Bundestrainer Gordon Herbert wants to work quickly with the final squad in preparation for the European Championship in September.
“The plan is that at the Supercup in Hamburg we will have already reduced the squad to the twelve players who will play at the European Championship afterwards,” said Herbert at a press conference in Hamburg on Wednesday.
The traditional tournament with Serbia, Italy, Czech Republic and the German team will take place on 19/20 August in Hamburg’s Barclays Arena. Germany will face the Czech Republic on Friday, 19 August (20.30/Magentasport). On Saturday, the match for third place and the final will be played. At the European Championships (1 to 18 September), a preliminary round will be held in Cologne. The final round will be played in Berlin.
“It’s about finding the best team “
“I want to get down to twelve players as soon as possible because it’s about building a team,” Herbert said. “It’s not about picking the best twelve players, it’s about finding the best team. “
As things stand, Herbert can plan on a top squad this summer. NBA star Dennis Schröder already played in the two World Cup qualifiers in Estonia and in Bremen against Poland last week. NBA pros Daniel Theis, Maximilian Kleber as well as Franz and Moritz Wagner have also declared their willingness to take part in the home European Championship so far. Herbert wants to call up 16 or 17 players for the start of preparations on 6 August in Cologne. The squad will then be reduced until the Supercup.