Meet Ngankam & Huseinbasic
The German U21 national team started the European Championship year with a draw against Japan. In Frankfurt/Main the DFB selection had to be satisfied with a 2:2 (1:1) on Friday. Jessic Ngankam with a penalty kick (40th minute) and Denis Huseinbasic (49th) scored the German goals. No Sato (43′) and Mao Hosoya (46′) exploited defensive weaknesses to score for Japan.
Around three months before the start of the European Championship finals, the game was an important test for coach Antonio Di Salvo’s German team, and another will follow on Tuesday in Romania. Di Salvo uses the encounters to give possible EM candidates the chance to recommend themselves for a nomination. Several regular players were missing because national coach Hansi Flick called them up for the upcoming international matches of the national team.
Rudi Völler on the U21s and the A-Squad: “We just have to have a connection again”
On the fringes of the game, DFB sporting director Rudi Völler again advocated a more intensive exchange between the senior national team and the U21 team. “The interaction between the two most important teams in the DFB simply has to be there again,” said the 63-year-old on the TV station “ProSieben Maxx” before kick-off. It is a “big goal” to bring players from the U21 “closer again”.
Völler saw the fact that Flick had nominated five players from the U21 squad for the senior internationals against Peru (Saturday) and Belgium (Tuesday) as a good sign. Players need to see that they have opportunities to “slip in at the top”. With a view to the U21 European Championships in June and July in Georgia and Romania, where Völler wants to be there, he announced: “We want to try to win the title.”
Thiaw new: Flick’s squad for the internationals in March
Völler also referred to the EM 2024 in Germany. He wants to use his time at the DFBbis for “this wonderful home EM” to support Flick “and to keep in touch with the clubs” – even if there are conflicts with the clubs, “and there will be,” said Völler. “I’ll try to solve the conflict.” He wants to support in a positive way.
The former world-class striker gave little hope in the debate about a real nine. “Of course it can’t be solved within a year or two that we don’t have this classic centre-forward now. That’s just a fact,” said Völler. It will take a few more years “until they are used again, but we are working on it,” promised the 1990 world champion.
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