Leon Goretzka has been an impressive player for Germany at the Confederations Cup in Russia, not just in the 4-1 semi final win over Mexico. We caught up with the 22-year-old to talk about the young German team, his performance at the tournament and the upcoming final against Chile on Sunday (20:00 CEST).
DFB.de: Mr Goretzka, have you been able to see a bit of Russia while you've been out here?
Leon Goretzka: Here in Sochi it's been really nice. We've had good weather almost every day, lots of sun and there's the sea as well. It's quite special when you can have breakfast overlooking the sea. The DFB made it so that we could feel really content here.
DFB.de: So can Oliver Bierhoff book the same base for next year's World Cup?
Goretzka: (laughs) It would be presumptuous for me to tell him where he should book. He can already do that very well himself. But as I said, I wouldn't have anything against Sochi and the Black Seas coast. It's been very nice here.
DFB.de: You're certainly enjoying your football at the moment too. How much fun are you having playing in this team?
Goretzka: We have a young and gifted team with lots of players who can perform on the big stage. I profit from that and it's also a lot of fun.
DFB.de: Ten World Cup winners and core players are missing. There was hardly any preparation time for the Confed Cup. And yet you've reached the final. How have you managed it?
Goretzka: I think a key factor is that each individual player in the team has a lot of quality. They're all great footballers and most of them regularly play in the Bundesliga. Because of this quality, it's been quite easy to grasp things and perform together on the pitch. We've done that very well. We've developed from game to game. Perhaps no one expected that we'd reach the final, but we certainly deserve to be there.
DFB.de: In Timo Werner you have the top scorer in the tournament upfront. You were voted the Man of the Match on Thursday. Things could be going worse for you, couldn't they?
Goretzka: Yeah I think I can be quite happy at the moment. My team makes it easier for me. When the team plays well then each individual also looks better. We're having a lot of fun and long may it continue.
DFB.de: Your two goals against Mexico gave Germany the lead at half-time in the semi-final, despite them having 61% of the ball.
Goretzka: We were 2-0 and had one foot in the final and I think we sat back a little. We didn't do that intentionally, but it certainly wasn't the right decision. We should have continued to defend positively. We adjusted at half-time in order to get more into the game. We need to learn from these phases in games, but what's good is that we didn't concede during this difficult period. In the second half we could probably have scored one or two more goals.
DFB.de: What have you learnt from the group match against Chile that you will take into the final on Sunday?
Goretzka: We saw that Chile always try to press high up the pitch, force you to give away possession and try to break through quickly. That's what happened when they went 1-0 up against us. I think we'll find solutions for it.
DFB.de: Is there still enough spirit left in the tank for the final?
Goretzka: Of course. It was an energy-sapping season, but now we're in the final of an international tournament and we will have to give it everything we've got. It would be tremendous if we could win the title on Sunday. Lots of people wouldn't have expected that. We've been on a special journey together and we've developed as a team over the course of the tournament. Now we want to leave with the trophy.
DFB.de: Did it annoy you when people spoke about this squad as a 'B team' before the tournament began.
Goretzka: I didn't even notice that to be honest. I don't read all the stories every day. But last year we had a similar situation at the Olympics. There a young German team showed that you can get a whole nation to rally behind you at a seemingly unnoticeable tournament. Suddenly you gain attention and the support of the fans. This is the case again at the Confed Cup. We've shown that we can play good football. What's different to a European Championship or a World Cup is that first we had to win the support. That's definitely not the worst thing in the world. It keeps everybody honest.
DFB.de: You're a threat in front of goal and have a strong shooting technique, you're also a threat with your head and you play positively and press the ball tirelessly. Are you the complete footballer?
Goretzka: You always try to improve all areas of your game. I also think I'm tactically and mentally strong. But I also know that I can still improve all aspects of my game. I hope that I haven't reached my peak yet.
DFB.de: How do you protect yourself from too much praise?
Goretzka: The art is making sure you keep things in perspective. The same goes for when things aren't going so well. Then I have to ask myself who is criticising me and why. I mustn't take everything to heart. There are people who, when they say I had a good game, I believe, and there are others who I thank for the praise but know I much I should value it. What's important is the assessment of my true friends. That keeps your feet on the ground.
Leon Goretzka has been an impressive player for Germany at the Confederations Cup in Russia, not just in the 4-1 semi final win over Mexico. We caught up with the 22-year-old to talk about the young German team, his performance at the tournament and the upcoming final against Chile on Sunday (20:00 CEST).
DFB.de: Mr Goretzka, have you been able to see a bit of Russia while you've been out here?
Leon Goretzka: Here in Sochi it's been really nice. We've had good weather almost every day, lots of sun and there's the sea as well. It's quite special when you can have breakfast overlooking the sea. The DFB made it so that we could feel really content here.
DFB.de: So can Oliver Bierhoff book the same base for next year's World Cup?
Goretzka: (laughs) It would be presumptuous for me to tell him where he should book. He can already do that very well himself. But as I said, I wouldn't have anything against Sochi and the Black Seas coast. It's been very nice here.
DFB.de: You're certainly enjoying your football at the moment too. How much fun are you having playing in this team?
Goretzka: We have a young and gifted team with lots of players who can perform on the big stage. I profit from that and it's also a lot of fun.
DFB.de: Ten World Cup winners and core players are missing. There was hardly any preparation time for the Confed Cup. And yet you've reached the final. How have you managed it?
Goretzka: I think a key factor is that each individual player in the team has a lot of quality. They're all great footballers and most of them regularly play in the Bundesliga. Because of this quality, it's been quite easy to grasp things and perform together on the pitch. We've done that very well. We've developed from game to game. Perhaps no one expected that we'd reach the final, but we certainly deserve to be there.
DFB.de: In Timo Werner you have the top scorer in the tournament upfront. You were voted the Man of the Match on Thursday. Things could be going worse for you, couldn't they?
Goretzka: Yeah I think I can be quite happy at the moment. My team makes it easier for me. When the team plays well then each individual also looks better. We're having a lot of fun and long may it continue.
DFB.de: Your two goals against Mexico gave Germany the lead at half-time in the semi-final, despite them having 61% of the ball.
Goretzka: We were 2-0 and had one foot in the final and I think we sat back a little. We didn't do that intentionally, but it certainly wasn't the right decision. We should have continued to defend positively. We adjusted at half-time in order to get more into the game. We need to learn from these phases in games, but what's good is that we didn't concede during this difficult period. In the second half we could probably have scored one or two more goals.
DFB.de: What have you learnt from the group match against Chile that you will take into the final on Sunday?
Goretzka: We saw that Chile always try to press high up the pitch, force you to give away possession and try to break through quickly. That's what happened when they went 1-0 up against us. I think we'll find solutions for it.
DFB.de: Is there still enough spirit left in the tank for the final?
Goretzka: Of course. It was an energy-sapping season, but now we're in the final of an international tournament and we will have to give it everything we've got. It would be tremendous if we could win the title on Sunday. Lots of people wouldn't have expected that. We've been on a special journey together and we've developed as a team over the course of the tournament. Now we want to leave with the trophy.
DFB.de: Did it annoy you when people spoke about this squad as a 'B team' before the tournament began.
Goretzka: I didn't even notice that to be honest. I don't read all the stories every day. But last year we had a similar situation at the Olympics. There a young German team showed that you can get a whole nation to rally behind you at a seemingly unnoticeable tournament. Suddenly you gain attention and the support of the fans. This is the case again at the Confed Cup. We've shown that we can play good football. What's different to a European Championship or a World Cup is that first we had to win the support. That's definitely not the worst thing in the world. It keeps everybody honest.
DFB.de: You're a threat in front of goal and have a strong shooting technique, you're also a threat with your head and you play positively and press the ball tirelessly. Are you the complete footballer?
Goretzka: You always try to improve all areas of your game. I also think I'm tactically and mentally strong. But I also know that I can still improve all aspects of my game. I hope that I haven't reached my peak yet.
DFB.de: How do you protect yourself from too much praise?
Goretzka: The art is making sure you keep things in perspective. The same goes for when things aren't going so well. Then I have to ask myself who is criticising me and why. I mustn't take everything to heart. There are people who, when they say I had a good game, I believe, and there are others who I thank for the praise but know I much I should value it. What's important is the assessment of my true friends. That keeps your feet on the ground.
