News (engl.)

The Germany national team met today at DFB partner adidas’ campus in Herzogenaurach to begin preparations for the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann and sporting director Rudi Völler spoke about Germany’s penultimate World Cup warm-up against Finland in Mainz on Sunday (20:45 CEST) and the path through to their opening game at the tournament.

Julian Nagelsmann on...

...team spirit: I told the players that we’ll be like a family over the coming weeks, that everyone has to trust one another, pull in the same direction and speak openly about things. This journey doesn’t start today – it began three years ago. A lot of it comes through good performances. When you win, there’s no reason for the mood to dip. Everyone in the team is responsible for contributing to that team spirit.

...the friendly against Finland: We want to use these warm-up games to look at a team that could potentially start the tournament. However, nothing is set in stone. Kai Havertz will miss the Finland game because of the Champions League final. We’ll have to replace him, but our idea of how we want to play has developed over the past few years and we don’t make it dependent on one player. It’s possible that we’ll see a few more players against Finland as well. It’s about finding a rhythm within the group, but the starting line-up against Finland won’t necessarily be the one that starts at the World Cup.

...the goalkeeping situation ahead of the Finland game: We don’t need to worry about Manuel Neuer. We’ll make the decision with the doctor based on what makes sense. With a slight tightness, there’s always a small risk, and we want Manu fit for the group stage. We’ll give an update next week, but for Finland there’s no sense in letting him play and taking an unnecessary risk. Oli [Baumann] will play – and I’m sure he’ll do a fine job.

...Lennart Karl: A lot will depend on how he performs over the next week or two. He settled in quickly with us and he has real strengths in central areas and on the right wing. It always depends on how the opposition defend.

...Nick Woltemade: He’s had some good games for us. The way we play will suit him. With us, he has a shorter route to goal than he does at Newcastle. It’s been harder for him there to get into the penalty area. You have to get him into positions where he can threaten the goal.

...the mindset required: The next task is always the decisive one. We have to stay in the here and now and focus on what we can control – and that’s the next training session and the next game at the weekend.

Rudi Völler on...

...returning to the adidas Home Ground: I arrived with a positive feeling. The most important thing is to be convinced by what you’re doing. I’m looking forward to it. This will be my fifth World Cup in three different roles. I’m really optimistic.

...his memories of the last World Cup in the USA in 1994: A lot has changed over the decades, but one thing hasn’t: things have to work within the team. Back then, we had a lot of quality in the squad, maybe even more than in 1990, but things didn’t click fully within the team. Things were okay at the start of the preparations, but there was unrest during the tournament and we didn’t play well. Right now, we have enormous team spirit. The coach has explained well to the players that he wants everyone to be involved and that, for all the quality we have, we also need team spirit. That will be fundamental.

...the World Cup atmosphere in Germany: The team has a job to do. A good atmosphere doesn’t come about on its own. I do think we produced some good performances under pressure in the games after the defeat in Slovakia. We’ve won seven in a row. I thought the World Cup excitement would build earlier, but we still have a bit of time. The whole nation questions things, and that’s fine too. The most important thing is that Julian Nagelsmann makes decisions based purely on sporting criteria. You can’t please everyone, and not everything is always easy. We’re looking ahead now and want to build the right atmosphere through good performances.

...World Cup targets: I’m firmly convinced that we’ll be a hard team to beat. Of course we want to get through the group stage, ideally as group winners. Then we’ll see – after that, anything can happen, both in a positive sense and in negative one.