GERMANY: GERMANY HEAD COACH RUDI VOELLER HAS PICKED PROMISING STRIKER MIROSLAV KLOSE TO FACE FRANCE IN A FRIENDLY SOCCER INTERNATIONAL
Record ID:
648206
GERMANY: GERMANY HEAD COACH RUDI VOELLER HAS PICKED PROMISING STRIKER MIROSLAV KLOSE TO FACE FRANCE IN A FRIENDLY SOCCER INTERNATIONAL
- Title: GERMANY: GERMANY HEAD COACH RUDI VOELLER HAS PICKED PROMISING STRIKER MIROSLAV KLOSE TO FACE FRANCE IN A FRIENDLY SOCCER INTERNATIONAL
- Date: 20th February 2001
- Summary: STUTTGART, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 20, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. EXTERIOR OF DAIMLER/CHRYSLER HEADQUARTERS 2. RUDI VOELLER ARRIVES AT FACTORY 3. APPRENTICES PRESENT MODEL CAR TO VOELLER 4. WIDE SHOT OF PRESS CONFERENCE 5. (Soundbite) VOELLER SPEAKING (German): "What can I say, France is the yardstick, World and European Champions, you only have to look at the clubs, the players they have under contract play in, they're an absolutely world-class team. It's a prestigious game, it's not going to be just a friendly, a match against France is something special." 6. GERMAN SQUAD ON SCREEN 7. WIDE SHOT PRESS CONFERENCE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 7th March 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: STUTTGART, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVAC3BXA6JK9OSDNP6K58FMBJONE
- Story Text: Germany head coach Rudi Voeller has picked promising
striker Miroslav Klose in a squad to face France in a friendly
soccer international on February 27.
Klose, 22, who has scored seven goals for his
Kaiserslautern side in the Bundesliga this season, is one of
three uncapped players in a 20-strong squad named by Voeller
on Tuesday for next Tuesday's game at Stade de France.
The other two are goalkeeper Frank Rost and defender
Torsten Frings, both with Werder Bremen. Rost is the number
two goalkeeper behind Bayern Munich's Oliver Kahn and is
unlikely to play.
Injury has deprived Voeller of several valued players,
most notably Hertha Berlin midfielders Stefan Beinlich and
Sebastian Deisler and Bayer Leverkusen defender Jens Nowotny.
Bayern Munich forward Alexander Zickler is also unavailable.
"I don't see it as negative but as positive because it
enables us to try new things," Voeller said when asked about
the injury worries.
Next week's match against the world and European champions
will be the first of the year for Germany, who struggled in a
2-1 defeat to Denmark in a friendly in Copenhagen in their
previous outing last November.
"France are the ultimate test," said Voeller. "We will do
everything to live up to the occasion and make sure we leave
the pitch with our heads held high."
Voeller, who will coach Germany at least until after the
2002 World Cup -- if his men qualify for the finals -- is
looking forward to a fresh start after a disastrous year which
saw the three-times world champions bow out of Euro 2000 after
the group stage.
Alongside the three newcomers are several seasoned
players, among them AC Milan striker Oliver Bierhoff, who
should captain the side, and in-form Bayern midfielder Mehmet
Scholl.
Borussia Dortmund central defender Christian Woerns, who
has won 33 caps for Germany but has not played since Voeller
took over from Erich Ribbeck in the wake of the shock
elimination from Euro 2000, returns to the squad.
"He's an excellent defender but he's been injured a lot
and that's why he was not in the squad for previous games,"
Voeller said of Woerns.
The former Germany striker ignored calls to pick Schalke
04 midfielder Joerg Boehme, who has impressed lately and was
expected by many to make his international debut.
"He faces strong competition as Marco Bode and Christian
Ziege play in the same position as he does," Voeller said.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich), Frank Rost
(Werder Bremen)
Defenders: Frank Baumann, Torsten Frings (both Werder
Bremen), Joerg Heinrich, Christian Woerns (both Borussia
Dortmund), Thomas Linke (Bayern Munich), Marko Rehmer (Hertha
Berlin), Christian Ziege (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Michael Ballack, Carsten Ramelow (both Bayer
Leverkusen), Marco Bode (Werder Bremen), Dietmar Hamann
(Liverpool), Jens Jeremies, Mehmet Scholl (both Bayern
Munich), Dariusz Wosz (Hertha Berlin)
Forwards: Oliver Bierhoff (AC Milan), Carsten Jancker
(Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (Kaiserslautern), Oliver
Neuville (Bayer Leverkusen)
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