Götze, Völler, Hamann on fire - Germany unites behind Wück's defense monsters
The U17s will be playing for a historic title for German youth soccer - because they are not just relying on the finest technicians. At home, it's not just former World Cup hero Mario Götze who is keeping his fingers crossed.
Julian Nagelsmann and Rudi Völler are cheering them on together in Hamburg, and Mario Götze will of course also be watching the U17 national team's historic chance to win the World Cup on TV. "Now, shortly before the final, I want to shout out to you: I believe in you. You can do it! Reward yourselves," wrote the scorer of the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final in a letter to coach Christian Wück's team.
Today (1pm/RTL and in the live ticker on ntv.de), Germany can win only their second ever World Youth Championship title in the final against France. At home, Götze and Co. will be keeping their fingers crossed, and the hero of Rio had a few tips ready a few hours before kick-off in Surakarta.
In his letter of more than 700 words, Götze appealed to the entire team to believe in themselves and support each other. "Use every minute you are given. Every moment can change everything. Before the 2014 final, I was sad that I wasn't one of the players Jogi Löw trusted from the start. But look at my face as I beamed after the 113th minute," Götze wrote in his letter, which was published by the TV channel Sky.
Christian Wück wants an old-school defender
If coach Wück has his way, the historic opportunity will also come about thanks to ruthless defensive work. It's been a while since the "iron-footed" defender, like Georg Schwarzenbeck and Karlheinz Förster, Wolfgang Weber and Jürgen Kohler, was a feared specimen of German soccer. Wück has not forgotten those days: "I know what we are internationally renowned for, and we wanted to get back there."
Wück took over this team three years ago, "and from the very beginning it was very important to us not only to train good footballers," he says, "but also defenders who can defend. Who may not play every pass perfectly, but who are unbeatable in tackles."
The German defense around defensive leader Finn Jeltsch from 1. FC Nuremberg did not prevent every goal conceded in this tournament in Indonesia, seven in six games. However, the victories against individually stronger teams such as Spain in the quarter-finals (1:0) were above all the result of hard work.
Chief critic Didi Hamann raves
And in the distant homeland, that somehow hits a nerve. A country that is very unfamiliar with its men's national team is watching the next generation rediscover the "German virtues". "Willingness to run, commitment and resilience" is what former national team player Dietmar Hamann has identified, "everyone who watches this team is captivated by it."
However, the U17s are not just about tough bones in defense, that would be a little too easy. The offense is also impressive, "we have good, individual players up front who are always good for a goal," said Noah Darvich, who is one of them himself: the German captain plays for FC Barcelona. Most recently, the focus was on Paris Brunner, the Borussia Dortmund striker was the decisive player in the semi-final against Argentina (4:2 in the final).
Rabid defenders, clever attackers, that's what Wück wants. Young men for special assignments are once again in demand among young German players. A team doesn't need "players who are good everywhere," says the coach, "but players who are perfect in one position." His team now wants to "take that last step, we want to come home with the trophy. We know that many Germans are behind us."
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Source: www.ntv.de
