The EUROs are edging closer for our World Champions. Joachim Löw has announced that he will name his provisional squad for the European Championship finals in France (10th June to 10th July) on Tuesday, 17th May. That group will head to the training camp in Ascona on 23rd May and will stay there until 3rd June, although the manager has to name his final 23-man squad for the tournament by 23:59 CEST on 30th May.
Germany’s first fixtures of 2016 will be two classics. Tuesday will see Die Mannschaft take on Italy in Munich (20:45 CEST), but before that, there’s the meeting with England in Berlin on Saturday (20:45 CET). The players met up in the capital on Tuesday, before training for the first time in the evening, followed by another session on Wednesday morning. Mesut Özil, Karim Bellarabi and Bastian Schweinsteiger were absent for the session, with the captain later ruled out of both fixtures with a knee injury.
In the first press conference of the international break, Germany coach Joachim Löw and general manager Oliver Bierhoff spoke about the status of the team’s preparations, the expectations of the England game, Mario Götze, Max Kruse and other players, and DFB.de listened in.
Joachim Löw on...
...the security situation: The events in Brussels are shocking and have triggered a lot of thoughts on our part. When you see something like that, the memories from France come flooding back. We won’t be fazed by this. The issue of security and safety will no doubt by discussed once again. We hope and expect the European Championships to be completed in peace, and for the football to be at the forefront. We will focus on our preparation and trust the security systems in place.
...the current situation: We purposefully chose two strong opponents, and look forward to what will be two special matches. We always have interesting matches against England and Italy. For that reason we increased the size of the squad. Every player will have the opportunity to stand out, both in training and on the pitch - it’s their last chance before squad nominations.
...on Mario Götze: I will speak to him one on one, so that he is aware of the full situation. He has been injured for a long period, and so I can understand the situation at Bayern München. They are determined to win every game. I noticed in training that Mario is not quite at 100% yet in terms of fitness and form. You see that he is lacking match practice. I want to help him, as I know what he is capable of and the professional attitude that he brings to the squad. He will go to the EUROs, and can be a very important player for us.
...on Max Kruse: I had a discussion with Max Kruse a few days ago - I don’t think his behavior has been professional. I encouraged him to reflect on his actions, some form of punishment will do him good in my opinion. I expect all the players to be completely focused on both the league and also on the European Championships. I hope that he learns his lesson. I will continue to watch his progress, both off and on the pitch. That applies to all of the players.
…Antonio Rüdiger in Italy: I've visited him in Rome, and I think that he's playing under a good manager and working very professionally. The emphasis on a strong defence in Italy has done him a lot of good. It was a step in the right direction for him to move there.
…Joshua Kimmich as Lahm's successor: Joshua could take over his position, for sure, but I think he's more of a central player. In any case, it's certainly conceivable that he'll develop into a good right back as the years go on.
…a return to the DFB team for Philipp Lahm: That's not a possibility. I know how Philipp thinks and how thoroughly he considers his decisions. We spoke after the World Cup and I know that his decision is final.
…the line-up against England: My plan is that players who've played in the Champions League or Europa League won't have to play 90 minutes. I'm ready to try some things out and take a look at a lot of players against England and Italy. I haven't made any final decisions yet. I'll wait until after the final training sessions.
…England: England have undergone something of a transition in recent years. I see them similarly to us in 2010. The team remains organised, plays with a secure defence and doesn't concede many goals. The England side is also a lot younger now. Players turn defence into attack well, wait for counter-attacking opportunities and like scoring goals.
Oliver Bierhoff on…
…the spirit of the European Championship: It's certainly not an easy time, nothing has changed in that regard. We're always working in a two-year cycle and we've been missing big players through injury. We haven't had all our best 18 available at any point in the last year. The terrible events in Paris and Hannover were on our minds at the end of last year. It's now a case of counting down the days until it stars. I think the games against England and Italy are a good chance to prepare for the tournament. We chose these games with the intention of playing at a high level.
…Max Kruse: You can't put all players in the same box. With him, it came down to his professional behaviour.
…an act of solidarity for the terror victims: We're discussing at the moment whether we'll hold a minute's silence or wear black armbands.
…the issue of security at the European Championship: The safety of the people is the most important thing. We would have also liked to play in Hannover and show that life goes on. We trust the people who are tasked with making decisions surrounding people's safety. Safety will continue to be on our minds, as it's important for us that the fans and spectators remain safe.
[mmc/wh, ac, mh]
The EUROs are edging closer for our World Champions. Joachim Löw has announced that he will name his provisional squad for the European Championship finals in France (10th June to 10th July) on Tuesday, 17th May. That group will head to the training camp in Ascona on 23rd May and will stay there until 3rd June, although the manager has to name his final 23-man squad for the tournament by 23:59 CEST on 30th May.
Germany’s first fixtures of 2016 will be two classics. Tuesday will see Die Mannschaft take on Italy in Munich (20:45 CEST), but before that, there’s the meeting with England in Berlin on Saturday (20:45 CET). The players met up in the capital on Tuesday, before training for the first time in the evening, followed by another session on Wednesday morning. Mesut Özil, Karim Bellarabi and Bastian Schweinsteiger were absent for the session, with the captain later ruled out of both fixtures with a knee injury.
In the first press conference of the international break, Germany coach Joachim Löw and general manager Oliver Bierhoff spoke about the status of the team’s preparations, the expectations of the England game, Mario Götze, Max Kruse and other players, and DFB.de listened in.
Joachim Löw on...
...the security situation: The events in Brussels are shocking and have triggered a lot of thoughts on our part. When you see something like that, the memories from France come flooding back. We won’t be fazed by this. The issue of security and safety will no doubt by discussed once again. We hope and expect the European Championships to be completed in peace, and for the football to be at the forefront. We will focus on our preparation and trust the security systems in place.
...the current situation: We purposefully chose two strong opponents, and look forward to what will be two special matches. We always have interesting matches against England and Italy. For that reason we increased the size of the squad. Every player will have the opportunity to stand out, both in training and on the pitch - it’s their last chance before squad nominations.
...on Mario Götze: I will speak to him one on one, so that he is aware of the full situation. He has been injured for a long period, and so I can understand the situation at Bayern München. They are determined to win every game. I noticed in training that Mario is not quite at 100% yet in terms of fitness and form. You see that he is lacking match practice. I want to help him, as I know what he is capable of and the professional attitude that he brings to the squad. He will go to the EUROs, and can be a very important player for us.
...on Max Kruse: I had a discussion with Max Kruse a few days ago - I don’t think his behavior has been professional. I encouraged him to reflect on his actions, some form of punishment will do him good in my opinion. I expect all the players to be completely focused on both the league and also on the European Championships. I hope that he learns his lesson. I will continue to watch his progress, both off and on the pitch. That applies to all of the players.
…Antonio Rüdiger in Italy: I've visited him in Rome, and I think that he's playing under a good manager and working very professionally. The emphasis on a strong defence in Italy has done him a lot of good. It was a step in the right direction for him to move there.
…Joshua Kimmich as Lahm's successor: Joshua could take over his position, for sure, but I think he's more of a central player. In any case, it's certainly conceivable that he'll develop into a good right back as the years go on.
…a return to the DFB team for Philipp Lahm: That's not a possibility. I know how Philipp thinks and how thoroughly he considers his decisions. We spoke after the World Cup and I know that his decision is final.
…the line-up against England: My plan is that players who've played in the Champions League or Europa League won't have to play 90 minutes. I'm ready to try some things out and take a look at a lot of players against England and Italy. I haven't made any final decisions yet. I'll wait until after the final training sessions.
…England: England have undergone something of a transition in recent years. I see them similarly to us in 2010. The team remains organised, plays with a secure defence and doesn't concede many goals. The England side is also a lot younger now. Players turn defence into attack well, wait for counter-attacking opportunities and like scoring goals.
Oliver Bierhoff on…
…the spirit of the European Championship: It's certainly not an easy time, nothing has changed in that regard. We're always working in a two-year cycle and we've been missing big players through injury. We haven't had all our best 18 available at any point in the last year. The terrible events in Paris and Hannover were on our minds at the end of last year. It's now a case of counting down the days until it stars. I think the games against England and Italy are a good chance to prepare for the tournament. We chose these games with the intention of playing at a high level.
…Max Kruse: You can't put all players in the same box. With him, it came down to his professional behaviour.
…an act of solidarity for the terror victims: We're discussing at the moment whether we'll hold a minute's silence or wear black armbands.
…the issue of security at the European Championship: The safety of the people is the most important thing. We would have also liked to play in Hannover and show that life goes on. We trust the people who are tasked with making decisions surrounding people's safety. Safety will continue to be on our minds, as it's important for us that the fans and spectators remain safe.
