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Germany assistant coach Marcus Sorg has vowed to keep faith in his nation’s “rebuilding phase” as they prepare to face underdogs Estonia in Mainz.
Sorg, who will once again deputise for absent coach Joachim Low, expects his side to maintain their 100 per cent start to European Championship qualifying Group C after Saturday’s 2-0 win in Belarus.
Sorg told a press conference: “We’re a team that is going through a rebuilding phase with many young players.
“We’re a team with a strong sense of community and we need to foster and challenge every single player. The most important thing is that we become consistent.”
Sorg revealed he had been in contact with Low, who has been sidelined after an accident in the gym, after the relatively-comfortable win in Borisov.
“He was very pleased with the win,” added Sorg. “He knows that it’s not easy for players to deliver the same level of effort, especially having had such a short break in between.”
Nothing less than another win will do against the Estonians, who showed some good resistance in Saturday’s game against Northern Ireland before being undone by two late goals.
“I’m expecting Estonia to play very defensively,” added Sorg.
“They are able to defend well and they have a solid formation. We faced a similar opponent in Belarus and we have to learn from that match.”
Meanwhile Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry has paid tribute to the rebuilding process under Low and Sorg, and says he is confident it will reap long-term dividends.
Gnabry said: “The development has been very positive. Lately we’ve started winning again, which is a nice feeling and obviously we try to be as successful as possible in all our matches.
“Sometimes it feels a bit like we’re an under-21s group here. There are many young players on the team.
“Everyone has taken on responsibility, something that I’m also happy to do.”
