The German national team has improved its chances of reaching the knockout stages at the World Cup in Qatar. After the high-quality 1-1 draw against Spain and Japan's defeat, Hansi Flick's side can make the round of 16 in the last group match against Costa Rica on Thursday (20:00 CET). The national coach discusses the permutations, and his substitute and goalscorer Niclas Füllkrug.
Question: Mr Flick, how do you assess the 1-1 against Spain?
Hansi Flick: It was a game where we couldn’t be separated. We had another great chance at the end, but unfortunately we didn't take it. Self-confidence comes when you win - maybe that's the spark we need. We need the determination that Niclas Füllkrug showed when he scored. It's important for me to say that the team fought outstandingly for 90 minutes and showed a great mentality. I am very satisfied.
Question: After his important equaliser, has Füllkrug now earned himself a start against Costa Rica?
Flick: Right after the game is too early to state something like that, but we are pleased that he showed how to score through his determination. He offers the team a lot, goals aside. He is a very good lad and his intentions are always right. We are very pleased to have him.
Question: How do you assess the defensive performance?
Flick: We held our ground well and allowed little against us. The goal came from a transition, so we can defend those a bit better by putting a bit more pressure on the ball. We have to work on that. But the team didn’t let their heads hang and wanted to show that they wanted to get something from this game and take our chance.
Question: Is the midfield with Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Ilkay Gündogan the solution going forward?
Flick: You saw that all three are massively important for this team. We thought long and hard about how we would set up. Leroy Sané was also an option from the start, but we didn't know how many minutes he had in him. We made the right call as he seriously brought some freshness when he came on. And the three midfielders also did well - Ilkay is enormously secure on the ball going forward and does us a lot of good.
Question: What do you expect in the last group match against Costa Rica?
Flick: They showed a great mentality. When you lose 7-0 and come back like that... That's a team that defends well and is in good condition, and maybe deserved the 1-0 against Japan. But that game still feels like a while away, we still need to let the dust settle on Spain and do our analysis. We’ll look to take forward what we did well, the players need to have the self-confidence to attack like they did in the end.
Question: Can Germany now compete with the big players again?
Flick: That was a great game against an top team. We played as well as they did, those are the things we want to see from the team. We know that we have taken a big first step and we want to create the same conditions in the next match against Costa Rica to get through the next round.
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The German national team has improved its chances of reaching the knockout stages at the World Cup in Qatar. After the high-quality 1-1 draw against Spain and Japan's defeat, Hansi Flick's side can make the round of 16 in the last group match against Costa Rica on Thursday (20:00 CET). The national coach discusses the permutations, and his substitute and goalscorer Niclas Füllkrug.
Question: Mr Flick, how do you assess the 1-1 against Spain?
Hansi Flick: It was a game where we couldn’t be separated. We had another great chance at the end, but unfortunately we didn't take it. Self-confidence comes when you win - maybe that's the spark we need. We need the determination that Niclas Füllkrug showed when he scored. It's important for me to say that the team fought outstandingly for 90 minutes and showed a great mentality. I am very satisfied.
Question: After his important equaliser, has Füllkrug now earned himself a start against Costa Rica?
Flick: Right after the game is too early to state something like that, but we are pleased that he showed how to score through his determination. He offers the team a lot, goals aside. He is a very good lad and his intentions are always right. We are very pleased to have him.
Question: How do you assess the defensive performance?
Flick: We held our ground well and allowed little against us. The goal came from a transition, so we can defend those a bit better by putting a bit more pressure on the ball. We have to work on that. But the team didn’t let their heads hang and wanted to show that they wanted to get something from this game and take our chance.
Question: Is the midfield with Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Ilkay Gündogan the solution going forward?
Flick: You saw that all three are massively important for this team. We thought long and hard about how we would set up. Leroy Sané was also an option from the start, but we didn't know how many minutes he had in him. We made the right call as he seriously brought some freshness when he came on. And the three midfielders also did well - Ilkay is enormously secure on the ball going forward and does us a lot of good.
Question: What do you expect in the last group match against Costa Rica?
Flick: They showed a great mentality. When you lose 7-0 and come back like that... That's a team that defends well and is in good condition, and maybe deserved the 1-0 against Japan. But that game still feels like a while away, we still need to let the dust settle on Spain and do our analysis. We’ll look to take forward what we did well, the players need to have the self-confidence to attack like they did in the end.
Question: Can Germany now compete with the big players again?
Flick: That was a great game against an top team. We played as well as they did, those are the things we want to see from the team. We know that we have taken a big first step and we want to create the same conditions in the next match against Costa Rica to get through the next round.
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