Sami Khedira says Germany will not settle for anything less than the title at this year’s Euro 2012 tournament.
The
Germans were beaten 1-0 in the Euro 2008 final by Spain, while they
were eliminated by the same opponent in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup.
However,
the Real Madrid midfielder feels that Germany have made plenty of
progress since South Africa, and insists that winning Euro 2012 is all
that matters.
“I can only agree with Lukas (Podolski) that winning Euro 2012 is all that counts for us,” Khedira told Kicker.
“We
had already set our sights on winning the title at the 2010 World Cup,
and we’re even more experienced now. The players know how to cope with
the pressure. We have made a lot of progress since 2010.”
Germany
and Spain have been touted as two of the main favourites at Poland and
Ukraine, but Khedira believes that the defending European champions
could have a slight advantage.
“Are we on par with Spain? We haven’t achieved anything yet,” he said.
“Spain
have won the Euros and the World Cup. They have made history. They have
already won a lot and that could make the difference this summer.
“I’m
not saying that they’re no longer hungry for more, but it’s very hard
to recharge year after year. Successfully defending a title is very
difficult. I believe that we’re hungrier for success as we desperately
want this title.”
Germany start Euro 2012 with the Group B match against Portugal on June 9.
