In Emre Can, Matthias Ginter, and Sead Kolasinac, Germany U21 coach Rainer Adrion has called up three newcomers to his extended squad for the 2013 UEFA Under-21 European Championship in Israel (5-18 June 2013).
Captain Lewis Holtby heads the long-list of 25 players due to report to camp in Grassau from Tuesday next week. Following their stay on the shores of scenic Lake Chiemsee from 21 to 24 May, the team will fly to Cyprus for training camp #2 from 27 May before heading for Israel on 2 June; 27 May is also the deadline for Adrion to nominate his final tournament squad of 23 players.
"Found the right mix"
Says Rainer Adrion: "We've spent the last two years identifying the most promising candidates and tracking their progress. Naming this squad was no easy decision, but I'm convinced that we have found the right mix of established U21 players and young talented ones coming through."
Asked about the three uncapped newcomers, the DFB coach responds: "These three players have proved their worth in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, showing great potential for further development. And by participating in a high-profile tournament like this, they will gather valuable international experience. "
Extended German squad for U21 European Championship
Kirchhoff and Arslan hoping to get match-fit in time
Having featured in 21 matches for the German U21 national team, captain Lewis Holtby (Tottenham Hotspur) is not only the most experienced player, he has also clocked up the highest number of goals (13). The extended squad also includes defender Jan Kirchhoff (recovering from groin surgery), and Tolgay Arslan (cruciate ligament strain), who both missed a number of club matches towards the end of the season.
"These players were integral parts of the team during the qualifying competition, so I'd love to have them on board for the tournament, provided of course the healing process goes well. But even without them, I think the qualifying matches showed there is plenty of quality in the side."
Kicking things off against the Netherlands
For the German U21 team, the tournament will kick off with a match against the Netherlands in Petach Tikva on 6 June (from 20:30 h, live on German channel Kabel1). The second group match will see Adrion's players take on reigning title holders Spain in Netanya on 9 June (from 20:30 h, live on German channel Kabel1). The third and final group match will be against Russia on 12 June (from 18:00 h, live on Sat.1), also in the Netanya stadium. The semi-finals are scheduled to be played in Petach Tikva and Netanya on 15 June, with the U21 European champions due to be crowned in the Jerusalem Teddy-Kollek-Stadion on 18 June.
Asked about his outlook for the event, Rainer Adrion says: "We've played convincing football in the qualifying campaign, and have managed to beat Switzerland in the play-offs. The coming final round is something like the icing on the cake for us, our greatest challenge, because we're going to have to prove our worth against absolute top nations such as Spain and the Netherlands. Our objective is to win matches on the strength of a collective team effort. That's our match plan for this tournament."
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In Emre Can, Matthias Ginter, and Sead Kolasinac, Germany U21 coach Rainer Adrion has called up three newcomers to his extended squad for the 2013 UEFA Under-21 European Championship in Israel (5-18 June 2013).
Captain Lewis Holtby heads the long-list of 25 players due to report to camp in Grassau from Tuesday next week. Following their stay on the shores of scenic Lake Chiemsee from 21 to 24 May, the team will fly to Cyprus for training camp #2 from 27 May before heading for Israel on 2 June; 27 May is also the deadline for Adrion to nominate his final tournament squad of 23 players.
"Found the right mix"
Says Rainer Adrion: "We've spent the last two years identifying the most promising candidates and tracking their progress. Naming this squad was no easy decision, but I'm convinced that we have found the right mix of established U21 players and young talented ones coming through."
Asked about the three uncapped newcomers, the DFB coach responds: "These three players have proved their worth in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, showing great potential for further development. And by participating in a high-profile tournament like this, they will gather valuable international experience. "
Extended German squad for U21 European Championship
Kirchhoff and Arslan hoping to get match-fit in time
Having featured in 21 matches for the German U21 national team, captain Lewis Holtby (Tottenham Hotspur) is not only the most experienced player, he has also clocked up the highest number of goals (13). The extended squad also includes defender Jan Kirchhoff (recovering from groin surgery), and Tolgay Arslan (cruciate ligament strain), who both missed a number of club matches towards the end of the season.
"These players were integral parts of the team during the qualifying competition, so I'd love to have them on board for the tournament, provided of course the healing process goes well. But even without them, I think the qualifying matches showed there is plenty of quality in the side."
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Kicking things off against the Netherlands
For the German U21 team, the tournament will kick off with a match against the Netherlands in Petach Tikva on 6 June (from 20:30 h, live on German channel Kabel1). The second group match will see Adrion's players take on reigning title holders Spain in Netanya on 9 June (from 20:30 h, live on German channel Kabel1). The third and final group match will be against Russia on 12 June (from 18:00 h, live on Sat.1), also in the Netanya stadium. The semi-finals are scheduled to be played in Petach Tikva and Netanya on 15 June, with the U21 European champions due to be crowned in the Jerusalem Teddy-Kollek-Stadion on 18 June.
Asked about his outlook for the event, Rainer Adrion says: "We've played convincing football in the qualifying campaign, and have managed to beat Switzerland in the play-offs. The coming final round is something like the icing on the cake for us, our greatest challenge, because we're going to have to prove our worth against absolute top nations such as Spain and the Netherlands. Our objective is to win matches on the strength of a collective team effort. That's our match plan for this tournament."
