Hansi Flick’s remarkable memo for defensive giant Niklas Süle reverberates inside the national football team.
The clear EM signal that the national coach sent to the Dortmund 100-kilo man exactly one year before the home European Championships should be understood as a warning and admonition to all tournament candidates before the three test games against Ukraine, Poland and Colombia.
“Of course you know what you have to do to be allowed to be a national player in the end,” commented Timo Werner. The attacker traveled to Frankfurt despite an ankle injury. The DFB Cup winner from RB Leipzig wants to try everything to be on the pitch for the further European Championship tests against Poland and Colombia at least after the 1000th international match next Monday against Ukraine. “I’ll try it,” said Werner, who was absent from the first training session in front of around 600 fans on the Frankfurt DFB campus on Thursday. However, he wrote autographs on the sidelines for the training guests, who also held out in the thunderstorm. The ankle is still too painful at the moment, said Werner. Nevertheless, an early start of vacation was not an issue for him.
Flick tightens the gait
A year before the opening game of the European Championship in Munich, every day is important for the DFB team. And Flick tightened the gait, verbally too. As a rule, publicly expressed individual criticism is not Flick’s path, which he exceptionally left in an interview with the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”. He counted the 27-year-old Süle in a very public way.
The BVB professional is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in Germany and is actually a fixed starter at the European Championship. But the national coach is not only dissatisfied since the botched World Cup in Qatar that Süle, who tends to be lazy, does not consistently exploit his potential.
“I think he’s still leaving a lot. I want him to take a step forward in his attitude, in his mentality,” said Flick. Süle could be “one of the best central defenders there is”. But a national player should have the right to “make the most of his potential,” explained the national coach. “Getting through with less – that’s not my mentality,” Flick reprimanded bluntly.
Hofman wants to seize the comeback opportunity
Flick’s message to Süle should serve as a warning to all EM candidates. The career highlight home tournament 2024 is not free. “The national coach is always very open with the players and communicates very openly what he expects from each player. We are well advised on everything we have to do,” said Werner. The attacker is a prime example of how much Flick supports players even in difficult times when they are always fully committed to the team and personally contribute everything.
Flick had already done without Süle in the games against Peru (2-0) and Belgium (2-3) in spring. Defense colleague Antonio Rüdiger, Bayern attacker Leroy Sané or Gladbacher Jonas Hofmann, who were also not invited as prominent World Cup participants at the time, have now been brought back by Flick. Hofmann’s announcement should also please Flick: “I’ll hit everything when I have the eagle on my chest.”
Kevin Schade left the DFB quarter
The national coach hopes that Süle will take the extended DFB break as an incentive. Werner does not write off his colleagues. “Football is so fast-moving that it will change relatively quickly in one direction or the other. Those who are not there at the moment will be here again and play.” The EM door stays open – out and in.
Storm talent Kevin Schade left the DFB quarters the morning after the meeting point. The 21-year-old striker from English Premier League club FC Brentford left with minor muscular problems. To increase the training group, Flick ordered Stuttgart’s Josha Vagnoman and Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko to the senior team. The duo should expand the training group by Sunday before traveling on to South Tyrol for the training camp of the U21 national team ahead of the European Championships in Romania and Georgia (June 21 to July 8).
