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From 2004 to 2010, Raymond Domenech was coach of the French national team. In the tz interview he talks about the Èquipe Tricolore duel against Germany – and Dayot Upamecano.
Lyon – From 2004 to 2010, Raymond Domenech (72) was coach of the French national team. In 2006 he became runner-up in Germany with Zinedine Zidane (51) & Co. In subsequent tournaments, the coach suffered setbacks, such as the player rebellion at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Domenech is now following the Équipe Tricolore as an interested observer – as he did on Saturday evening (9 p.m., ZDF) when France played in Lyon Deutschland meets. The interview.
Mr Domenech, France hosts Germany on Saturday. What kind of game are you expecting?
It’s a good test for the German national team to show what they can do at the moment.
Germany won the last friendly match against France. There were defeats against Turkey and Austria in November. How strong do you rate the team?
Honestly, I do not know. Compared to my time as French national coach, we always knew all the German national players. Sometimes there were one or two new people. But now you can no longer predict which team they will play with. Germany is a miracle bag. And that’s the main problem: They don’t have a well-coordinated team. Germany has a completely new generation.
With Toni Kroos, a world champion from 2014 has now been reactivated just in time for the European Championship.
This is confirmation that the new players have not yet been able to replace the old top performers.
But Germany is the envy of the world for its new stars Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.
Of course they are great. But young players can only be great if the team is a real team, if everyone knows the procedures. Young players can do great things in a game. But shining at a full tournament like the European Championships is a completely different matter.
Speaking of young: What do you think of the 36-year-old national coach Julian Nagelsmann?
He had success at all of his clubs, but things were unfortunate at Bayern. But it’s a completely different thing to be a national coach. If he makes it at least to the final with Germany at the home European Championships, you can say that he is a really good coach.
How do you see the French national team? The Équipe Tricolore has been one of the big favorites at tournaments for years.
England also has what it takes to win the European Championship. We must not forget Italy either. But of course: France is one of the big favorites. We have Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Olivier Giroud, and Kingsley Coman can also return soon. France has many players at the highest level. But the defense could become a problem. It’s unclear what you can rely on.
Upamecano has the disease of the Germans. He had a good phase at times. But he doesn’t play consistently well.
What about Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano?
Upamecano is like the current German national team. With him you never know what performance you’re going to get: sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not so good and sometimes it’s bad. He has the “disease” of the Germans. He had a good phase at times. But he doesn’t play consistently well.
Currently left out at FC Bayern: Dayot Upamecano. © IMAGO/H. Longer
Kylian Mbappé is a genius for Raymond Domenech
But Mbappé excels.
He is the most dangerous opponent for all teams. He scored three goals against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final. He is a genius.
Instead of playing in midfield, Joshua Kimmich will play as a right-back for Nagelsmann – and will therefore probably meet Mbappé. Do you trust him to stop the French superstar?
This will be a good test for Kimmich. But Germany must be clear: one player cannot stop Mbappé. This requires several people and good organization. If you leave Mbappé alone, he will score. Interview: Philipp Kessler
2024-03-24 03:52:00
#Upamecano #disease #Germans
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