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German goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer looked forward to ending a string of mediocre results when his side face Italy on Tuesday, saying “a win would taste good”.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Hungary was Germany’s fourth consecutive 1-1 draw, with the same result against England and Italy this month, and the Netherlands back in March.
In that last meeting with Italy, Germany controlled 65 per cent of the possession, completing over double the amount of passes (613-302), but they had to come from behind and settle for the draw thanks to Joshua Kimmich’s equaliser.
Speaking to the media ahead of the contest, Neuer said his side played with the “right attitude” against Hungary, and he hopes Germany can get back on track with a strong result when the Italians travel to Borussia-Park.
“The disappointment has already prevailed, but we don’t have to bury our heads in the sand either,” he said. “Our hunger and our motivation are there.
“We may have lacked creativity and vigour, but we showed the right attitude in every game.
“A win would taste good for us. We want to get the three points against Italy and the sense of achievement at the end.
“You can’t just drop a game. We want to be as well-rehearsed as possible on the defensive for the World Cup.
“That will be crucial for me, and that’s why it’s good to play against such good opponents in the Nations League.”
Germany head coach Hansi Flick also looked on the bright side, and acknowledged he is still very much in data-gathering mode.
“The team has made good progress – we haven’t lost a game yet,” he said. “But in the last four games – against quite strong opponents – we’ve only drawn four times.
“We were hoping for more, and I also thought that we’d made a bit more progress in development. As I said before, the four games are used for analysis, which we have to fine-tune in September. And that is our task now.”
While all focus seems to be on the World Cup, Flick admitted he is desperate to get that winning feeling back in the group.
“I just don’t like the four draws because I want to win, and the team feels the same way,” he said. “We want to win games.
“Victories are always important for the team. We have to give everything again against Italy, with a win the conviction that you have good quality is much higher.
“Italy are doing very well. They have a broad squad and always bring freshness to the pitch.
“We want to stress the opponent, put him under pressure. Our transition game has to get better, that’s where our focus is.
“Our offensive doesn’t lack direction, but rather the determination and the absolute will to finish. This requires conviction, but also freshness – and after such a long season that is not always available.”
