IIn the casually unbuttoned white shirt, Hansi Flick left no doubt about his expectations. The new national coach demands an “all-in mentality” from his national players, as he said during his presentation this Tuesday on the construction site of the DFB campus. For him, that means “giving everything to leave the field as a winner. We will set an example, all of us. ”On August 26th, the title collector signed up by FC Bayern wants to nominate his first squad – the door is open.
“The best are invited when they get top performance,” said Flick. “When they perform at their best, they are also part of the team.” This meant in particular the Mats Hummels and Thomas Müller – and Marco Reus, who were ultimately ineffectively brought back by their predecessor Joachim Löw before the European Championship. Flick praised the Dortmund captain as one of “the best players in the last third” with “enormous technology”. Reus played his last of 44 international matches in October 2019.
Are Boateng and Götze coming back?
Even the return of Jérôme Boateng and Mario Götze does not seem to be ruled out. For Götze he is happy about his move to PSV Eindhoven last year and that he “got back on track and is performing,” said Flick.
The 56-year-old described himself as an “absolute team player”. The clear goal of the national team is to return to the top, with the experienced coach Hermann Gerland in the Flick team to help. “Hermann Gerland has signaled his readiness. We have to talk in detail about which task he can fulfill. I’ve known Hermann for a long time, ”said Flick about Gerland, who assisted the new national coach at Bayern. It is probably about an activity in the scouting area.
Location of the first press conference: the construction site of the new DFB Academy in Frankfurt
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Image: dpa
“He’s one of the most honest people I’ve come across. And I think it is also good for us as an association, ”emphasized Flick. At his first press conference, the new national coach presented his entire team of coaches with whom he would like to tackle his work on the way to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Gerland was the only staff member who was not there himself.
The 67-year-old Gerland had already confirmed conversations with Flick in several media. The departure of the previous DFB chief scout Thomas Schneider had only become public last week.
“It will certainly not be that easy, but we have a very good team, an enormous quality in the team,” said Flick, who celebrated the world championship title as co-coach with Löw in 2014, about the months ahead. “It won’t happen overnight, but we will do everything we can to achieve our goals.”
Flick will have his first international matches as national coach at the beginning of September with a three-pack in the World Cup qualification against Liechtenstein, Armenia and Iceland. In the elimination group for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, the DFB selection that was eliminated in the European Championship round of 16 is currently third. Only the first in the table will definitely qualify for the World Cup.
“I’m overjoyed that we were able to win Hansi over,” said DFB director Oliver Bierhoff on Tuesday. “I am firmly convinced that we will start well in September.” Former national player Benedikt Höwedes, who will act in a new role as a link between the team and Bierhoff, said it felt “great” to be back .
The national team is “the most important football team” in the country, said DFB interim president Peter Peters. “We are aware that the DFB and the national team need a spirit of optimism. (…) Hopefully we all stand for the spirit of optimism that this association urgently needs. “The association needs” its honor back. We hope that we will win the people back. “
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