The first public team training session in Qatar took place without attacker Niclas Füllkrug. The Werder professional was absent due to a flu infection. Thomas Müller and Antonio Rüdiger, who were injured recently, returned to the pitch.
The dpa reports. The national team completed their first team training session at the Al Shamal Stadium on Saturday morning (local time). The training ground is only a few minutes’ drive from the DFB team’s World Cup base, the Zulal Wellness Resort.
Except for the filling pitcher, all players were able to take part in training. In addition to Müller and Rüdiger, Marc-Andre ter Stegen also took part. The goalkeeper missed the friendly against Oman with a gastrointestinal infection and only joined the team in Qatar.
After the disappointing performance against Oman, captain Manuel Neuer emphasized the importance of the training sessions. “We have to take every training session seriously. We’re totally focused and we’ll give our all for the first game. We’re really pumping up now and we’re motivated to get off to a good start against Japan,” emphasized the 36-year-old.
For many players it is a matter of convincing training performances to recommend themselves for a starting XI in the first group game against Japan. In some positions it is still unclear who national coach Hansi Flick will send into the race.
This article was originally published on 90min.de as DFB training: concerns about a filling jug and two returnees.
