A few hours to go until kick off. Germany against Georgia. Tbilsi. European Championship qualification. Today is incredibly important and three points are expected. In an interview with DFB.de Assistant manager Thomas Schneider discusses recent news, the atmosphere in the camp, and their anticipation ahead of tonight’s game.
DFB.de: Mr Schneider, tonight it counts. How is the mood in the team, what are you impressions of the national team recently?
Schneider: The team is fully concentrated. Even in training the players were highly focussed. Yesterday we had a really good, intensive session. Everyone knows what we have to do. We’re looking forward to the game, we are well prepared and three points are absolutely necessary.
DFB.de: The position in the table is not the best right now. Does the team feel pressure to avoid a real blunder? Was the intensity in training especially high as a result?
Schneider: The quality is high in every training session. But obviously our approach is much different to what it was against Australia. We want to win the group but we are off the mark at the moment. We conceded too many points in autumn and now we want to correct our position in the table as quickly as possible.
DFB.de: None of the Georgia players play for a top side in a top league. What level do you expect of your opponents?
Schneider: You shouldn’t the mistake of assuming the quality of this side because of that fact. Anyway, there are players there that play for good teams in strong leagues. Ananidze plazs for Spartak Moscow, Mchedlidlze for Empoli and a few others play abroad too. Even if Georgia isn’t a team that has notable players at its disposal, they are more than capable of getting a good result against a top side. You don't have to look far back to see that: Georgia drew 0-0 with France and only lost 1-0 to Spain. We’ve been warned.
DFB.de: Poland won 4-0 in Tbisli in their qualifier against Georgia.
A few hours to go until kick off. Germany against Georgia. Tbilsi. European Championship qualification. Today is incredibly important and three points are expected. In an interview with DFB.de Assistant manager Thomas Schneider discusses recent news, the atmosphere in the camp, and their anticipation ahead of tonight’s game.
DFB.de: Mr Schneider, tonight it counts. How is the mood in the team, what are you impressions of the national team recently?
Schneider: The team is fully concentrated. Even in training the players were highly focussed. Yesterday we had a really good, intensive session. Everyone knows what we have to do. We’re looking forward to the game, we are well prepared and three points are absolutely necessary.
DFB.de: The position in the table is not the best right now. Does the team feel pressure to avoid a real blunder? Was the intensity in training especially high as a result?
Schneider: The quality is high in every training session. But obviously our approach is much different to what it was against Australia. We want to win the group but we are off the mark at the moment. We conceded too many points in autumn and now we want to correct our position in the table as quickly as possible.
DFB.de: None of the Georgia players play for a top side in a top league. What level do you expect of your opponents?
Schneider: You shouldn’t the mistake of assuming the quality of this side because of that fact. Anyway, there are players there that play for good teams in strong leagues. Ananidze plazs for Spartak Moscow, Mchedlidlze for Empoli and a few others play abroad too. Even if Georgia isn’t a team that has notable players at its disposal, they are more than capable of getting a good result against a top side. You don't have to look far back to see that: Georgia drew 0-0 with France and only lost 1-0 to Spain. We’ve been warned.
DFB.de: Poland won 4-0 in Tbisli in their qualifier against Georgia.
Schneider: That just goes to show how strong Poland are and the result doesn't reflect the actual game. The game was open for long spells and the first goal wasn't scored until the 50th minute. There’s no doubt that Georgia are capable of staying compact and defending well. They rarely allow high scoring games, so we know what's coming.
DFB.de: How do you plan to counter Georgia’s compact defence?
Schneider: The outcome of the game will depend on how well we execute the game plan we have been working on. We need to play quickly and fill the gaps. We need to stretch the pitch and be penetrative in front of goal. If we bring our A game then there’s no doubt we will win the match.
