2 years ago
When Germany plays Italy on Tuesday, Manuel Neuer, the German goalkeeper and captain, expressed his excitement at the prospect of ending a run of poor results, adding, "a win would taste wonderful."
Germany's 1-1 draw against Hungary on Saturday was their fourth consecutive 1-1 draw, following 1-1 draws against England and Italy earlier this month, as well as the Netherlands in March.
Germany possessed 65 percent possession and completed roughly double the amount of passes (613-302) in their last meeting with Italy, but they had to come from behind and settle for a draw thanks to Joshua Kimmich's equalizer.
Neuer told the media before of the match that his team had the "correct mindset" against Hungary and that he thinks Germany can get back on track with a solid performance against Italy when they visit Borussia-Park.
"Disappointment has already won," he continued, "but we don't have to hide our heads in the sand." "We have the desire and incentive to succeed.
"We may have lacked imagination and enthusiasm, but we came out of every game with the proper mindset."
"A win would be delicious for us." We want to finish with three points against Italy and a sense of accomplishment.
"You can't just walk away from a game." For the World Cup, we want to be as prepared as possible on defense.
"That will be crucial for me, which is why playing against such top opponents in the Nations League is beneficial."
Germany's head coach, Hansi Flick, saw the positive side as well, admitting that he is still in data-gathering mode.
"We haven't lost a game yet," he added, adding that the club has made good progress. "However, we've only drawn four times in the last four games — all against very tough opponents."
"I believed we'd made a little more progress in development, and we were hoping for more." The four games, as I previously stated, are utilized for analysis, which we will fine-tune in September. And that is our current mission."
While everyone seems to be focused on the World Cup, Flick revealed that he is desperate to get the group back on track.
He explained, "I just don't like the four draws because I want to win, and the squad feels the same way." "We want to win games," says the team.
"For the squad, victories are always vital. We'll have to give it our all again against Italy, since a win will give you a lot more confidence that you're a good team.
"Italy is performing admirably. They have a diverse squad and are always a breath of fresh air on the pitch.
"We want to put the opponent under pressure and stress him out." Our transition game needs to improve, and that's where we're concentrating our efforts.
"Our offensive lacks direction, but it does have the resolve and absolute will to succeed." This necessitates conviction, but also freshness, which isn't usually accessible after such a lengthy season."
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