Hansi Flick started preparing the national soccer team for the next international match against Poland without Ilkay Gündogan and Robin Gosens.
The national coach had given the duo a few days off after the Champions League final last Saturday in Istanbul, which Gündogan had won with Manchester City against Gosen’s Inter Milan. The duo was also missing the sobering 3: 3 in the 1000th DFB international match against Ukraine.
Squad only complete on Thursday
According to the association, Flick will only have his squad complete on Thursday. After the final training session on the Frankfurt DFB campus, the DFB entourage travels to Warsaw, where on Friday (8.45 p.m., live on ARD and on sportschau.de) the next European Championship test against hosts Poland with world-class attacker Robert Lewandowski is pending. The injured striker Timo Werner (ankle) will continue to be absent.
Flick continues to rely on the chain of three
Despite the blatant defensive weaknesses in the anniversary game against Ukraine in Bremen, Flick had announced that he wanted to try the new game system with a back three again in the second of three friendlies at the end of the season.
But he demands a different execution on the pitch. “We have to defend more uncompromisingly“, said the national coach. Marc-André ter Stegen should be back in goal in Warsaw after Frankfurt’s Kevin Trapp had a chance in Bremen.
Internal support from Völler
Sporting director Rud Völler dismissed emerging criticism of the national coach on Wednesday morning. When asked if Flick would stay, Völler replied on Hit Radio FFH: “Ja, of course“.Flick be”an absolute top coach who does everything to ensure that we bring the enthusiasm back to Germany in the next few games.”