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Former Bayern Munich boss and current Germany manager Hansi Flick is now 2-0 at the helm of Die Mannschaft and it does not sound as if he is ready to take any chances in dropping point on Wednesday against Iceland — even with a somewhat banged up roster.
“We know their team is undergoing an upheaval. We know they defend very well and are good at transitions. They are dangerous in the penalty box and with set pieces. I know some players. We need to be focused. We know what kind of quality we have,” Flick said at his press conference (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “It’s important for us to win this game. We want to put together a team that can do that. We can’t plan everything, it depends on how the game will go. We speak to the players and they know what to expect.”
Flick acknowledged that Marco Reus picked up a minor knee injury and would be unavailable, but the coach does expect to have Chelsea FC’s Kai Havertz and Atalanta’s Robin Gosens back in the lineup. In addition, Flick said that Ridle Baku will not travel with the squad and that decision was just based on numbers as the squad can only take 20 field players on the road (per SPOX’s Kerry Hau):
#Havertz und #Gosens im 23-Mann-Kader für #ISLGER. Neben #Reus (Knieprobleme) fliegt auch #Baku nicht mit nach Reykjavik. „Es hat überhaupt nichts mit seiner Leistung zu tun. Aber wir können nur 20 Feldspieler mitnehmen und haben uns diesmal für andere entschieden“, sagt Flick.
— Kerry Hau (@kerry_hau) September 7, 2021
#Havertz and #Gosens in the 23-man squad for #ISLGER . Next to #Reus (Knee problems) also flies #Baku not to Reykjavik. “It has nothing to do with his performance at all. But we can only take 20 field players with us and this time we have decided on other players,” says Flick.
As for some of the players who have stood out, Flick recognized a couple of midfielders you might be familiar with: Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz
“(Goretzka) initiated the goals against Armenia and won many challenges. He had an enormous presence on the pitch. The game he played against Armenia will be a benchmark for him,” Flick said. “Like all young players here, Florian Wirtz is a huge asset for us. He is an excellent technician and very creative. He has good finishing and is very willing to make runs. Overall, he’s a pretty complete player.”
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