During the international break, Germany’s U-21 team was invited to train at Bayern Munich’s training ground, the Säbener Straße. While the team was there, Bayern used that time to hold a quick interview with out-on-loan Frans Krätzig, which they posted on their official website. In the interview, among other things, Krätzig spoke about his excitement regarding the U-21 European Championship, held in June of next year.
The interviewer sat down with the youngster, who turns 22 in January, initially congratulating Krätzig for Germany’s qualification for the 2025 Euros before asking if the ability to be at next year’s tournament gives him a little extra motivation for this season. The VFB Stuttgart loan player, however, preferred to focus on the success of the team.
Krätzig: “We’re delighted to have qualified. Our goal was to finish first in the group. To have achieved that before the last matchday is something special. Now we’re going to give it our all to earn a place in the tournament. We want to show what we can do. We want to prepare well so that hopefully something big happens in the summer.“
Next, the interviewer quizzed Krätzig on what was it like to come home to Munich again, having spent the majority of the year on loan at either Austria Vienna and Stuttgart.
“It was very nice to be back at Säbener Straße in Munich. I caught up with a lot of people again. The conditions here are also fantastic.”
The interviewer then asked whether training at Bayern Munich’s training ground gave the team an extra boost. It would not be a Bavarian interview with at least a little earned self gratulation, would it? But Krätzig did not deny that training at the Säbener Straße was certainly beneficial:
“Of course, we’re professionals and have already trained on many training pitches or in different stadiums. But I also heard one or two people in the team say that it was something special. I can imagine that there was perhaps a sense of awe among some of them and that it was something different to – without wanting to sound disrespectful – training in a sports centre somewhere in the Munich area, for example.”
While the German national team has now reached a drought of over a decade without a trophy, Germany’s youth sides have demonstrated a real knack for winning trophies. The U-21 are no exception, having won the 2021 edition of U-21 European Championship. Now Krätzig and Co. are looking to take another crack at it and succeed where the senior team failed.
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