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Kuntz: “You can feel the special Olympic spirit”

Stefan Kuntz on…

…the fitness of his players: All of the boys are fit and ready to play against Brazil.

…the visit to the Olympic Village: The visit to the Olympic Village went well. It was important to show that we’re a part of Team Germany. When we entered the Village, you could feel the special Olympic spirit in the air and the special flair that’s present there. I’ve never experienced anything like it before.

…the special importance of the clash with Brazil: So far, we’ve mainly been focused on ourselves. Brazil have an unbelievable high level of quality individually. In Europe, we don’t have an U23 level for the national team. That means that Brazil have a small advantage because they have played together more often than we have prior to the tournament. Tonight we will make sure the players have all of the insight so that they’re as well prepared as they can be.

…his thoughts on the starting XI on Thursday: We deliberately chose the line-up to gain more insight against Honduras. Afterwards, we went and analysed the game and looked at points that need to be improved. That’s what we’ll use in order to select a starting XI for the match tomorrow.

…his impressions of Japan so far: All of the staff have been very friendly and helpful to us. In return, we’re doing our best to show respect and gratitude to the country, as is customary in Japan. We would also like to thank our team management for allowing us to travel to the Olympic Village yesterday. Despite the strict restrictions, it was important to experience the Olympic spirit there first-hand.

…the racist incident in the match against Honduras: On Jordan’s initiative, we closed the incident that night. We sent a strong message in the match against Honduras. There won’t be another incident.

Nadiem Amiri on…

…the tension before the opening match: I’m already very excited. The whole team is buzzing for the first game, especially because it’s against Brazil.

…the climate in Japan: It was tough for us at the beginning and we’ve had to adjust to the climate here as well as the time difference. But we’re used to that now and we’re ready for tomorrow.

...his Leverkusen teammate Paulinho: We’ve been in touch and you can tell there’s a certain level of tension. The chat wasn’t as relaxed as it usually is! (laughs) I’m looking forward to seeing him tomorrow, but I want to beat him, that’s for sure!

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Stefan Kuntz on…

…the fitness of his players: All of the boys are fit and ready to play against Brazil.

…the visit to the Olympic Village: The visit to the Olympic Village went well. It was important to show that we’re a part of Team Germany. When we entered the Village, you could feel the special Olympic spirit in the air and the special flair that’s present there. I’ve never experienced anything like it before.

…the special importance of the clash with Brazil: So far, we’ve mainly been focused on ourselves. Brazil have an unbelievable high level of quality individually. In Europe, we don’t have an U23 level for the national team. That means that Brazil have a small advantage because they have played together more often than we have prior to the tournament. Tonight we will make sure the players have all of the insight so that they’re as well prepared as they can be.

…his thoughts on the starting XI on Thursday: We deliberately chose the line-up to gain more insight against Honduras. Afterwards, we went and analysed the game and looked at points that need to be improved. That’s what we’ll use in order to select a starting XI for the match tomorrow.

…his impressions of Japan so far: All of the staff have been very friendly and helpful to us. In return, we’re doing our best to show respect and gratitude to the country, as is customary in Japan. We would also like to thank our team management for allowing us to travel to the Olympic Village yesterday. Despite the strict restrictions, it was important to experience the Olympic spirit there first-hand.

…the racist incident in the match against Honduras: On Jordan’s initiative, we closed the incident that night. We sent a strong message in the match against Honduras. There won’t be another incident.

Nadiem Amiri on…

…the tension before the opening match: I’m already very excited. The whole team is buzzing for the first game, especially because it’s against Brazil.

…the climate in Japan: It was tough for us at the beginning and we’ve had to adjust to the climate here as well as the time difference. But we’re used to that now and we’re ready for tomorrow.

...his Leverkusen teammate Paulinho: We’ve been in touch and you can tell there’s a certain level of tension. The chat wasn’t as relaxed as it usually is! (laughs) I’m looking forward to seeing him tomorrow, but I want to beat him, that’s for sure!