With U21 duo in the World Cup qualification ?: Flick, the top “Groundhopper” of the DFB

With U21 duo in the World Cup qualification?
Flick, the top “groundhopper” of the DFB

As a national soccer coach, Hansi Flick is now less often on the sidelines than before as a club coach. However, he is not less often in the stadium. Because Flick tingles through the arenas all over Europe to live out his fanatic existence. And of course to cast the best line-up for the DFB.

As a “groundhopper”, Hansi Flick was completely in his element. “First and foremost, I am a football fan. It is just a pleasure for me to see games,” he said of his 14-day stadium tour of eight games in six different cities. The new national coach was able to combine the pleasant with the useful – and scout players for his next squad nomination on Friday.

“Of course we are constantly looking at what we could change,” reported Flick on his journey from Frankfurt via Cologne, Stuttgart, London and Dortmund to Munich. Although the successor to Joachim Löw has long since got his scaffolding together after his successful start with three victories in the World Cup qualifying, surprises like his premiere are anything but impossible.

“As a coaching team, we try to visit everywhere and show our presence. It’s important to see as many German players as possible, that’s interesting for us,” said Flick. And so he observed two more offensive talents in Mergim Berisha (Fenerbahce) and Vitaly Janelt (Brentford). The duo belonged to the team of U21 European champions, from which Flick had already taken five times in September.

“Only go together”

The national coach looked at form strong stars like Florian Wirtz and Antonio Rüdiger as well as the problem children Timo Werner and Marco Reus or the possible returnee Mats Hummels. The Dortmund player was injured when he restarted under Flick with the games against Liechtenstein (2-0), Armenia (6-0) and Iceland (4-0).

Because İlkay Gündoğan is ailing, he could play in the World Cup qualifiers on October 8 in Hamburg against Romania and three days later at Löw-Schreck North Macedonia (both 8:45 p.m. in the ntv.de live ticker) there will be a vacancy in Skopje. When searching for possible candidates, Flick did not only rely on his own impression on site. “It’s also about keeping in touch with the clubs and the coaches. That’s just part of the process, because they work with the players on a daily basis. We are happy to take this information,” he said. One of his most important tasks was to re-establish the ties to the clubs that were sometimes severed during the Löw era.

“It’s only possible together,” emphasized Flick: “If the DFB and the clubs get along, we can get back to where we want to be – namely to the top.” For this, “Groundhopper” Flick likes to fill out his frequent flyer card.

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