Die Mannschaft are keen to make their first appearance in a Confed Cup final, and all that stands in their way is a semi-final against Mexico in Sochi on Thursday (20:00 CEST). Manager Joachim Löw and Germany left-back Jonas Hector comment on their upcoming opponents, the youth in the side, the U21s, and more.
JOACHIM LÖW ON…
… the semi-final: We’re pleased to have made it to the semi-final and we’ll be coming up against strong opponents in the form of Mexico. We went through a quick review of our game against Cameroon on Monday, and then began preparations by gathering some knowledge on our opponents. Mexico are a team that run a lot, and that also have quick and unpredictable players. They’re on Chile’s level as a team in terms of how they play. They’re an emotional side with a lot of pride. We want to make it to the final. Our players are hungry, but we need to play better than we did in the first half against Cameroon.
… their opponents Mexico: They’re aggressive in a positive way, as Mexico have embodied this style of play for many years now. My first experience of the Mexicans came against them in the third-place playoff in the 2005 Confed Cup – I didn’t know much about them back then. They were the team that enthralled me the most, due to their extreme willingness to attack and their defiance. It wasn’t as common back then to attack your opponents in their own box, but that’s exactly was the Mexicans did. Their philosophy of play is to hunt down the ball. They’ve developed an incredible dynamic.
… changes to the starting eleven: So far the players that have played have been very good. That’s helped us out at certain times – our flexibility has been a win in and of itself. We won’t start with the same players that started the game against Cameroon. I’ll wait until the final training session before sharing my thoughts with the coaching staff in order to come up with a concrete eleven for the game.
… the decision to play Marc-Andre ter Stegen: It’s important for goalkeepers to play two or three games at a time. Marc has been here with us longer than Bernd (Leno) or Kevin (Trapp) have. He’s a great keeper, but that’s not to say that the others aren’t.
… what Julian Draxler means to the team going forward: A lot of players are important for us when it comes to building attacks, but Julian is a player who is technically superb, has pace, can play in space, and can finish. I’m fond of his performances here so far. He’s developing as a character and does well looking after the younger players. He’s very ambitious here and there’s no question that he wants to win the Confed Cup. He’s played well on the pitch, and you can see the quality that he possesses.
… rotating the team: Clearly there’s a lot of pressure when you’re playing a game every three days – which includes the extra stress caused by all the travelling. For that reason, I took out two or three players who I got the impression needed a break, but they’re all in a position to play seven game in a row should I see fit for them to do so. I’ve never had the impression that there are players here who are tired or showing signs of wear and tear so to speak. We’ve not had any conditioning problems so far.
… his idea for the Confed Cup squad: The moment came when I realised after the World Cup hat we’d be playing three tournaments in three years. We also had a bad experience after the 2014 World Cup, because a lot of the players were carrying knocks and it was tough on their bodies. I had to replace eight or nine players in the first game after the tournament. Tournaments like this one are a lot of work for the players, and most of them get off to a rocky start to the season because of it. It was clear that a third tournament would take its toll, and so I decided to call up other players for the Confed Cup. It’s also a good chance for me to work with young players, who can’t simply simulate things like this – friendlies are totally different. The game against Cameroon was an example of that: it was do-or-die. The experience will help the players at their next tournament. I’m happy with their development, because now we have more alternatives and competition within the squad – and that was our aim coming into the tournament.
Die Mannschaft are keen to make their first appearance in a Confed Cup final, and all that stands in their way is a semi-final against Mexico in Sochi on Thursday (20:00 CEST). Manager Joachim Löw and Germany left-back Jonas Hector comment on their upcoming opponents, the youth in the side, the U21s, and more.
JOACHIM LÖW ON…
… the semi-final: We’re pleased to have made it to the semi-final and we’ll be coming up against strong opponents in the form of Mexico. We went through a quick review of our game against Cameroon on Monday, and then began preparations by gathering some knowledge on our opponents. Mexico are a team that run a lot, and that also have quick and unpredictable players. They’re on Chile’s level as a team in terms of how they play. They’re an emotional side with a lot of pride. We want to make it to the final. Our players are hungry, but we need to play better than we did in the first half against Cameroon.
… their opponents Mexico: They’re aggressive in a positive way, as Mexico have embodied this style of play for many years now. My first experience of the Mexicans came against them in the third-place playoff in the 2005 Confed Cup – I didn’t know much about them back then. They were the team that enthralled me the most, due to their extreme willingness to attack and their defiance. It wasn’t as common back then to attack your opponents in their own box, but that’s exactly was the Mexicans did. Their philosophy of play is to hunt down the ball. They’ve developed an incredible dynamic.
… changes to the starting eleven: So far the players that have played have been very good. That’s helped us out at certain times – our flexibility has been a win in and of itself. We won’t start with the same players that started the game against Cameroon. I’ll wait until the final training session before sharing my thoughts with the coaching staff in order to come up with a concrete eleven for the game.
… the decision to play Marc-Andre ter Stegen: It’s important for goalkeepers to play two or three games at a time. Marc has been here with us longer than Bernd (Leno) or Kevin (Trapp) have. He’s a great keeper, but that’s not to say that the others aren’t.
… what Julian Draxler means to the team going forward: A lot of players are important for us when it comes to building attacks, but Julian is a player who is technically superb, has pace, can play in space, and can finish. I’m fond of his performances here so far. He’s developing as a character and does well looking after the younger players. He’s very ambitious here and there’s no question that he wants to win the Confed Cup. He’s played well on the pitch, and you can see the quality that he possesses.
… rotating the team: Clearly there’s a lot of pressure when you’re playing a game every three days – which includes the extra stress caused by all the travelling. For that reason, I took out two or three players who I got the impression needed a break, but they’re all in a position to play seven game in a row should I see fit for them to do so. I’ve never had the impression that there are players here who are tired or showing signs of wear and tear so to speak. We’ve not had any conditioning problems so far.
… his idea for the Confed Cup squad: The moment came when I realised after the World Cup hat we’d be playing three tournaments in three years. We also had a bad experience after the 2014 World Cup, because a lot of the players were carrying knocks and it was tough on their bodies. I had to replace eight or nine players in the first game after the tournament. Tournaments like this one are a lot of work for the players, and most of them get off to a rocky start to the season because of it. It was clear that a third tournament would take its toll, and so I decided to call up other players for the Confed Cup. It’s also a good chance for me to work with young players, who can’t simply simulate things like this – friendlies are totally different. The game against Cameroon was an example of that: it was do-or-die. The experience will help the players at their next tournament. I’m happy with their development, because now we have more alternatives and competition within the squad – and that was our aim coming into the tournament.
… his young Confed Cup squad: I’m really happy to be in the semi-final with this side. Our main aim is always to be one of the last four teams in any competition, and you couldn’t necessarily expect that from this team. Nonetheless, they did it, and did so by overcoming a few different hurdles in the tournament. It’s nice that the team is bonding, because the players are spending time with each other off the pitch too. They’re incredibly happy to be here. Not a single player is seeking to be in the spotlight – instead they all want to succeed as a team.
… Germany’s youth teams: We all watched the U21s together yesterday, feeling the tension before ultimately celebrating. A few of the players here were indeed a part of that team once. We can take pride in the way we’re developing our young players, as they’ve really improved in recent years – but we can by no means stop this progression and sit back.
JONAS HECTOR ON…
… the semi-final: We’re extremely happy to have qualified as top of the group. That makes our preparation easier because we can stay in Sochi. That gave us an extra day off.
… their opponents Mexico: It’s important that we play well when it comes to going forward. The Mexicans press immediately upon losing the ball – we have to know how to beat that. However, if we impose ourselves in attack and play convincingly upfront, then we’ll certainly have an easier task on our hands.
… a potential penalty shootout: We’ve practised penalties once, but not as a proper session. We’ll just take it as it comes because it’s never certain who’s actually on the pitch and who feels good about taking a penalty.
... the attacking responsibilities of a wing-back: Wing-backs have to work up and down the entire flank when playing in a system that employs a three-back of five-back formation. You’re more involved in the attack and as a result tend to put in more crosses than you would when playing in a back-four.
... the age of the players: It’s clear that we’re not a naive bunch when you see us play as a team out on the pitch. Most players already have a lot of games under their belts at their respective clubs. It’s definitely exciting to play in your first major tournament, but we all know what we need to do – and that includes the younger players – so age isn’t really a big factor.
... the U21s making the EURO final: We wouldn’t have minded being spared the tense penalty shootout, but we were very happy to see the U21s progress through the semi-final. We don’t need to make it that tense ourselves on Thursday though. We’ll do everything in our power to make it into the final.
