Germany’s U 21 won clearly against San Marino. However, the opening success in the European Championship qualifiers did not only have good sides, as those involved knew. Coach Stefan Kuntz was nevertheless pleased – especially for his youngest player, even though he still has a lot of improving to do.
When asked about his youngest player Youssoufa Moukoko, U-21 national team coach Stefan Kuntz went into raptures on “ProSieben Maxx”. Germany’s great forward talent – at 16 years and 286 days now the youngest debutant and scorer of a U 21 – “would be the first to remain an international at 16 to 31”.
Thanks also go to Burkardt
Whether Kuntz was alluding to an imminent nomination of Moukoko for the senior national team and coach Hansi Flick remained open on Thursday evening. What is clearer, however, is that the “difficult phase” of the great talent could be over for the time being. Kuntz had “noticed that he needed and was looking for a little sense of achievement”. Accordingly, the unselfish assist by captain and fellow striker Jonathan Burkardt to make it 3-0 in the meantime was important.
In the end, the DFB Juniors won 6-0 in San Marino, with Burkardt himself also scoring twice. But one of the more experienced players in the newly formed U 21 was not satisfied at the end. “The second half was just bad. We let the ball run much too slowly, played too carelessly in parts. That wasn’t what we were aiming for,” said the Mainz man, expressing his anger at the weaker second half.
“The second half was simply bad. That was not our standard. “
U-21-NATIONAL-TEAM-CAPTAIN JONATHAN BURKARDT
Rightly satisfied Kuntz didn’t seem satisfied with the second period either, but he was equally keen to get rid of the fact that “you also have to let the boys mature”. Every process would still need time. Even with Moukoko, about whom the coach said: “He’s already the youngest goal scorer, everything is top – but that doesn’t mean that the boy is finished with his development. After all, this also includes not only playing with Champions League players at Borussia Dortmund. The encounters with all the colleagues at the U21s, who “haven’t played much with each other yet”, also help with his development. There should not be “too much fuss” about Moukoko.
Kuntz explains weak second half
It remains to be seen to what extent the wheels of Kuntz’s new team mates will mesh in the next match in Riga against Latvia (Tuesday, 6.15 pm, LIVE! on kicker). But for Kuntz, the latest insights (his team played “youth football” in parts, i.e. after the changes in the second half they “hardly kept to their positions, no longer had any flow”, didn’t get the passes to the man and got involved in “too many individual actions”) have already been helpful. Just like the burst knot of “top talent” Moukoko, who is welcome to add to his tally against the Latvians.
