Bierhoff: "We still have a strong team"

The tension is growing for the semi-final against France in Marseille on thursday (21:00 CEST, live on ZDF and Fan-Club-Radio). Just two days until the important encounter with the host nation, and the next step towards winning the title. The records are in Germany’s favour.

Benedikt Höwedes and Bastian Schweinsteiger trained individually today. With Höwedes this is just a case of “damage control”, whereas Schweinsteiger’s availability is still questionable because of a strain to his lateral collateral ligament, according to Oliver Bierhoff. At DFB.de, the general manager and the two world champions Manuel Neuer und Thomas Müller spoke about their semi-final opponents France, the comparison to their semi-final encounter with brazil at the 2014 World Cup – and they give a summary of the tournament so far.

OLIVER BIERHOFF ON...

... PERSONNEL PROBLEMS: The team have grown together through the course of the tournament and have improved more and more. Therefore, I am convinced that we compensate for those players that are missing. There were a lot of examples in other tournaments, where players who were not part of the primary plan played a very decisive role and performed surprisingly well. The players are ready and raring to go. I am certain that the squad will stay tight, and that we have enough experienced players to lead the youngsters.

... THE ATTACK AGAINST FRANCE: Mario Götze played the first couple of games, and he engaged and fought well. He made a lot of good runs, just like Thomas Müller. We have many options, and on the wing as well. It is good that we still have a bit of time until we have to make the final decision.

... THE COOLNESS OF THOMAS MÜLLER: It will keep building up and then explode. Thomas Müller has enough experience to not lose his confidence. He is a highly-motivated player, who looks for chances in every game. He knows from his own experience that the situation can change at any time.

... THE PERFORMANCE OF THE GERMAN TEAM UNTIL NOW: From a footballing point of view, all I can say is that we have made it to the semi-final nine times in the last 20 years. That is sensational. Therefore, I would like to thank German football, from the small amateur clubs to the big clubs, who discover and develop the great players. The quality is high, and that should motivate us to carry on the way we are going and not stop. Hansi Flick is incredibly engaged in the youth work, and that is a priority for the DFB that we want to continue with. It makes me extremely proud, happy and thankful, to be able to manage such a team. Also in a penalty shootout, it is no sure thing that the young players will step up so quickly to take the responsibility, and have the quality to keep their cool in such a moment.

... THE SEMI-FINAL AGAINST FRANCE: We are now playing in the semi-final, and I consider France to be slight favourites. They have had a very successful tournament and have not played 120 minutes yet. As well as that, they have the support of a whole nation behind them. Despite our personnel problems, we still have a strong team, with players who are ready. That gives us confidence, to know that we have players to fall back on, who also have a lot of quality. I am looking forward to the next few days – we are fully focussed. We have a difficult road ahead of us, but we are ready to take it on.

... FRANCE’S TOP GOALSCORER ANTOINE GRIEZMANN: I believe that France have found more and more self confidence through the many goals they are scoring. Griezmann is in good shape, he is a very creative player, and he has a great eye for goal. But Olivier Giroud is also very useful in the box. We know France’s individual qualities, and we will need to play with a lot of order and solidarity.

... HIS IMPRESSIONS OF THE TOURNAMENT UNTIL NOW: It is a strange moment, because we are leaving our camp before the end of the tournament. We have been here for 30 days now, and were in Ascona for twelve days before that. After the semi-final it will be very hectic, but we need to keep our focus on the possible final. We would like to thank this region, the town of Évian, the security team and those who have looked after our accommodation. We have felt very happy here, and you can see how unbelievably beautiful it is here. The weather conditions were exceptional. I would also like to thank all the media personnel for their good and professional work with us. And of course I would like to thank the fans at home – we can see how huge the interest is in Germany. In the stadium as well, I was very pleased to see the fans’ support before the Italy game. It is great how many fans come to watch us. The support from DFB president Reinhard Grindel and the rest of the DFB delegation was massive, and the trust and encouragement was clear to see.

... THE COMPARISON TO THE 2014 SEMI-FINAL AGAINST BRAZIL: France are an extremely close team. They have confidence, are fresh, haven’t had to push themselves to their limits in lots of games. They benefit from home advantage and boast technically gifted players. We’ve recently played 120 minutes but want to be at our highest quality when we face them. I see France’s advantage of being fresh and playing at home, otherwise we’re on the same level. I’m absolutely convinced that we’ll have a completely different opposition and game compared to against Brazil in 2014.

... THE TIME AT THE TEAM BASE IN ÉVIAN: It’s a special moment because we’ve now reached the end of our time here but the tournament is not yet over. We’ve been here for 30 days and previously spent 12 in Ascona. After the semi-final, it’s hectic because our focus should only be on the possible final. We therefore want to thank the region, the town of Évian, the security services and the hotel staff. We have felt very comfortable here and it is unbelievably beautiful. The climatic conditions were outstanding. I would also like to thank the media representatives for a positive and professional collaboration. And I would obviously like to thank the fans in front of their TVs. We realise how much excitement there is in Germany. I was absolutely delighted by the fan choreography in the stadium before the Italy game. It’s brilliant how many of our fans have filled the stadiums. The support from DFB President Reinhard Grindel and the delegation has been enormous; you notice the trust and encouragement.

MANUEL NEUER ON...

... HIS ROLE AS CAPTAIN AGAINST ITALY: My role hasn’t changed because I had this task earlier on and it’s always worked well. When Bastian Schweinsteiger came onto the pitch, it was clear that I should give him the armband. That’s simply how it works because it was also a signal that there was a long way to go in the game and our captain was on the pitch.

... ON A BACK THREE OR BACK FOUR: It’s doesn’t affect the goalkeeper’s role massively. I think that we’ll select the right formation. The manager knows how he wants to play against France. We are going to develop a game plan, follow these ideas and head in one direction. I convinced that it’s exactly the right approach.

... OLIVIER GIROUD: He is obviously a very dangerous player in the penalty area. He is strong in the air, can hold the ball up well and uses his body well. He’s difficult for central defenders to play against. But we know him and can deal with him. France boast a lot of quality in their attacking players.

... ANTOINE GRIEZMANN: Not only him, but other French players are good on the break. Griezmann is a strong player in 1v1 situations, who I must be prepared for - it’s exactly the same with Paul Pogba. They are players who can all switch around roles. We must stand strong and not lose our organisation. Everyone knows that Griezmann is strong in the air and times his runs to perfection. There are many players and factors that we need to consider.

THOMAS MÜLLER ON…

…MARIO GOMEZ’S INJURY: Although Mario Gomez is very important for us in and around the box, our game is not built only around playing off a striker. The centre-forward is not a fixed position in our system – it’s different to Pelle for Italy. We were lucky to have Mario’s quality in the box and if I now have to play in that position I will have to get stuck in as you expect a striker to.

…THE POSSIBILITY OF PLAYING AS A STRIKER: I basically see it as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. The coach hasn’t spoken to me about it yet so anything is still possible.

…HIS GOAL DROUGHT: Goals aren’t what fuels me, they are the gloss that makes the car look good from the outside. Striving for success is what powers me on, the ambition to achieve something big with the team. We are World Champions and want to pick up another title. Obviously it would be good to score a goal. The situation just hasn’t come about and if it has I haven’t done anything outstanding. It doesn’t bother me though. I was the top scorer in 2010 but we were eliminated in the semi-final. When I think about it the experience in Brazil was better, A goal would give me some peace but I am not here to be praised. I feel good and the team is giving me a good feeling too.

…HIS STRENGTH AND ENERGY: I like to eat so I am never short of energy. Nevertheless, I don’t have much on me as my metabolism doesn’t perhaps work economically. The bottom line is that I have loads of energy. We have the best possible conditions to recover so it’s possible for me to put in an energetic performance every four days.

…THE POSSIBLE FEAR OF FRANCE: No, fear isn’t something that we have in our team. We have seen pictures and know the individual French players. The goals were a result of good individual work but the Iceland defence didn’t always show itself in the best light. It will be our job as a team to defend well and not give the opposition the chance to show their individual class. France haven’t reached the semi-final by being lucky but we are optimistic that we can find a way past them. It’s disappointing to be missing players but we will compensate for it. Overall we have never been as well positioned. I see it as a chance for players to show what they’ve got. We won’t be lacking quality.

…THE COACH’S SENSE OF CALM: He appears to be very confident to us. He knows all about the quality and unity in the team. It gives him faith. Joachim Löw has been the head coach for ten years so he knows every little detail. He has been in eight consecutive semi-finals. He boasts a history of success and knows exactly how he has to react. I think that gives him a sense of calm. It’s also positive for us. He is determined but not chaotic.

…THE COMPARISON TO THE SEMI-FINAL AGAINST BRAZIL: It is always fun to play against the hosts. France are definitely under pressure with being the host nation and know that they are about to play against an excellent team. France and Germany were two of the favourites at the beginning of the tournament and now we are facing off in the semi-final. There are not many better matches in football. Italy versus Germany was also an illustrious encounter, so was Italy against Spain. You watch the European Championship for exactly these kinds of matches and get excited about football. If the match on Thursday goes anything like the one against Brazil then we’ll be fine. However, I don’t believe that we will win 7-1.

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