how well he did during his rehabilitation. We have another top goalkeeper in the form of Marc-André ter Stegen, however. At the end of the day, performances will dictate who plays.
Serge Gnabry on…
…his season so far: Of course, I’d have expected a little more by this point. I’ve been less efficient than in previous seasons and I’ve not really got into my rhythm yet – that’s also due to my injury. However, I’m looking ahead and I’ll keep trying to give my best and to draw on my past form.
...Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern and in charge of the national team: We’ve also seen previous cases of a Bayern coach then going on to become the national team head coach. You know each other a little better as a result. Both parties often know what the other is all about. Julian is just like he was at Bayern: He’s still the same guy with the same principles. It’s certainly a different situation when you can’t repeat things every day. He’s motivated and it’s fun to work with him.
...assistant coach Sandro Wagner: Above all, it’s surprising that Sandro has gone down this route. We were still playing together a few years ago. The switch from player to coach is quite funny for us. However, he’s very open, motivated and serious about coaching. I think we’ve got a good combination within our coaching set-up.
...the new European Championships ball “FUSSBALLLIEBE”: The ball flies well, especially when you take a shot as an attacking player. It’s probably going to be a good tournament.
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Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry played in a multitude of home games for FC Bayern when Julian Nagelsmann was head coach. Now, they’ll be hoping to take part in the new national team coach’s first home outing when Germany take on Turkey on Saturday (20:45 CET). The Bayern teammates spoke about Nagelsmann and his coaching staff, their current form and dealing with setbacks in a press conference three days before the game.
Leon Goretzka on...
...the anticipation ahead of the Turkey game: I’m looking forward to what will be a great game. The Olympiastadion will be sold out. The Turkish fans’ support for their team is always impressive and it’ll be like playing in the lion’s den. I hope that the atmosphere will benefit the quality of football and that it’ll be a great game.
...creating a positive mood: We want to be positive, but it only works if you play attractive, effective football. A sense of euphoria should come naturally if we do that.
...his possible role as a back-up in the Germany team: It really doesn’t matter what role you’re in. We have a good squad and the competition for places is always intense. Everyone has to bring their A game. I’ve got strengths that I can use to help the team out. It’s down to Julian to decide when I can do that.
...his hand injury: I’m feeling good. My hand generally feels fine. I’m playing with a splint which is okay despite it being a bit awkward. I didn’t think my injury was a setback. I’m happy with how the season’s gone so far.
...the new head coach’s tactics: Julian is very flexible as far as his tactics are concerned. We can’t really directly compare the tactics he’s using with the national team to the tactics he used at Bayern. We touched on what our approach would be in our first few training sessions. It’s still too easy to score goals against us. It’s partly because of our defending in the box, which we’re working on at the moment. Defence is the key to success, especially at tournaments.
...the so-called “Class of 95”: Our age group formed a very successful team at youth level and we won a lot of tournaments. But we’ve not been very successful as a senior side, with the exception of the Confederations Cup. It’s annoying for all of us. It does mean that we’re even more motivated to do well at the next tournament. We’ll do everything we can to put things right.
...Manuel Neuer: We’re really happy that Manu’s back in action after such a serious injury. It’s not a given and you can’t give him enough credit for how well he did during his rehabilitation. We have another top goalkeeper in the form of Marc-André ter Stegen, however. At the end of the day, performances will dictate who plays.
Serge Gnabry on…
…his season so far: Of course, I’d have expected a little more by this point. I’ve been less efficient than in previous seasons and I’ve not really got into my rhythm yet – that’s also due to my injury. However, I’m looking ahead and I’ll keep trying to give my best and to draw on my past form.
...Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern and in charge of the national team: We’ve also seen previous cases of a Bayern coach then going on to become the national team head coach. You know each other a little better as a result. Both parties often know what the other is all about. Julian is just like he was at Bayern: He’s still the same guy with the same principles. It’s certainly a different situation when you can’t repeat things every day. He’s motivated and it’s fun to work with him.
...assistant coach Sandro Wagner: Above all, it’s surprising that Sandro has gone down this route. We were still playing together a few years ago. The switch from player to coach is quite funny for us. However, he’s very open, motivated and serious about coaching. I think we’ve got a good combination within our coaching set-up.
...the new European Championships ball “FUSSBALLLIEBE”: The ball flies well, especially when you take a shot as an attacking player. It’s probably going to be a good tournament.
