Mustafi: "English football has developed"

Shkodran Mustafi will see quite a few familiar faces when he faces England tonight (20:45 CET). The German world cup winner will know players on both sides as he currently plies his trade with Arsenal in the English Premier League. DFB.de interviewed the 24-year-old about the England team, how he’s getting on at Arsenal and the Confederations Cup in Russia.

DFB.de: England will be without Daniel Sturridge, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney. Shkodran Mustafi, how strong will Germany’s opponents be this evening?

Shkodran Mustafi: The England team is always one of the strongest in the world, even when some players are missing. One thing is certain: they won’t hold back even if tonight is Lukas Podolski’s last international match. They won’t form a guard of honour for Poldi and they’re not coming to Dortmund for a holiday. The English are always very dangerous.

DFB.de: Are you aware of the record between the two nations?

Mustafi: I know that the English have a lot of respect for us so I would think that the record between the sides is fairly even.

DFB.de: There have been 34 previous meetings. England has won 16 and Germany 12.

Mustafi: Ok, I didn’t think it would be like that.

DFB.de: Jamie Vardy, who won the Premier League with Leicester and scored 24 goals last season, is in the squad.

Mustafi: For me he’s a classic English striker. They’re quick and like to run in behind, have lots of movement and are very dangerous. Vardy is exactly like that. You know that when the ball gets played in behind that he’s going to chase you and look to unsettle you. You’re never sure even when you have a 20 yard head start. That’s what Vardy is good at.

DFB.de: John Stones of Manchester City plays at centre-back like yourself.

Mustafi: For me he’s a classy player who plays the ball a lot and is strong in one-on-one situations. He wants to play low balls forward and does it very intelligently. Here you can see that English football has developed. The times when they hoofed the ball forward and chased it are long gone.

DFB.de: In Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, one of your Arsenal teammates is in the squad.

Mustafi: Alex is someone who you have to be aware of. He’s very quick and direct. He doesn’t try to do things that look spectacular, rather he tries to be effective. He can play in a few different positions. He has a very good right foot and it’s dangerous when he gets in and around the penalty area.

DFB.de: The England manager Gareth Southgate is taking charge of his first complete round of internationals. Will that be a factor?

Mustafi: Yes, of course that is a factor. The squad will be a different mix under a new manager. It’s always interesting when a new coach works with the team for the first time. The players will give everything and, as ever when Germany plays England, the fans will see a great game.

DFB.de: You made your Arsenal debut in the fourth game of the Premier League season in a 2-1 win over Southampton. Then it all went very well for you. In the last few weeks you’ve had some poor results. What’s gone wrong?

Mustafi: We haven’t been playing to our potential. As a team we can use this international break to refresh and then start again when we go back. When we meet up again in London we need to roll up our sleeves. We want to finish in the top four because Arsenal wants to be playing in the Champions League next year.

DFB.de: Arsenal is currently occupying sixth place, but you have two gamed in hand on Liverpool, who are six points ahead in fourth.

Mustafi: I think it’s risky to justify our position by saying we have played two games fewer than Liverpool. If we had beaten West Brom, we wouldn’t be sixth. After the break we have a crunch game against Manchester City in London.

DFB.de: You were part of the team that won the World Cup in 2014. How’s the Germany team shaping up with 15 months to go until the next World Cup in Russia?

Mustafi: We’re where we want to be. We’re in first place in our qualifying group having scored 16 goals and conceded none. But it’s not just about results. We want to keep developing and that’s what we’re doing. There are always young players with drive coming through, like Timo Werner at RB Leipzig who is having a super season. That’s great for German football, that this development never stops.

DFB.de: And now the question that you’re always asked about – the position question.

Mustafi: (laughs) Yes, I’ve answered that question a lot. I’m here to serve the team. As everyone knows, I always play at centre-back for Arsenal. But I have no problem if the coach wants me to play in a different position. I’m the sort of guy who will always give everything on the pitch and wants to help the team and if you are helping the team then you shine yourself.

DFB.de: Would you want to play in the Confederations Cup or would you rather have a break over the summer?

Mustafi: For me it’s very important to get practice of playing for Germany. If the coach selects me, I’m definitely available to play. I really enjoy playing every international match.