May 23rd, 3 PM.
Merano training base.
The media room was packed with reporters from various countries.
Mark and Klose, both wearing the National Team's black jackets, sat to the left and right of the press officer, respectively.
Head coach Löw was not present at this press conference.
Consequently, the cameras and microphones on the stage were aimed at the elder and the younger man, with shutter sounds continuously clicking.
"Welcome, everyone, to the event… "
It's worth noting that, as a team often in the media spotlight, the Three Lions, England's press conferences, were like a show.
In contrast, the German Team's press conferences were in line with the German meticulousness and directness.
To start, the German Team's press officer first introduced the team's relevant situation to the media.
Regarding player arrivals, the press officer directly informed the media present that Lahm and Neuer would arrive this Friday.
Neuer's shoulder injury still required observation for some time, and even if he arrived at the team now, he wouldn't be able to participate in normal training.
Mertesacker, having just become a father for the second time, had also requested leave from the team and would rejoin them later.
Additionally, Khedira had to represent Real Madrid in the Champions League final and couldn't report to the team as scheduled.
Next, it was time for the Q&A session with reporters.
A Süddeutsche Zeitung reporter was the first to ask a question.
"Miro, this is your fourth World Cup journey, congratulations."
"Thank you."
"You are only one goal away from Ronaldo's World Cup goal record. Do you think you have a chance to break this record in this World Cup?"
Facing this question, Klose didn't hesitate and answered directly:
"I haven't thought about that. I'm just training hard, striving to help the team win victories and championships."
Evidently, he had anticipated this question.
"Miro, will this be your last World Cup?"
"I think so. After all, by the next World Cup, I will be forty, and whether I'll still be playing is an unknown…"
"I never expected to participate in four World Cups; I am already very satisfied…"
After several reporters had asked their questions, someone finally remembered Mark:
"Mark, this is your first call-up to the National Team. Can you tell us how you feel?"
This question was relatively standard.
Mark answered fluently:
"I feel very excited and honored. I have come to this team with a grateful heart."
"This is a great team with many excellent players. I hope to learn a lot from all the seniors…"
"Mark, you play as a winger in the National Team, which means you will face competition from star players like Reus, Podolski, and Schürrle. Do you think this is a very difficult thing for you?"
"Absolutely difficult. They are all more experienced than me…"
"What I need to do is learn from them, then train hard, and patiently wait for my opportunity."
"Mark, you just had a perfect debut season. How do you rate your performance?"
"I think the team's performance is more crucial…"
Although he was only eighteen years old and facing such a large interview setup for the first time.
However, Mark not only showed no stage fright but was also remarkably calm and composed, making the press officer and Klose nod in approval.
This kid has the makings of a great general!
The entire press conference lasted only fifteen minutes before concluding.
However, the combination of Klose and Mark, the elder and the younger, also gave rise to much speculation among the media.
Why did Löw have Klose and Mark attend such an important press conference together?
Could it be that Löw greatly admired Mark and intended to groom him?
Thus, various media outlets churned out numerous news stories.
Some media even directly dubbed Mark the "Klose successor."
In the following days, Mark also gained many fans due to his poised and appropriate demeanor during the press conference.
However, just when everything was going smoothly, there always seemed to be some unexpected twists.
On May 28th, F1 driver Rosberg and World Golf Championship winner Kaymer visited the German Team's training base in South Tyrol.
Also present was a rising star in German motorsport, Pascal Wehrlein.
However, that afternoon, as Mercedes drivers Rosberg and Pascal Wehrlein were driving to film a commercial for Mercedes, they accidentally got into a car accident.
Two National Team players, Draxler and Höwedes, were also in the car!
Fortunately, the injured parties were two passersby on mountain bikes.
Although both German National Team players were unharmed.
The sudden car accident, however, disrupted the German Team's tranquility, seemingly casting a shadow over this World Cup journey from the outset.
It's worth mentioning that at the midday press conference, German Team manager Bierhoff had already brought up the topic of safe driving.
This was because in March of this year, German National Team head coach Löw had his driver's license revoked for speeding.
Now, no sooner had safe driving been discussed than Pascal Wehrlein crashed into a passerby!
Mark, upon hearing the news, secretly thought to himself:
Bierhoff's mouth must be a jinx!
Of course, such a minor incident did not affect the German Team's preparations.
If Draxler were injured, he might move up in the pecking order for winger appearances.
But that wouldn't be much use.
After all, Draxler, like him, was just a substitute winger… The days at the Merano training camp were very fulfilling.
While showcasing his unique dribbling skills in training, earning unanimous recognition from coaches and teammates, Mark also benefited greatly.
He regarded this National Team training camp as a "dungeon" for comprehensive self-improvement.
Every day during training, he would carefully observe how Müller made runs, how Kroos passed, and how Klose shot.
Training with these top European players was far more useful than watching hundreds of match replays himself.
Soon, the time came for the day before the first warm-up match.
In the meeting room, the entire German Team gathered.
Löw held a piece of paper in his hand, which listed the starting lineup for tomorrow's warm-up match against Cameroon!
"Tomorrow, we will play a warm-up match against Cameroon."
"Now, I will announce the starting lineup…"
After ten days of closed-door training, it was time to see what everyone was made of.
Moreover, tomorrow's warm-up match against Cameroon would largely determine who would stay and who would leave.
Because on the day after this warm-up match, the German Team would eliminate seven players from the current thirty, announcing a final squad of only twenty-three players!
These twenty-three players would go to Brazil to participate in the World Cup!
"The goalkeeper is Weidenfeller…"
"The four defenders are Höwedes, Hummels, Mertesacker, Jérôme Boateng…"
"The two defensive midfielders are Khedira and Kroos…"
"Müller, Özil, Reus…"
"The furthest forward is Götze…"
Of the starting eleven, the injured Lahm, Neuer, and Schweinsteiger were not in the lineup; other positions were no different from the "false nine" formation that had been practiced.
Since there were no restrictions on substitutions in warm-up matches, the remaining nineteen players were all on the substitute list.
Mark was not at all surprised by this starting lineup.
He only hoped that in tomorrow's match, Germany would quickly take a three or four-goal lead, allowing him an opportunity to play and show his worth. Only then could he make Löw realize the value of him, the "Super Substitute"!
....
This novel has over 115 chapters on Patreon.com/zeaser
Please support me