One day before his fourth international match as national coach, Hansi Flick is very satisfied with the intensity of the training in Hamburg. In terms of personnel, he has found a clear framework.
Oliver Hartmann and Sebastian Wolff report from the national team
That the mood is good and the routines have noticeably changed has been one of the standard phrases since the DFB squad gathered in Hamburg on Monday evening. Hansi Flick was no exception with his remarks during the press conference on Thursday before the upcoming home match against Romania. And yet he still revealed details with which he went into depth.
The intensity of training under the new national coach has been discussed and described a lot, but Flick himself is now providing some concrete insights. By revealing that he even finished Wednesday’s unit at Volkspark without a firmly scheduled tactical sequence. “The intensity and quality in this training was so high that we decided to leave out one part,” the 56-year-old explains. “It was just really good, and we want to have all the grains for Friday,” said Flick, expressing pure satisfaction: “That’s exactly what we want, to go into every training session like it’s a game. “
“The intensity and quality in this training was so high that we decided to leave out part of it. “
HANSI FLICK
25,000 in the stadium – “We want to inspire people “
Romania should feel that intensity and, in keeping with Thursday’s news that the available ticket quota has been exhausted, meaning there will be 25,000 fans in the Volksparkstadion, the coach announces: “We want to excite the people.”
He will not be offering the Hamburg public any big personnel surprises, his framework is in place. One day before the match, for example, he also publicly commits to his central defence, consisting of Niklas Süle and Antonio Rüdiger. The fact that both of them have gained an edge comes through clearly when Flick says: “Both of them did well in September, they are well-rehearsed with each other, they give us stability.” He even sings the praises of Rüdiger: “Toni is important for us as a whole package, he has a high level of intensity and aggression, which is good for us. “
Refusing to play Hummels “the right decision “
He is emphatically not slamming the door shut on Mats Hummels, but also stresses that he feels the decision to leave the Dortmund man out was appropriate after his knee problem. “It was the right decision we made.” Ahead of Süle and Rüdiger, the midfield heart will consist of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, with Thomas Muller in front, while the three attacking positions appear to be given to Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané on the wings and Timo Werner in the middle for the time being.
Flick explains that he used the days in Hamburg to work more intensively with the individual blocks than he did during the first training course. Around the days in Stuttgart, there were three games in the schedule, this time there are only two. In the time leading up to the first match on Friday, he has therefore introduced more “video sessions as elements of training”. “In September there was only little time to implement a game idea, now we have worked a lot in groups.”
Against the Romanians, not only another one should be added after three starting victories, but if possible also a next step in development should become visible.