Soon to be DFB boss! Mertesacker wants more ice-bath mentality

Soon to be DFB boss! Mertesacker wants more ice-bath mentality A 2014 World Cup winner will soon take on a key role at the DFB , and he already has clear ideas about what the German national team is currently lacking. Per Mertesacker is calling for a stronger mentality and more genuine characters. “Maybe the ice bath will become important again at the DFB,” the incoming DFB managing director told 'Bild' on the sidelines of the Sports Press Ball, where he was honoured as an “Athlete with Heart”. “These are also questions we need to consider: whether we have enough strong personalities for the future for moments like that to happen again,” he continued. The team needed to show an attitude that would once again bring out individual players’ character. With these words, Mertesacker is referring to one of the most unforgettable moments of the 2014 World Cup. Immediately after the hard-fought 2–1 extra-time victory over Algeria in the round of 16, he forcefully pushed back against critical questions from ZDF reporter Boris Büchler. “Do you think there’s some kind of carnival team among the last 16 or what? I’m going to spend three days in the ice bath now, and then we’ll analyse the match calmly,” he retorted at the time. Shortly afterwards, Germany were crowned world champions. Mertesacker will now succeed Andreas Rettig as DFB managing director on 1 January. For that reason, he will not yet be following the upcoming Nations League matches in Serbia and against the Netherlands in an official capacity. Nevertheless, he is keeping a close eye on Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp and praised his work: “One thing is already clear right now: Jürgen Klopp has a certain clarity and a clear strategy at the moment. I think that is serving us very, very well.” Despite the promising start under Klopp, Mertesacker believes the national team still have some way to go, especially given the traditionally high expectations of German football. “We all want to get back among the very best, particularly into the top four. That’s what we’ll work towards. Jürgen has taken some good first steps. But it will take several more steps to get back to where we once were.” This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.