Niclas Füllkrug had a big impact in his first few months as a Germany player at the end of 2022. Now, the uncapped duo of Marius Wolf and Kevin Schade want to make a similarly positive impression in the first two internationals of 2023 against Peru in Mainz (Saturday, 20:45 CET) and Belgium in Köln (Tuesday, 20:45 CET). All three spoke about their roles in the Germany side ahead of next summer’s tournament on Wednesday. DFB.de has summarised the most important quotes.
Niclas Füllkrug on...
...his view on the World Cup: There were no winners, but I can still evaluate my own performances realistically – a few things went well for me. Overall though, the most important thing was that we went out of the tournament far too early on.
…the coach: Hansi Flick is definitely interested in working on and improving many different things. He talks with us a lot about various topics, though he always been good at communicating. Sometimes he doesn't get the backing he deserves though. He deserves credit for brave decisions. Respect isn’t a one-way street. We want to be successful and we will have two good teams out on the pitch for these two friendlies.
…his relationship with the Bayern players in the squad: They are lads that welcomed me into the national team. We spent a lot of time together in Qatar. I try to learn from them, but I can also give them something back too. They are not trying to convince me to move to Bayern though. (laughs)
…two strikers: Playing with another striker has both advantages and disadvantages, but I think there are more benefits to it. When you have just one striker, you tend to play a lot of passes back towards your own goal. A second striker allows you to mix things up more. We’ve got a number of players in the national team that can do that and know how to get into dangerous positions. I feel really comfortable playing alongside another striker and will be happy if I get the chance to be out on the pitch.
…the uncapped Wolf and Schade: We get on really well as a team and welcome new lads. That was the case with me and we’re trying to keep doing it – it’s then easier to play well if you’re new. Marius and Kevin are two different kinds of players. Marius has been playing in the Champions League for a number of years and performing consistently well, while Kevin has bags of potential. It’s nice to have both on board.
…squad harmony: Harmony doesn’t just mean being nice to everyone. It’s important to have some friction too, although you can’t let it get out of control. A new team needs to take time to find itself. Teams grow from successes, failures and memories. You have to work on your chemistry and find your best XI, but also allow others the chance to get in the side. It’s a fine balancing act and one we have to manage.
Marius Wolf on...
...his path to a national team call-up: I never thought that I would play for the national team. But, everyone has a different career path, with me I went on a lot of loans.
...difficult points in his career: My time in Hannover wasn’t easy for me, but maybe it was good that it happened at such an early point in my career. I got a lot of encouragement from my family that I would get my chance eventually. I believed in that and worked on myself.
...his style of play: I will always try to help the team – here, like in Dortmund. I always want to put in 100% on the pitch, regardless of what position I’m playing. I have always tried to play at my highest performance level.
...the ‘BVB mentality’: It is always important to have the right mentality on the day. It is going really well at the club at the moment. But all the players here bring the mentality of wanting to win games. It is important to have characters like that in the team who can carry people with them during the game.
Kevin Schade on...
…his first impression of the senior team: I am enjoying it a lot. Everyone is very nice and are trying to make us welcome. The quality in the team is very high. I will take it all away with me and am trying to take everything in.
...his call-up: Obviously, I had already read rumours but I was surprised about being called up. The national team is a childhood dream, the highest level that there is.
...his move to England: I think that the style of playing in England fits me better. I was injured for a while, but I think that it will go well at Brentford.
...the connection between the senior team and U21s: The connection and the exchange between the U21s and the senior team is very important, especially for us younger players so that it is then easier to integrate us.
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Niclas Füllkrug had a big impact in his first few months as a Germany player at the end of 2022. Now, the uncapped duo of Marius Wolf and Kevin Schade want to make a similarly positive impression in the first two internationals of 2023 against Peru in Mainz (Saturday, 20:45 CET) and Belgium in Köln (Tuesday, 20:45 CET). All three spoke about their roles in the Germany side ahead of next summer’s tournament on Wednesday. DFB.de has summarised the most important quotes.
Niclas Füllkrug on...
...his view on the World Cup: There were no winners, but I can still evaluate my own performances realistically – a few things went well for me. Overall though, the most important thing was that we went out of the tournament far too early on.
…the coach: Hansi Flick is definitely interested in working on and improving many different things. He talks with us a lot about various topics, though he always been good at communicating. Sometimes he doesn't get the backing he deserves though. He deserves credit for brave decisions. Respect isn’t a one-way street. We want to be successful and we will have two good teams out on the pitch for these two friendlies.
…his relationship with the Bayern players in the squad: They are lads that welcomed me into the national team. We spent a lot of time together in Qatar. I try to learn from them, but I can also give them something back too. They are not trying to convince me to move to Bayern though. (laughs)
…two strikers: Playing with another striker has both advantages and disadvantages, but I think there are more benefits to it. When you have just one striker, you tend to play a lot of passes back towards your own goal. A second striker allows you to mix things up more. We’ve got a number of players in the national team that can do that and know how to get into dangerous positions. I feel really comfortable playing alongside another striker and will be happy if I get the chance to be out on the pitch.
…the uncapped Wolf and Schade: We get on really well as a team and welcome new lads. That was the case with me and we’re trying to keep doing it – it’s then easier to play well if you’re new. Marius and Kevin are two different kinds of players. Marius has been playing in the Champions League for a number of years and performing consistently well, while Kevin has bags of potential. It’s nice to have both on board.
…squad harmony: Harmony doesn’t just mean being nice to everyone. It’s important to have some friction too, although you can’t let it get out of control. A new team needs to take time to find itself. Teams grow from successes, failures and memories. You have to work on your chemistry and find your best XI, but also allow others the chance to get in the side. It’s a fine balancing act and one we have to manage.
Marius Wolf on...
...his path to a national team call-up: I never thought that I would play for the national team. But, everyone has a different career path, with me I went on a lot of loans.
...difficult points in his career: My time in Hannover wasn’t easy for me, but maybe it was good that it happened at such an early point in my career. I got a lot of encouragement from my family that I would get my chance eventually. I believed in that and worked on myself.
...his style of play: I will always try to help the team – here, like in Dortmund. I always want to put in 100% on the pitch, regardless of what position I’m playing. I have always tried to play at my highest performance level.
...the ‘BVB mentality’: It is always important to have the right mentality on the day. It is going really well at the club at the moment. But all the players here bring the mentality of wanting to win games. It is important to have characters like that in the team who can carry people with them during the game.
Kevin Schade on...
…his first impression of the senior team: I am enjoying it a lot. Everyone is very nice and are trying to make us welcome. The quality in the team is very high. I will take it all away with me and am trying to take everything in.
...his call-up: Obviously, I had already read rumours but I was surprised about being called up. The national team is a childhood dream, the highest level that there is.
...his move to England: I think that the style of playing in England fits me better. I was injured for a while, but I think that it will go well at Brentford.
...the connection between the senior team and U21s: The connection and the exchange between the U21s and the senior team is very important, especially for us younger players so that it is then easier to integrate us.
