Before U17 World Cup final: Coach Wück leaves goalkeeper question open
Coach Christian Wück has left the goalkeeper question open one day before the final of the U17 World Cup. Wück said at the official FIFA press conference that he would only decide after the final training session.
"We'll take another close look at how Max Schmitt is doing, whether he's back to 100 percent, and then we'll decide tomorrow morning who will be in goal." The FC Bayern Munich goalkeeper was absent from the semi-final win against Argentina due to illness. His replacement, Konstantin Heide from SpVgg Unterhaching, had saved the first two shots from the spot in the 4-2 penalty shoot-out.
The European champions will face France again in Surakarta on Saturday (13:00 live/RTL and skysport.de as well as SkySport-App) in the rematch of the European Championship final, in which the German Football Association won the title on June 2 in Budapest with a 5:4 penalty shoot-out. It will be the first World Cup final for the German junior team in 38 years.
"It's an indescribable experience for us to be able to play our second final in five months, the second time against France. I didn't expect two European teams to win here in Indonesia. But it shows the quality we have in Europe. It will be a high-level final with a very close result," said Wück.
According to the coach, the key to Germany's success is the composition of the team and the willingness to accept footballing deficits. "I know what the Germans are envied for, how the Germans are regarded abroad. That's where we wanted to go again. We don't need players who are good in several positions, we need players who are perfect in one position," explained the 50-year-old. This also includes defenders who may not always be able to play a pass perfectly, but who are unbeatable in a duel.
The DFB juniors, led by coach Christian Wück, will be facing France in the U17 World Cup final, seeking to repeat their European Championship victory against the same opponent. Konstantin Heide, who stepped in for the absent Max Schmitt in the semi-finals and saved two penalties, could potentially be in goal for the final. Wück mentioned that the decision will be made after assessing Schmitt's health during the final training session.
Source: www.dpa.com
