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Spurs Legends preview the World Cup - Steffen Freund on Group E

Thu 17 November 2022, 12:30|Tottenham Hotspur

The greatest football show on earth kicks-off this weekend as Qatar hosts the World Cup.

The first match sees the hosts up against Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday (20 November, 4pm). That begins a run of 48 matches across eight groups until Friday 2 December. The knockout stage begins the next day, 3 December, with the final on Sunday 18 December.

With the tournament looming, we've called on a number of Spurs legends - players and managers - to preview the groups, with an eye on their respective country.

Next up, Steffen Freund takes a look at Germany and Group E...

Group E

Germany, Japan, Spain, Costa Rica

Match dates

23/11 - Germany v Japan, Spain v Costa Rica; 27/11 - Japan v Costa Rica, Spain v Germany; 1/12 - Japan v Spain, Costa Rica v Germany.

Steffen Freund

Capped 21 times by Germany, Euro 96 winner, Steffen won the lot at Borussia Dortmund including the Bundesliga and Champions League before joining Spurs late in December, 1998. He went on to become a cult hero, featuring 131 times 1999-2003. He later coached Germany's youth teams, then returned to N17 as part of Andre Villas-Boas' staff in 2012. He's now a popular pundit and co-commentator across a number of TV platforms in Germany and will cover the World Cup for Austria's Servus TV...

“Looking at it overall, it could be a difficult group for Germany. We have Spain, maybe we talk about them as favourites for the group. Japan are one of, if not the best team in Asia at the moment, I think they have seven players in the Bundesliga, many players play in Europe and I think they are looking strong, so that will be a difficult first game for Germany. Then we have Costa Rica, a team who, on their day, can be very dangerous. If we perform as we did in the last World Cup in Russia (bottom of their group), we’ll be out! I look at Germany and I believe we're one of the teams who could surprise people. As I said at the Euros, we’re not the top favourites anymore. We went out in the last 16 of the Euros, lost in the group stage in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The biggest change is that we have a new coach in Hansi Flick, who was really successful at Bayern Munich and a really good choice to take over from Joachim Low after his long, successful period. I think anything is possible. Germany could go all the way if we stick together and don’t suffer injuries. I just think the squad is missing a top, top striker of the likes of Muller, Klose or Klinsmann in the past, and there is no Philip Lahm, for example, a full-back who could play on the left or the right. If I had to guess at the moment, I think maybe on the left we’d go for David Raum from RB Leipzig and, on the right side, I’m not sure, Thilo Kehrer, Lukas Klostermann, or an attacking right-back with Jonas Hofmann? I’m not sure. Overall, if you talk about the top favourites, you have to mention Brazil, Argentina, France, Belgium and England. I think England are stronger than Germany at the moment. I’m working for Servus TV based in Austria, 25 games, very busy, the first game we’re covering is Senegal v Netherlands, so I’m looking forward to it!”