With the 2-0 victory over France last week, the Germany team gained “confidence” with just three months to go before the European Championship at home, said Philipp Lahm, world champion in 2014, in an interview with AFP.
The now president of the Euro 2024 organizing committee believes that the positive result against the French will mobilize the entire country because the German team “played great football and did it with passion”.
Eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup and with just three wins in 11 games in 2023, which caused the dismissal of coach Hansi Flick and the arrival of Julian Nagelsmann, pessimism had taken hold of German fans, who even feared a embarrassment in the continental tournament.
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“Young and dynamic” attackers
“Germany played in a completely different way against France, the current world runner-up and big favorite for the Euro title. We have a consolidated midfield and attacking players who are young and dynamic”, celebrated the former Bayern captain. Munich and the national team.
“Very talented players like Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz are relatively young, but they already have a lot of experience and potential to take Germany to a higher level,” added Lahm.
“But we can only be sure if (the good performance and results) continue for a good period of time”, warned the former player.
The German team will play another friendly this Tuesday, against the Netherlands, one of the last tests before their Euro debut, against Scotland, on June 14th.
Despite the victory over the French, Lahm believes that there are other teams ahead of Germany, starting with France itself.
“They have 40 very talented players. They have a balanced team, with players on the bench who are fully capable of being starters”, highlighted the former German player about coach Didier Deschamps’ squad.
Last Saturday’s great victory even made the country forget for a few days the controversy generated last week by the announcement by the German Football Federation (DFB) of the end of the 70-year partnership with Adidas to sign a contract with its great competitor, the American Nike.
“I played 113 games for Germany with Adidas, I played for Bayern with Adidas, I only got to know the national team with Adidas. When I was a boy and I watched the national team’s games on television, via Adidas. There must be very strong reasons for the change”, declared Lahm.
Security, a priority
Responsible for organizing the Euro, Lahm was convinced that the title goes to “a great football nation” and hopes that the event will restore the atmosphere experienced during the 2006 World Cup, which in Germany is remembered as a “fairy tale ” and as a way to present a unified country to the world, 17 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
However, the geopolitical situation has changed and one of the organizers’ biggest concerns is the possibility of a terrorist attack.
“Safety is the top priority from start to finish of the tournament, which comes at a difficult time, but it is important to show that we are all united to strengthen our democracy,” said Lahm.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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