Full focus on Spain: On Sunday (20:00), Germany play their second group stage game of the 2022 World Cup. After losing to Japan in the opener, the national team is under lots of pressure heading into their game against Spain. During today’s press conference Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz answered the media’s questions. DFB.de have summarised their answers.
Kai Havertz on...
... the World Cup opener: We’ve analysed the game in detail over the last two days. We saw where we went wrong and where we have to improve. Now it’s simply about going into the Spain game as one and giving it everything we’ve got. It will be a challenging game, but we will be ready.
... the support of the fans: We get excited by every fan that is in the stadium and supporting us. It edges that last few percent out of you. We know that the support for this tournament coming out of Germany isn’t 100%. That’s why we’re appealing to every individual for their support on Sunday – whether that’s inside the stadium or back at home. We feel that support and it makes us feel better.
... the results at major tournaments: The statistics don’t lean in our favour, but on the other hand we have experienced radical change over the last year. Of course that plays a bit of a role, but it’s no excuse. Ultimately it comes down to the games and, by looking at the stats, we’ve not done enough. We now have the opportunity to silence some of those doubts and we will give everything to do just that.
... the feeling inside the camp: I have been angry and not in a very good mood over the last couple of days. Now that I’ve digested the whole thing a little bit, I’m looking forward to it again. We have to look ahead and build up that good feeling as a team.
... Spain’s impressive performance: 7-0 is a strong result and we have the utmost respect for Spain. We know that they have a lot of quality. We’re not going to hide, because we know what we’re capable of.
... the dream of the "Golden Boot": Talking about the golden boot now is a bit much. My focus is on helping the team – be it with goals, assist or a good performance. The most important thing is winning on Sunday.
... his position: Everyone knows that I can play in differently positions. In the last game I played as a striker. I can play a lot of different positions up front and work hard regardless of where I am playing. I like playing as a striker but also know that as a striker you have to score goals.
Julian Brandt on...
… working through the first game: We have discussed the whole game and everything that we didn’t do so well; where we definitely have to improve looking forward to Sunday. We had a good discussion and I think everyone came out of it feeling positive. We have the will to win on Sunday.
... families visiting camp: Unfortunately no members of Kai or my family were there. It was a nice feeling for the boys to see their children and partners. There is nothing nicer than having your loved ones close to you.
... leaders in the team: It is spread among everyone. We are all leading players at our clubs, are all experienced. It doesn’t help if only two or three of the boys lead the way. We all have to take responsibility. I also get the feeling that everyone wants to. The players that are on the bench will also give everything.
... the defeat against Japan: We failed to take our chances and sometimes it is good to then flick a switch and to defend a bit deeper. Japan played a lot of long balls after that, like for the goal to make it 2-1. We have analysed the goals and spoke a lot about our shape off the ball. If you are leading 1-0 and have the feeling that you are not going to be able to further extend your lead, then you have to avoid conceding.
... the 6-0 loss against Spain two years ago: I don’t think that it plays any role. It was two years ago. We are in a different position now and have improved in a lot of areas – even if not everything is going smoothly. At the end of the day, it is a chance to change the mood. A game like this can energise you a lot. At the Euros we also lost the first group game and still managed to qualify. The 6-0 doesn’t play a part for any player.
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Full focus on Spain: On Sunday (20:00), Germany play their second group stage game of the 2022 World Cup. After losing to Japan in the opener, the national team is under lots of pressure heading into their game against Spain. During today’s press conference Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz answered the media’s questions. DFB.de have summarised their answers.
Kai Havertz on...
... the World Cup opener: We’ve analysed the game in detail over the last two days. We saw where we went wrong and where we have to improve. Now it’s simply about going into the Spain game as one and giving it everything we’ve got. It will be a challenging game, but we will be ready.
... the support of the fans: We get excited by every fan that is in the stadium and supporting us. It edges that last few percent out of you. We know that the support for this tournament coming out of Germany isn’t 100%. That’s why we’re appealing to every individual for their support on Sunday – whether that’s inside the stadium or back at home. We feel that support and it makes us feel better.
... the results at major tournaments: The statistics don’t lean in our favour, but on the other hand we have experienced radical change over the last year. Of course that plays a bit of a role, but it’s no excuse. Ultimately it comes down to the games and, by looking at the stats, we’ve not done enough. We now have the opportunity to silence some of those doubts and we will give everything to do just that.
... the feeling inside the camp: I have been angry and not in a very good mood over the last couple of days. Now that I’ve digested the whole thing a little bit, I’m looking forward to it again. We have to look ahead and build up that good feeling as a team.
... Spain’s impressive performance: 7-0 is a strong result and we have the utmost respect for Spain. We know that they have a lot of quality. We’re not going to hide, because we know what we’re capable of.
... the dream of the "Golden Boot": Talking about the golden boot now is a bit much. My focus is on helping the team – be it with goals, assist or a good performance. The most important thing is winning on Sunday.
... his position: Everyone knows that I can play in differently positions. In the last game I played as a striker. I can play a lot of different positions up front and work hard regardless of where I am playing. I like playing as a striker but also know that as a striker you have to score goals.
Julian Brandt on...
… working through the first game: We have discussed the whole game and everything that we didn’t do so well; where we definitely have to improve looking forward to Sunday. We had a good discussion and I think everyone came out of it feeling positive. We have the will to win on Sunday.
... families visiting camp: Unfortunately no members of Kai or my family were there. It was a nice feeling for the boys to see their children and partners. There is nothing nicer than having your loved ones close to you.
... leaders in the team: It is spread among everyone. We are all leading players at our clubs, are all experienced. It doesn’t help if only two or three of the boys lead the way. We all have to take responsibility. I also get the feeling that everyone wants to. The players that are on the bench will also give everything.
... the defeat against Japan: We failed to take our chances and sometimes it is good to then flick a switch and to defend a bit deeper. Japan played a lot of long balls after that, like for the goal to make it 2-1. We have analysed the goals and spoke a lot about our shape off the ball. If you are leading 1-0 and have the feeling that you are not going to be able to further extend your lead, then you have to avoid conceding.
... the 6-0 loss against Spain two years ago: I don’t think that it plays any role. It was two years ago. We are in a different position now and have improved in a lot of areas – even if not everything is going smoothly. At the end of the day, it is a chance to change the mood. A game like this can energise you a lot. At the Euros we also lost the first group game and still managed to qualify. The 6-0 doesn’t play a part for any player.
