Dani Carvajal is the player who accompanied CT de la Fuente to the press conference on the eve of the match against Germany. These are the words of the Real Madrid full-back, reported by As: “We are calm and confident, I see energy and enthusiasm. We know we have a great rival in front of us, we have to do everything well”.
Is there any reason why Germany has failed to beat Spain in the last few matches?
“I don’t think there’s an explanation. They haven’t beaten us lately, but they have in the past. This will be a 50-50 game.”
Joselu said they want to retire Kroos…
“Josélu’s words were said in a joking tone. Of course we want to beat Germany and that would mean Kroos retiring. It will certainly be a very nice match, which every fan wants to see.”
What will need to be done?
“We will have to know how to suffer when the opponent is in control and be energetic when we have the game in hand. We will have to concede as little as possible.”
Lehman said that Spain is young and inexperienced. Have you commented on that?
“We don’t take anyone’s opinion as a reference. Kroos spoke about it and described it perfectly.”
Do you have something to say about the calendar?
“I have more energy than ever. I want the game to arrive and eat up the opponents. But given what will happen next year, with a Super Cup outside of Spain, a Club World Cup that will take us away from home for another month, another Champions League… it’s an untenable schedule and the level of the games will drop because it’s impossible to maintain the same level playing every three days.”
What are Germany’s main weapons?
“They have world-class players. They are similar to us, we have similar weapons and it will depend on the pressure. Will they wait for us or will they press? The course of the match will depend on that.”
Have you spoken to Kroos?
“No. I will wait until tomorrow, to see him before and after the match. For Toni it is a very special match because he has lived in Spain for more than a decade. He will try to enjoy it and we will let him enjoy it as little as possible. I will try to give information to my colleagues and I hope they can be of help.”
Have you tried penalties?
“It is clear that there are specialists. But what is important is confidence. In Manchester, with Real, Rüdiger, Nacho and Lucas scored. The important thing is the level of confidence at that precise moment”.
Has Lamine Yamal played too many games this year for someone so young?
“I think the question should not be dedicated to Lamine, but to any player who plays three competitions. UEFA, FIFA and the national federations must consider that a player cannot play 60 games a year.”