In the final! The Germany U21 national team reached the final of the U21 European Championship for the third time in their history after a thrilling semi-final encounter that had to be decided on penalties. With one night’s break ahead of the tournament finale against Spain on Friday, head coach Stephan Kuntz and striker Felix Platte, who put Germany back on level terms with his strike to make it 2-2, speak to DFB.de ahead of the final in Krakow.
Stefan Kuntz on…
… their semi-final victory: It was a wonderful moment. I can sense a deep feeling of satisfaction and gratefulness. We spoke before the game about what having a successful semi-final means. What is important other than the result? I told the players after the game that I was proud of them. They showed everyone who loves football back home, what team spirit means. Everyone gave it everything. The substitutes were not disappointed.
… those with injuries: Every player is hoping for an appearance in the final but we have to wait and see. Davie Selke picked up a knock to his foot which meant he could not put weight on it but that has got a lot better over night. Niklas Stark’s muscles have tensed up a bit after an incident in the match against the Czech Republic. He was not able to turn his head which is why we didn’t want to take any risks. I am confident in the rest of the boys to be able to fill that gap but it would be great if Niklas were available for the final.
… practicing penalties: I still take the view that you cannot properly prepare for penalties. The pressure after playing for 120 minutes and the burden on you is completely different to when you are in training but we have stopped things in training from time to time to practice penalties.
… final opponents Spain: The way Spain play resembles the style of Barcelona, Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. They are a fantastic opponent for us to face in the final. We need to stop them playing and prevent them for getting into their game. We need to exploit our strengths.
… recovery and preparation for the final: We arrived back at our hotel at 22:30 CEST and opened the swimming pool. Every player that had played went into the ice bath where we started our regeneration. We then let them sleep in today, after which there were physiotherapists and doctors to help. We are giving the players two or three hours free this afternoon so that they can go for a coffee. Clearing your head is also important. We will all head to sleep early tonight after a good dinner and then do some individual training tomorrow. We will then have our final session in the stadium so that we are ready for the final.
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In the final! The Germany U21 national team reached the final of the U21 European Championship for the third time in their history after a thrilling semi-final encounter that had to be decided on penalties. With one night’s break ahead of the tournament finale against Spain on Friday, head coach Stephan Kuntz and striker Felix Platte, who put Germany back on level terms with his strike to make it 2-2, speak to DFB.de ahead of the final in Krakow.
Stefan Kuntz on…
… their semi-final victory: It was a wonderful moment. I can sense a deep feeling of satisfaction and gratefulness. We spoke before the game about what having a successful semi-final means. What is important other than the result? I told the players after the game that I was proud of them. They showed everyone who loves football back home, what team spirit means. Everyone gave it everything. The substitutes were not disappointed.
… those with injuries: Every player is hoping for an appearance in the final but we have to wait and see. Davie Selke picked up a knock to his foot which meant he could not put weight on it but that has got a lot better over night. Niklas Stark’s muscles have tensed up a bit after an incident in the match against the Czech Republic. He was not able to turn his head which is why we didn’t want to take any risks. I am confident in the rest of the boys to be able to fill that gap but it would be great if Niklas were available for the final.
… practicing penalties: I still take the view that you cannot properly prepare for penalties. The pressure after playing for 120 minutes and the burden on you is completely different to when you are in training but we have stopped things in training from time to time to practice penalties.
… final opponents Spain: The way Spain play resembles the style of Barcelona, Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. They are a fantastic opponent for us to face in the final. We need to stop them playing and prevent them for getting into their game. We need to exploit our strengths.
… recovery and preparation for the final: We arrived back at our hotel at 22:30 CEST and opened the swimming pool. Every player that had played went into the ice bath where we started our regeneration. We then let them sleep in today, after which there were physiotherapists and doctors to help. We are giving the players two or three hours free this afternoon so that they can go for a coffee. Clearing your head is also important. We will all head to sleep early tonight after a good dinner and then do some individual training tomorrow. We will then have our final session in the stadium so that we are ready for the final.
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... goalscorer Felix Platte: Felix was delighted from the moment he was called up. I spoke with Torsten Frings beforehand. He said that Felix was a real team player and Felix has absolutely done his job with us. The way in which he took his chance was impressive. Felix is part of the group that was born in 1996. It is important for all the guys in that age group to take something from this tournament for the upcoming qualifiers.
... his work as U21 head coach: It is not about Stefan Kuntz, but rather about the team. We as the coaching staff have a job to do. You look forward to your work as a coach and to working out a plan. And when you then look into the eyes and faces of the players after a match like the one against England, that gives you the best boost as a coach.
... the performance of those who came on: They were outstanding. Domme (Dominik Kohr) got the ball without committing a foul in his first big challenge and laid down a marker. That is exactly what you want to see as a coach, it was perfect. Thilo (Thilo Kehrer) two dangerous tackles in which he showed his class. All the players are at a very close level. Trusting them means letting the players play even when you don’t know exactly what is going to happen.
Felix Platte on...
... the England match and the final: The match took a lot out of us but we all came together again. We also want to give 100% against Spain, maybe even more.
... his role as a substitute: I am familiar with the role of coming on from my time at Darmstadt last season when I would come on as backup for Sandro Wagner. You shouldn’t make it a big thing in your head beforehand, but rather look forward to the match and do the best you can. That is what playing football is all about.
... his plans for the future: The next thing for me is to go back to Schalke and do my pre-season work there. Anything else is not of any concern to me. That can wait until after the European Championship.
