Established 1961 15 Sports Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Germany seek redemption as Loew starts swansong Mannschaft play Iceland tomorrow, Romania on Sunday BERLIN: Germany will seek redemption for to look at options before naming his squad for the November’s humiliating thrashing against Spain as European championships. He has high hopes for Bayern Joachim Loew’s squad look to get the fans back behind Munich midfielder Musiala, who has dual nationality them by winning their first three World Cup qualifiers. and has opted to play senior football for Germany Germany host Iceland in Duisburg tomorrow before despite two appearances for England Under-21 last facing Romania away on Sunday, then play North November. Macedonia three days later back in Duisburg. Likewise, Leverkusen’s Wirtz, the youngest ever “We want to start the European championship year scorer in the Bundesliga, is considered a bright with an exclamation mark and please our fans again,” prospect and has also been called up by Loew for the Loew said after naming teenagers Jamal Musiala, 18, first time. The head coach wants to see his players and Florian Wirtz, 17, in his squad. “Our ambition and working hard in training to win starting places for goal is to get ourselves into a good starting position Germany. “We want to see in the training sessions and with three wins.” matches which players are imposing themselves, who A fortnight ago, Loew announced he will step down, definitely wants to be there,” said Loew. after 15 years in charge, following the European cham- He has been able to call up five Premier League pionships, due to take place from June 11-July 11. He players after Germany relaxed some of the Covid-19 badly needs convincing wins to restore their fans’ faith travel restrictions at the weekend. Nevertheless, in the Mannschaft following November’s 6-0 rout by Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, Chelsea Spain which handed Germany their heaviest defeat trio Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Antonio Ruediger since 1931. In the aftermath, a survey of German fans plus Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno will be placed in a by magazine Kicker showed 89 percent felt Loew had ‘working quarantine’ within the Germany camp. failed to rebuild the team since crashing out of the 2018 The five will only be allowed contact with other World Cup in the group stages. As Germany team players during training, team meetings and matches. director Oliver Bierhoff acknowledged Monday, the Meals will be taken separately. “The situation is aggra- Mannschaft must “set an example” after the disgrace of vated, but we are not complaining,” Bierhoff added. the thrashing in Seville. There is also no room for Dortmund captain Marco It is a far cry from July 2014, when Loew could Reus who has struggled for consistency after a lengthy seemingly do no wrong after masterminding Germany’s injury lay off. Loew is also refusing to reverse his 2019 World Cup triumph in Brazil. The 61-year-old is des- decision to end the international careers of Thomas MUNICH: In this file photo taken on December 16, 2020 Bayern Munich’s German midfielder Jamal Musiala perate to end on a high at the Euros after three lean Mueller, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng. Mueller is plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Bayern Munich and Vfl years which have badly tarnished his glittering legacy. in arguably the form of his career with four assists in as Wolfsburg in Munich. — AFP The three World Cup qualifiers are his last chance many Bundesliga games. — AFP Emotional Zlatan returns to Leverkusen fire Sweden squad Bosz after slump, STOCKHOLM: An unusually reserved and humble Zlatan Ibrahimovic had to hold back the tears on Wolf takes charge Monday as he arrived in Sweden ahead of his return this week to the Swedish national squad after nearly BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen yesterday five years away. sacked head coach Peter Bosz and brought in Veteran striker Ibrahimovic showed a more sen- Hannes Wolf in a bid to stop their slide down sitive side to his usually brash public persona when the Bundesliga table after having been top in he was asked about what his two teenage sons, December. Bosz, 57, has been replaced by Maximilian and Vincent, thought of his international former Germany Under-18 coach Wolf, 39, comeback. “It’s not a good question you’re asking. I until the end of the season with Leverkusen had Vincent here, who actually cried when I left him. currently sixth in Germany’s top flight. But it’s OK, it’s OK,” he said with tears in his eyes. Wolf won the second division title with Speaking to reporters days ahead of Sweden’s Stuttgart in 2016/17, but was sacked after a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Georgia tomor- season at Hamburg after failing to get them row, the often boastful 39-year-old acknowledged back into the Bundesliga in 2018/19. “With he was much more “patient both on and off the the new coaching team, we want to turn STOCKHOLM: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (second right), forward of Sweden’s national football team, attends a training field” than when he announced the end of is inter- things around and again take the path to suc- session with teammates yesterday in Stockholm, prior to the World Cup qualifier of Sweden vs Georgia to be national career after Euro 2016. “Right now you’re cess that we had left,” said Leverkusen’s played tomorrow. — AFP thinking: ‘He’s much too nice and much too hum- sporting director Simon Rolfes. “Even as a ble’,” Ibrahimovic joked. very young coach, Hannes Wolf has impressed Sweden’s most successful player, the AC Milan could have the 11,” he said, adding that teammate and also said he had promised Andersson he would with big clubs and was particularly convinc- forward retired from international football with 116 Real Sociedad forward Alexander Isak had graciously “decide matches”. “I have my experience, I know ing through his promotion to the Bundesliga caps and 62 goals for his national team. He agreed to give up the number. what I’m good at.” The question of whether the with VfB Stuttgart.” announced his return to the squad last week on top scorer would ever return to the national team Instagram with a picture of himself in the Swedish ‘Best in the world’ has often divided the Scandinavian nation. Some team kit. But ‘Ibra’ said Monday he didn’t want to Ibrahimovic and Sweden’s head coach Janne fans have pined to see him back on the pitch, be given a spot on the team for his past achieve- Andersson, who also attended the press conference, while others argued he no longer had a place on a ments but because he “deserved” it. have had public arguments in the past but both of team that has managed to qualify for top interna- He is in good form this season for Milan, with 15 them insisted repeatedly those disagreements were tional competitions without him. goals in as many Serie A games, including the open- now behind them. Andersson, who took over the squad in 2016, has er in Sunday’s 3-2 win at Fiorentina which kept the Andersson travelled to meet Zlatan in Milan in over the years worked to build a team with a collec- pressure on league leaders Inter Milan. He also said November last year after the star attacker had said tive ethos and little tolerance for diva antics. he didn’t mind no longer being team captain, a role in an interview that he missed playing for Sweden. Questions had therefore emerged about now taken by Alexander Granqvist, who plays for “When we parted we had put everything that hap- Ibrahimovic’s place on the team. Noa Bachner, foot- Swedish club Helsingborgs. pened before behind us,” Andersson said. ball pundit for Swedish daily Expressen, told AFP In a another sign of a “new chapter,” Ibrahimovic Glimpses of the old Ibrahimovic did however that Ibrahimovic “knows he’s entering into a much said he had asked to don the number 11 on his jersey make an appearance. “If you ask me I’m the best in more flat hierarchy where he can’t expect to be ele- rather than the 10 he used to sport. “I asked nicely if I the world,” Zlatan said as he broke into laughter. He vated in the same manner.” — AFP Chinese football chiefs are yet to host games in Group A, which also China coach says ‘door open announce a start for the 2021 cam- includes the Philippines, Maldives paign. China are second in Group A of and Guam. Asian qualifying for the 2022 Qatar China has reached only one World to everyone’ as injuries strike World Cup, eight points behind lead- Cup, in 2002, when they failed to ers Syria. Only the top team is guaran- score a goal or win a point in their SHANGHAI: China coach Li Tie is the time,” said Li, adding that teed to reach the next qualifying stage. three group games. Five years ago BERLIN: In this file photo taken on March 21, missing several key players, including “although he’s far away, in Spain, he For the Asian qualifiers on May 31 China pledged to become a football 2021 Leverkusen’s Dutch head coach Peter forward Wu Lei, as he attempts to is still a very important member of to June 15, matches have been moved power by 2050 but the team remains Bosz reacts during the German first division stamp his mark on the national squad our team”.