Die Mannschaft have arrived in Paris. Joachim Löw’s team will face Poland at the Stade de France on Thursday (21:00 CEST) in their second game of the group stage. At a press conference, Löw spoke about Mats Hummels’ chances of playing, the strengths of the opponent and memories from their last match at this stadium. Sami Khedira also appears to be focused on the match with Poland.
JOACHIM LÖW ON...:
... a possible appearance for Mats Hummels: We will speak with him again this evening and decide whether he can play or not. I will not risk him. If he is not 100 percent fit or perhaps has a slight discomfort, then he will not play. I can only give an exact prognosis after training. He has felt good until now and has coped well with the strain. We have to wait until after training today and then talk with the doctors and player again this evening. We can probably say more after that.
... memories of the attacks on 13th November 2015: It came to mind but it’s not an issue and I never had the feeling that anyone feels unsafe. We are just concentrating on the game and I do not think that it is necessary for security to become an issue. I feel safe here and I am looking forward to the game.
... opponents Poland: The coaching staff have looked at and analysed some situations from their matches against us and what we did not do well when we faced them in Poland. They are a well organised team who wait to attack on the counter. The team is set up to counter quickly – they do that better than our last opponents Ukraine. They go forward with a high tempo and are a strong side when they break, which we have experienced in the last two years. Poland have a good, compact team with outstanding individuals and many players from the Bundesliga, who our players know very well.
... Bastian Schweinsteiger: You get the feeling with him that he is making small steps forward every day in terms of his physical condition. He has worked hard in training. He was a little tired at first but now he is full of energy again. He does not have the strength to play 90 minutes, but his role off the pitch has become more and more important in recent years, too. He is a leader, both on and off the pitch, very experienced – he has won everything at club level and is also a World Champion. Bastian is an important go-to guy for me because he thinks a lot about football. He has a great influence on our team.
... the line-up: We mustn’t necessarily change the team but I also do not agree with always playing the same team.
... the question of the striker: For me, Götze was not as bad as the critics made out. I think that he ran a crazy amount and did a lot for the team. Gomez has trained well and is in good form. Both would be ideal candidates for the game against Poland. I think that we will have more possession, Götze can combine well in tight spaces and Gomez is strong when we play down the wings. We will also look at where the opposition are vulnerable. If balls into the box from wide are ideal, then Mario Gomez is the perfect candidate. If the opposition have more problems in the centre, then Götze is very important in the middle as a pivot when the opponents sit on the edge of their box. But the final decision will also come down to my gut feeling.
Die Mannschaft have arrived in Paris. Joachim Löw’s team will face Poland at the Stade de France on Thursday (21:00 CEST) in their second game of the group stage. At a press conference, Löw spoke about Mats Hummels’ chances of playing, the strengths of the opponent and memories from their last match at this stadium. Sami Khedira also appears to be focused on the match with Poland.
JOACHIM LÖW ON...:
... a possible appearance for Mats Hummels: We will speak with him again this evening and decide whether he can play or not. I will not risk him. If he is not 100 percent fit or perhaps has a slight discomfort, then he will not play. I can only give an exact prognosis after training. He has felt good until now and has coped well with the strain. We have to wait until after training today and then talk with the doctors and player again this evening. We can probably say more after that.
... memories of the attacks on 13th November 2015: It came to mind but it’s not an issue and I never had the feeling that anyone feels unsafe. We are just concentrating on the game and I do not think that it is necessary for security to become an issue. I feel safe here and I am looking forward to the game.
... opponents Poland: The coaching staff have looked at and analysed some situations from their matches against us and what we did not do well when we faced them in Poland. They are a well organised team who wait to attack on the counter. The team is set up to counter quickly – they do that better than our last opponents Ukraine. They go forward with a high tempo and are a strong side when they break, which we have experienced in the last two years. Poland have a good, compact team with outstanding individuals and many players from the Bundesliga, who our players know very well.
... Bastian Schweinsteiger: You get the feeling with him that he is making small steps forward every day in terms of his physical condition. He has worked hard in training. He was a little tired at first but now he is full of energy again. He does not have the strength to play 90 minutes, but his role off the pitch has become more and more important in recent years, too. He is a leader, both on and off the pitch, very experienced – he has won everything at club level and is also a World Champion. Bastian is an important go-to guy for me because he thinks a lot about football. He has a great influence on our team.
... the line-up: We mustn’t necessarily change the team but I also do not agree with always playing the same team.
... the question of the striker: For me, Götze was not as bad as the critics made out. I think that he ran a crazy amount and did a lot for the team. Gomez has trained well and is in good form. Both would be ideal candidates for the game against Poland. I think that we will have more possession, Götze can combine well in tight spaces and Gomez is strong when we play down the wings. We will also look at where the opposition are vulnerable. If balls into the box from wide are ideal, then Mario Gomez is the perfect candidate. If the opposition have more problems in the centre, then Götze is very important in the middle as a pivot when the opponents sit on the edge of their box. But the final decision will also come down to my gut feeling.
... the question of the captain: Manuel Neuer will captain the side again.
SAMI KHEDIRA ON...:
... returning to the Stade de France: I think everyone has come to terms with what happened. Of course it is not nice to have experienced such a thing but we are completely safe here and never feel threatened. We thought about the victims and their relatives. It will be a good game tomorrow and we are looking forward to facing Poland.
... Poland’s qualities: We are not making the mistake of just thinking about Robert Lewandowski. We know that he is world-class but his teammates also have great potential. We have faced them often in recent times and know that they are always dangerous and can cause an upset. We have analysed them and know what we will face.
... violence during the EUROs: You don’t want to see this sort of thing in sport or anywhere else, but the whole of Europe is watching the EUROs so it’s an obvious target. But the atmosphere with the German fans in our first game was outstanding, and we are looking forward to that again.
... the difficulties of the second group game: Since I’ve been involved with the national team, we have always had a good start to tournaments. We were pleased with the result this time but were not overly happy nor did we celebrate. Every player has tried to recover as quickly as possible and to prepare for Poland. Just like we did in 2012, we want to win our second group game too (2-1 vs. Netherlands).
