Watzke backs BVB stars to bounce back
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has backed his quartet of Germany internationals to bounce back from their disappointing Euro 2012 semi-final exit.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze, Ilkay Gundogan and Marcel Schmelzer were all part of Joachim Low's squad that was tipped to emerge triumphant at the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine, only to fall at the semi-final hurdle at the hands of Italy.
Of the quartet, only Hummels featured regularly for Germany, while Gundogan and Schmelzer failed to play a single minute throughout the whole tournament.
And while Watzke admits his players will undoubtedly be disappointed by the experience, he is backing them to come back strongly.
"I can understand that they are really frustrated, but I don't believe that Gundogan, Schmelzer and Gotze will be hung up about the Euros," he told Bild.
"The three of them have strong character and will be motivated after this experience."
But despite Low coming under some criticism for his squad selection, especially in their semi-final loss to Italy, Watzke refused to criticise the German tactician.
"It is the privilege of the coach to select the team," he added.
"Germany have so many great footballers, so it is normal that not everyone is satisfied with his decisions."
Four German players were named in UEFA's 23-man team of the tournament, including Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and Real Madrid duo Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil.