Plattenhardt: A good alternative
Plattenhardt: A good alternative
Germany head coach Joachim Löw praised the Hertha man ahead of Germany’s clash with San Marino on Saturday (10/06/17) as he looks set to gain more game time.
Marvin Plattenhardt is approaching another highlight in his season. First, there was qualifying for the Europa League with Hertha BSC and then his first ever cap for Germany. And he could be in for his second appearance in tonight’s World Cup qualifier against San Marino in Nürnberg. “Obviously it’s brilliant to play in such a familiar stadium for me. I played there as a young player at 1. FC Nürnberg and made my first steps there are a professional footballer,” said Plattenhardt, who kicks off at 20:45 CEST.
However this match will not just be a trip down memory lane for Plattenhardt. After all, the 25-year-old, now the 27th Hertha player to be called up at international level, is still one of the new boys in the DFB squad. Yet he has certainly had no problems settling in. “I already know a few of the lads from the youth teams. We’ve also got to know each other in training and can do even more in our free time,” the left-back said, who will be sporting the number five shirt for Germany.
Joachim Löw’s squad have been intensely fine-tuning things and working on their team play over the last few days, an essential exercise given that there are six new players involved. The new-look outfit managed to secure a 1-1 draw against Denmark on Tuesday evening after a slow start. Now the team must show that they are gelling after showing “more positives than negatives” against the Danes. “The spirit in our new team is very positive. The players have brought desire and excitement,” said Löw ahead of the match against San Marino. He was also full of praise for Hertha’s internationals at his press conference. “Marvin has been calm and collected. He knows his position very well and has been very consistent. He will get chances with us,” said Löw. “He can still develop as a player and is a good alternative option for us.”
The clear objective is an emphatic victory over the minnows to ensure a sixth victory in six in group C and take one step closer to World Cup qualification. “San Marino will be defending with eight or nine players. We need to break them down going forward,” said Löw. The team will meet again after days off on Sunday and Monday as they prepare for the Confed-Cup at the end of the week, with Germany in action against Australia, Chile and Cameroon.
Early final for Ibisevic
Just like Plattenhardt, Vladimir Darida and Rune Jarstein, several other blue-whites are in World Cup qualifying action. Vedad Ibisievic was already in action on Friday as Bosnia-Herzegovina hosted Greece in a match that ended goalless. The result means that Greece remain in second place in the table on twelve points, whilst Bosnia-Herzegovina are just behind on eleven. Things are looking slightly better for Peter Pekarik and Ondrej Duda with Slovakia, who currently sit in second place with nine points, four behind group leaders England and two ahead of Slovenia and Scotland. John Anthony Brooks came out on top in a 2-0 victory over Trinidad % Tobago on Thursday in World Cup qualifying, with their next challenge coming against table-toppers Mexico. Genki Haraguchi will take on Iraq on Tuesday.
What was said
[>]This match is extremely important. We're at home and we want to put on a show for our fans.[<]
| Date | Player | Game | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 05/06/17t | Vladimir Darida | Belgium vs. Czech Republic | 2-1 | |
| Tuesday | 06/06/17 | Marvin Plattenhardtt | Denmark vs. Germany | 1-1 | |
| Wednesday | 07/06/17 | Genki Haraguchi | Japan vs. Syria | 1-1 | |
| Friday | 09/06/17 | Vedad Ibisevic | Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Greece | 0-0 | |
| Saturday | 10/06/17 | Marvin Plattenhardtt | Germany vs. San Marino | ||
| Saturday | 10/06/17 | Peter Pekarik | Ondrej Duda | Lithuania vs. Slovakia | |
| Saturday | 10/06/17 | Vladimir Darida | Norway vs. Czech Republic | ||
| Saturday | 10/06/17 | Rune Jarsteint | Norway vs. Czech Republic | ||
| Tuesday | 13/06/17 | Genki Haraguchi | Iraq vs. Japan | ||
| Tuesday | 13/06/17 | Rune Jarsteint | Norway vs. Sweden | ||
| 17/06 - 02/07/17 | Marvin Plattenhardtt | Confederations Cup | |||
| 13/06 - 30/06/17 | Niklas Stark | Mitchell Weisert | U21 Euros | ||
| 20/05 - 11/06/17 | Maximilian Mittelstädt | Jordan Torunarighat | U20 World Cup |