After the surprise 1-0 defeat to Hungary on Friday Bundestrainer Hansi Flick turns his attention to Monday’s meeting with England at Wembley admitting his side have a bit to make up for. A clash with their historic rivals will provide a stern test of his squad’s resolve and mental strength as the build up to the World Cup intensifies.
“Of course, the game is something very special” Flick told Sunday’s press conference. “It’s an absolute classic in one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world. The team is looking forward to tomorrow, we have a bit to make up for.
“I’m often in England and I think the Premier League is the best league in the world. The squad is outstanding. You have to see that they have a lot of games and that you see that [England’s poor form of late] every once in a while. You could feel that the team is not quite fresh. It’s a great team against which it will be difficult for us. We have to have a top day to be able to pass.
The German international coach was keen to put his own side’s rather dismal attacking display against Hungary behind him and focus on the Wembley showdown and an improvement in performance.
“You can tell that everyone was upset” he explained. “We had planned more, that was not what we can do. It was their worst first-half performance in the last 14 games. It was much better in the second half, but we only created one chance to score. It must also be said that Hungary also defended excellently and took advantage of their chances.”
The Covid withdrawals of Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka have been added to with Antonio Rüdiger’s suspension and Lukas Nmecha’s knee injury, but Flick is confident that the XI he chooses will be up to the task.
“Of course, we have to replace Antonio, we still have to think about it. We have different possibilities, Niklas Süle did well in his position, you can form the Dortmund block with Nico Schlotterbeck because they play together. But Matthias Ginter and Armel Bella Kotchap can play it too.
“I said that the time for experiments is over, but tactically we might want to try certain things again. We want to give the players confidence once the automatisms have gone through again.
“Jamal [Musiala] will play tomorrow, I don’t think he’s surprised now. It will be great for him to play at Wembley. He can solve situations for us, anticipates very well and wins a lot of balls on the defensive. I’m glad he’s playing for Germany.”
