Lahm demands courage from the DFB team: “Don’t hide from Spain”
Tournament director Philipp Lahm sees the German national football team as slight underdogs in the quarter-finals of the European Championship at home against Spain – but by no means without a chance. “I believe that the Spanish team is one step ahead of the German team at the moment. But we have the means to hurt them,” said the 2014 world champion in an interview with the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”. To win the prestigious duel between the best teams in the tournament so far this Friday in Stuttgart, courage is needed above all, said the former national player: “I hope that we want a lot of possession, that we can play forward and use our creative players. Then Spain will have respect. We don’t have to hide from Spain.” The Spanish have developed further compared to the most recent tournaments. “They have outstanding players, but then they have this clear way of playing,” said Lahm: “They can do more than just possession football. They can also retreat sometimes. And they can counterattack.” When asked about his dream final, Lahm was reserved. He would like “of course the German team to be in the final”, but: “As tournament director, it doesn’t really matter to me. I know it will be an incredible atmosphere, no matter who is in the final.” More
