SOCHI, Russia (AP) – Beyond one goal, there’s the beach. Behind another, a theme park with its roller coasters and fairytale castle.
Germany’s youthful Confederations Cup squad certainly isn’t short of distractions away from the training pitch in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. And with the imitation of Bavaria’s Neuschwanstein Castle looming over the Olympic Park, Germany feels right at home in the 2014 Winter Games host city where it will play two of its opening three matches.
“If we have a free afternoon perhaps one or two of us will go over there,” Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich said ahead of Monday’s Group B opener against Australia.
The setting only reinforces the sense Germany is taking a more casual approach to this eight-team tournament than the Australians, who would regard winning this World Cup rehearsal as a major achievement.
Germany can afford to be relaxed and allow its players to cross into the fantasy world across the road to try the extreme rides: Retaining the World Cup next year is the priority. This is a time for experimentation and assessing the pool of talent.