…Robert Andrich: I think he’s done a good job in midfield with Toni Kroos recently – the two have complemented each other well. You can tell that he was part of a strong team with Leverkusen last season. He’s a quality player and gives us a boost in several key areas.
…the return of Manuel Neuer: He’s managed to pull off an incredible achievement, especially in the way he’s come back. He’s had some incredible performances at Bayern this season, too, so it’s a great feeling for us to have him on the field.
The Germany national team arrived in Herzogenaurach yesterday to begin their final preparations ahead of this summer’s European Championships. As the training camp got underway, Joshua Kimmich took a moment to speak to the press about Monday’s friendly against Ukraine, the atmosphere in the camp and more.
Joshua Kimmich on…
…the fans at training: It was great to see so many people here in Jena. The atmosphere was outstanding. It was just as good yesterday in Herzogenaurach, where the fans waited in the pouring rain to welcome us. You can see that the people are ready to get going, and the positive energy ahead of the tournament is definitely a huge motivation for us.
…preparations for Monday’s friendly: We’re trying to put everything together out there on the pitch. It’s helped to have the boys from Leverkusen and Barcelona join us in training. Obviously, it’s a shame that we still have four players missing. It all comes down to winning – you could see after the March internationals that those two wins did us a lot of good in terms of morale. Accordingly, we’re looking for a win against Ukraine to keep that momentum going and maintain the current positive mood.
…training at adidas HQ: It didn’t take long for me to settle here – now we’ve got a pitch right by our rooms. The conditions are outstanding and it’s a perfect place for us to prepare.
…playing as a full-back: The things you need to do as a right-back are much different from playing as a holding midfielder. But I’ve played there plenty of times before, so I’ve found my feet quickly. Obviously I’ve got a lot of options available to me to make sure I’m suitably prepared.
…consistency in team selection: It was good for us to field the same starting XI twice in March – it’s the only way to establish partnerships on the pitch. Obviously it’s also possible to swap one or two players out, but when that happens it’s crucial that we can compensate for that as a team. We can replace any player – that’s important. We have to work together as a team in order to win.
…the importance of the opening game: I’ve already mentioned a few times how important the first game of a tournament is. The mood within the camp will depend heavily on how our opening game goes. We’ve got to make sure we win that game to generate a positive atmosphere. If you don’t win, doubt starts to creep in and the pressure will begin to mount. That’s why we’re taking these friendlies so seriously, and then after that we can focus on winning our first game at the European Championships.
…the mood in the Germany camp: The atmosphere is positive, and of course that’s been helped by the fact that we won our games in March. I hope it stays that way after Monday, because the mood depends entirely on whether we’re winning and we’re desperate to keep it like this going into the EUROs.
…Robert Andrich: I think he’s done a good job in midfield with Toni Kroos recently – the two have complemented each other well. You can tell that he was part of a strong team with Leverkusen last season. He’s a quality player and gives us a boost in several key areas.
…the return of Manuel Neuer: He’s managed to pull off an incredible achievement, especially in the way he’s come back. He’s had some incredible performances at Bayern this season, too, so it’s a great feeling for us to have him on the field.
