Hansi Flick talks through options for Germany vs. Israel

Former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick sounds ready for his squad to formally begin its quest to win the 2022 World Cup.

“Our World Cup year is getting started with tomorrow’s game against Israel. Games against Israel are always special. The relationship between both nations is good and friendly — and with respect with regard to what happened in the past. I’m looking forward to the game,” Flick said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Flick does have some key players missing, but has total faith in in the players that he has available.

“Nico Schlotterbeck will start tomorrow. Marc ter Stegen and Kevin Trapp will play a half each. Ilkay (Gündogan) will start. Timo (Werner) has good chances to start,” Flick said. “Jamal (Musiala) is a very intelligent player. He is adept at winning the ball back. He has fantastic dynamism in attack and in 1v1 situations. He can play as a six, but can also cause danger in attack. He has a big chance to play from the start tomorrow.”

More than anything, though, Flick is not taking anything for granted. The 57-year-old saw Italy lose to North Macedonia and wants his squad to avoid being shocked by anyone.

“Yesterday’s game showed what football is all about. North Macedonia played with a lot of passion and got a bit lucky in the end. I’m glad that we were able to qualify for the World Cup early on. I’m a bit sorry for Italy, but that’s football, it’s about performance,” Flick remarked.