Antonio Di Salvo is currently not getting much sleep. After the upsetting incidents of racism and the disappointing start of his team at the European Championships, the German U21 national coach has two challenges: as a crisis manager and as a football coach.
With a clear statement against discrimination and hatred, the German Football Association tried to overcome the shock after the hate speech against the strikers Youssoufa Moukoko and Jessic Ngankam – there was too much in the second European Championship game against the Czech Republic on Sunday (6 p.m. / Sat .1) at stake. “We want to focus on the sport. I’m sure we can do it,” said Di Salvo.
A win against the Czech Republic is doubly important
If the defending champion remains without a win after beating Israel 1-1 in the second group game, the preliminary round at the European Championship would still not be sealed. The prospects before the group final against EM co-favorite England would then be extremely modest. The two best teams in the group advance to the quarter-finals, England started with a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic. In addition, the performance in the group phase could also be relevant for the Olympic qualification – here the German starting position is no longer optimal. “We have to try to win the game,” said Di Salvo.
Coach Di Salvo still sees “a lot of work”
Germany didn’t play badly in the 1-1 draw with Israel, but Di Salvo admitted it wasn’t a particularly good one either. Not only because of the two missed penalties by Moukoko and Ngankam was the exploitation of chances a big issue. “We still have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Di Salvo after the opening draw. Other points on the 44-year-old’s list of shortcomings: precision and speed in the game going forward as well as crosses and their use in the penalty area. “The plan against the Czech Republic is to continue to be dominant, create opportunities for ourselves and then take them,” said Freiburg’s Yannik Keitel.
The racism scandal continues to accompany the team
Even if the DFB declared the topic over before the game against the Czech Republic: The racist insults against Moukoko and Ngankam after their missed penalties should continue to accompany and keep the team busy. “It’s a package that you have to process as a person first. Especially as a person whose development is far from over,” said DFB Vice President Ronny Zimmermann. In addition, Di Salvo and his team were busy working through the game and reacting appropriately until well into Friday, and there was no question of preparing for the game.
No sign planned on the square
The U21s want to do without a sign on the pitch – such as the national team showed at the World Cup in Qatar with the mouth-to-mouth gesture after the discussion about the One Love armband. “The team wants to focus on the sporting side,” said Di Salvo. Within the team and also to the outside, there was support for Moukoko and Ngankam with many clear statements. “This team doesn’t let racist comments get you down,” wrote captain Yann Aurel Bisseck on Instagram.
Multiculturalism has long been the norm in the U21s
“We’re global, colorful and it doesn’t matter if you’re black, white or yellow,” said coach Di Salvo, whose parents are from Italy. Almost half of the players in his current U21 squad have foreign roots. In its statement to the authors of the racist insults, the DFB wrote: “You will never win, because we are more, we are open, diverse, colorful and damn proud of it.”
The possible lineups
Tschechien: 1 Jaros – 4 Gabriel, 2 Vitik, 3 Hranac, 12 Cedidla – 22 Kaloc, 8 Cerv – 11 Sulc, 20 Zamburek, 7 Kusej – 9 Sheik
Germany: 1 Atubolu – 2 Vagnoman, 5 Bisseck, 14 Matriciani, 22 Netz – 6 Krauss, 8 Keitel, 10 Stiller – 9 Schade, 11 Moukoko, 17 Weißhaupt
Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway)
