GERMANY: German football coach Loew says Ballack, Gomez to miss Germany's Wembley trip

Record ID: 1535255

  • Title: GERMANY: German football coach Loew says Ballack, Gomez to miss Germany's Wembley trip
  • Date: 17th August 2007
  • Summary: (BN11) FRANKFURT, GERMANY (AUGUST 16, 2007) (REUTERS) EXTERIORS OF GERMAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (DFB) HEADQUARTERS IN FRANKFURT WITH GIANT FOOTBALL SCULPTURE /SIGN CAMERAMAN FILMING GERMANY COACH JOACHIM LOEW AND FORMER FOOTBALL LEGENDS UWE SEELER AND PAUL BREITNER ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE SEELER, BREITNER AND LOEW LOOKING FOR SEATS PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES LOEW SITTING DOWN, PAN TO OTHERS ON PODIUM OFFICIAL HANDING OUT NEWS RELEASES LIST OF GERMANY PLAYERS FOR THE MATCH AGAINST ENGLAND (SOUNDBITE) (German) JOACHIM LOEW, GERMANY COACH SAYING: "Over the past few days we put a lot of thought into the composition of the team and who should finally be nominated. The situation is such that several players will have to miss the game: Michael Ballack, (Lukas) Podolski, Torsten Frings. In the end, Mario Gomez, on whom we were counting, had to cancel too. A muscle injury forces him to take a break." WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENE (SOUNDBITE) (German) JOACHIM LOEW, GERMANY COACH SAYING: "They (midfielder Sami Khedira and defender Serdar Tasci) are both still very young but both of them have the ability not to get nervous in stress situations. Both of them are relatively grown up already as far as their personality goes. That's why we decided to give those two players a chance to see how they act within the A team." SIDE OF LOEW SPEAKING, GERMANY MANAGER OLIVER BIERHOFF IN FOREGROUND PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES LOEW SPEAKING/ MEDIA
  • Embargoed: 1st September 2007 14:44
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVADOF2RX2UOIPDGL8C29MGDKGTE
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Germany will be without several key players for their first visit to the
    new Wembley Stadium in London next week.
    Germany will be without captain Michael Ballack and striker Mario
    Gomez when they take on England in a friendly international at Wembley on Aug.
    22.
    Ballack has yet to play for Chelsea this season because of his ankle
    injury, while Gomez, Player of the Year in the Bundesliga last season, has a
    thigh problem.
    Midfielders Torsten Frings and Tim Borowski were also left out of a
    20-man squad named on Thursday (August 16) by coach Joachim Loew because of
    injury.
    Midfielder Sami Khedira and defender Serdar Tasci, both of champions
    VfB Stuttgart, were called up for the first time by Loew.
    "They (Khedira and Tasci) are both still very young but both of
    them have the ability not to get nervous in stress situations," Loew
    said.
    "Both of them are relatively grown up already as far as their
    personality goes. That's why we decided to give those two players a chance to
    see how they act within the A team."
    Visits to Wembley have always been occasions to savour according to
    former Germany striker Uwe Seeler.
    "Wembley is something special and I think every player would
    confirm that. That's why I'm already looking forward to the next game, even
    though it's only a friendly. But these games against England are always of a
    special nature which you can't even describe," he said.
    Germany are five points clear at the top of Euro 2008 qualifying group
    D. Their next competitive match is away to Wales on September 8.
    Another veteran player, Paul Breitner, said Germany was the only
    international side to meet expectations this year.

    Squad:
    Goalkeepers: Timo Hildebrand (Valencia, Spain), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal,
    England)
    Defenders: Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Clemens Fritz (Werder
    Bremen), Marcell Jansen (Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per
    Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid, Spain), Serdar
    Tasci (VfB Stuttgart)
    Midfielders: Roberto Hilbert (VfB Stuttgart), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB
    Stuttgart), Sami Khedira (VfB Stuttgart), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen),
    Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich),
    Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg SV)
    Forwards: Patrick Helmes (Cologne), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer
    Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04).
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