Germany are preparing for EURO 2024 on home soil at their Team Base Camp in Herzogenaurach. Ahead of the opening game on Friday (21:00 CEST) against Scotland in Munich, Niclas Füllkrug spoke about the upcoming opponents and what Germany’s expectations are. DFB.de have his most important quotes.
Niclas Füllkrug on...
... Scotland: We learnt some lessons from the Greece game which will be useful against Scotland. I’m interested to see how the coaches will prepare us for the game. I watched a Scotland match and they played differently to how I expected. They press very high. Against us, there’ll be phases where they’ll sit deeper. They try to get into shooting situations as quickly as possible, so it’ll be important that we counter that and not let them show their dynamism. We’ll prepare intensively this week. It’s not just about preparing for the opponent, but also keeping our energy levels up and improving ourselves.
... the friendly against Greece: In the first half, we were a bit too lethargic, which puzzled me. We weren’t strong enough in the individual battles, and Greece exploited that with their dynamism. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I’m pleased with how we set up and how we played in the second half. Overall, I’m happy with how the team reacted and I think the coach is too.
... Antonio Rüdiger and Jonathan Tah: We’re very strong with them at the back. They play with energy and strength and are simply world class. They’re very difficult to get past. It feels really good to have them both on the pitch. It’s great that we have so much depth in defence. It gives us a formidable backline.
... his role within the squad: You have to accept the role you're given within the team. I think it’s important to be completely honest in these conversations with the head coach. We’re all footballers who have grown up very competitive, but it’s vital that we recognise the bigger picture here and the responsibilities we all need to fulfil. Of course, everyone wants to play, but Kai [Havertz – ed.] now has my full backing. I hope he scores as many goals as he possibly can, as he has the potential to contribute a lot to both the team and the nation.
... the striker role: It’s always good to have two different types of attackers up front. Kai has a different playing style to me, and we both had strong seasons where we proved ourselves against world-class defenders. I think this puts the national team in great stead ahead of the tournament – none of the teams are particularly excited to come up against our attack.
... his emotions ahead of the EUROs: I’m not at all stressed - I can’t wait for things to get started. The conditions are all optimal and the entire country is excited. We’re heading into the tournament full of confidence and positivity, and are aware that our fate is in our own hands.
Germany are preparing for EURO 2024 on home soil at their Team Base Camp in Herzogenaurach. Ahead of the opening game on Friday (21:00 CEST) against Scotland in Munich, Niclas Füllkrug spoke about the upcoming opponents and what Germany’s expectations are. DFB.de have his most important quotes.
Niclas Füllkrug on...
... Scotland: We learnt some lessons from the Greece game which will be useful against Scotland. I’m interested to see how the coaches will prepare us for the game. I watched a Scotland match and they played differently to how I expected. They press very high. Against us, there’ll be phases where they’ll sit deeper. They try to get into shooting situations as quickly as possible, so it’ll be important that we counter that and not let them show their dynamism. We’ll prepare intensively this week. It’s not just about preparing for the opponent, but also keeping our energy levels up and improving ourselves.
... the friendly against Greece: In the first half, we were a bit too lethargic, which puzzled me. We weren’t strong enough in the individual battles, and Greece exploited that with their dynamism. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I’m pleased with how we set up and how we played in the second half. Overall, I’m happy with how the team reacted and I think the coach is too.
... Antonio Rüdiger and Jonathan Tah: We’re very strong with them at the back. They play with energy and strength and are simply world class. They’re very difficult to get past. It feels really good to have them both on the pitch. It’s great that we have so much depth in defence. It gives us a formidable backline.
... his role within the squad: You have to accept the role you're given within the team. I think it’s important to be completely honest in these conversations with the head coach. We’re all footballers who have grown up very competitive, but it’s vital that we recognise the bigger picture here and the responsibilities we all need to fulfil. Of course, everyone wants to play, but Kai [Havertz – ed.] now has my full backing. I hope he scores as many goals as he possibly can, as he has the potential to contribute a lot to both the team and the nation.
... the striker role: It’s always good to have two different types of attackers up front. Kai has a different playing style to me, and we both had strong seasons where we proved ourselves against world-class defenders. I think this puts the national team in great stead ahead of the tournament – none of the teams are particularly excited to come up against our attack.
... his emotions ahead of the EUROs: I’m not at all stressed - I can’t wait for things to get started. The conditions are all optimal and the entire country is excited. We’re heading into the tournament full of confidence and positivity, and are aware that our fate is in our own hands.
