FRANKFURT (Germany): Germany national team coach Hansi Flick will present a stronger squad against the Netherlands on Tuesday, with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and defender Antonio Rudiger returning to the squad to continue his winning streak.
Flick’s side have won eight games since taking over last year, but the stats didn’t matter much to the German ahead of Tuesday’s international friendly match in Amsterdam.
“I am not interested in running. I am only interested in winning the Tour if it means winning eight games in a row at the end of December,” Flick said in a virtual press conference. “And you know very well what that means.”
The World Cup kicks off in November in Qatar and ends in December, and Germany, who faltered after the first round of the 2018 tournament, have set their sights on their fifth title.
“I told the team that I want to win this match (against the Netherlands) because every win makes us stronger and gives us more confidence,” Flick said.
Germany recorded eight consecutive victories under Flick after their 2-0 win over Israel on Saturday, with many players absent due to injury, rest or other reasons.
Since the acquisition, Germany has scored 33 goals and conceded only two.
“We go into every game to win,” Flick said. “We have the necessary respect for the Dutch. They have great players and quality in every part of the team. We want to try to pressure them to make mistakes.”
“The stats are good for the statisticians, but I know we are going to play the next game and we want to win it. We must have that demand of high quality in our squad.”
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