Germany will come up against three-time European champions Spain in the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2024 on Friday (18:00 CEST) in Stuttgart. Full-backs Joshua Kimmich and David Raum spoke to the press about the difficult task ahead.
Joshua Kimmich on...
...the quarter-final: I’d have to say that Spain have been the most impressive side so far. They’ve comfortably won all their matches so far – it’ll be a tough game for both sides. It will be a good match and one that all neutral fans can look forward to. There are no easy games, but if you want to win the tournament then you’ve got to get past Spain. These top-level games are the ones that you look forward to. They’ve got two good players on the wings. We will need to find ways of dealing with them as a team, and I’m sure there will be plenty of individual battles too.
...Germany’s record in tournaments against Spain: We finally want to beat Spain in a tournament again. Our aim is simply to reach the next round. We want to write our own story and create our own piece of history.
...styles of play: Both teams like to keep the ball, but other things will be important as well, such as courage, power and dynamism. We will hopefully be able to use the home advantage with our fans in the stands. As a team, we can feel the support from our fans when we’re on the pitch. We’re responsible for getting the fans involved in the game. The mental side will certainly play a part too. Every single player has to perform to their best, but also cannot forget to play football too. Spain aren’t used to playing against a team that want possession as well.
David Raum on...
...opponents Spain: Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are two fantastic players, but they’re not their only good players. The whole Spain team is full of so much quality. Those two are fantastic at dribbling with the ball and they will really test us out. We obviously will look at footage of them before the game, but they’re never fully predictable. Nonetheless, we’ll come up with a good plan. We know what we’re capable of and we’re really confident in ourselves.
...his crosses: I don’t go into games looking to just fire in balls at the opposition, I’m trying to find a head or the feet of a teammate.
...competing with Maximilian Mittelstädt: At the end of the day, we’re both great left-backs and have had a great season. Maxi played really well for the first two games and we’re making it tough for the coach to choose one of us. It’s a perfect situation when the coach can rotate because that means the quality is there. I’ve been pushing Maxi to perform and he’s now doing the same to me. We’ve done our job if we’re making the coach make a difficult decision.
Germany will come up against three-time European champions Spain in the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2024 on Friday (18:00 CEST) in Stuttgart. Full-backs Joshua Kimmich and David Raum spoke to the press about the difficult task ahead.
Joshua Kimmich on...
...the quarter-final: I’d have to say that Spain have been the most impressive side so far. They’ve comfortably won all their matches so far – it’ll be a tough game for both sides. It will be a good match and one that all neutral fans can look forward to. There are no easy games, but if you want to win the tournament then you’ve got to get past Spain. These top-level games are the ones that you look forward to. They’ve got two good players on the wings. We will need to find ways of dealing with them as a team, and I’m sure there will be plenty of individual battles too.
...Germany’s record in tournaments against Spain: We finally want to beat Spain in a tournament again. Our aim is simply to reach the next round. We want to write our own story and create our own piece of history.
...styles of play: Both teams like to keep the ball, but other things will be important as well, such as courage, power and dynamism. We will hopefully be able to use the home advantage with our fans in the stands. As a team, we can feel the support from our fans when we’re on the pitch. We’re responsible for getting the fans involved in the game. The mental side will certainly play a part too. Every single player has to perform to their best, but also cannot forget to play football too. Spain aren’t used to playing against a team that want possession as well.
David Raum on...
...opponents Spain: Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are two fantastic players, but they’re not their only good players. The whole Spain team is full of so much quality. Those two are fantastic at dribbling with the ball and they will really test us out. We obviously will look at footage of them before the game, but they’re never fully predictable. Nonetheless, we’ll come up with a good plan. We know what we’re capable of and we’re really confident in ourselves.
...his crosses: I don’t go into games looking to just fire in balls at the opposition, I’m trying to find a head or the feet of a teammate.
...competing with Maximilian Mittelstädt: At the end of the day, we’re both great left-backs and have had a great season. Maxi played really well for the first two games and we’re making it tough for the coach to choose one of us. It’s a perfect situation when the coach can rotate because that means the quality is there. I’ve been pushing Maxi to perform and he’s now doing the same to me. We’ve done our job if we’re making the coach make a difficult decision.
