Berlin (AFP) – Germany assistant coach Marcus Sorg, 53, will stand in for Joachim Loew in Germany’s two Euro 2020 qualifiers this weekend, but said Monday that he harbours no secret ambitions to take Loew’s job in the long term.
Head coach Loew will miss upcoming games against Belarus and Estonia as he recovers from a minor accident this week.
The 59-year-old checked into hospital with circulatory problems on Friday after reportedly dropping a dumbbell on himself while exercising, and will be replaced by assistant Sorg in the Germany dugout this weekend.
“I have been with the national team since 2016 so I feel very comfortable,” said Sorg, who succeeded Hansi Flick as Loew’s assistant coach in 2016.
Asked whether he was eyeing Loew’s job in the long term, Sorg laughed.
“I have no intention of stealing Jogi’s position,” he said, adding that Loew was somebody who showed trust in his colleagues.
“I don’t see myself in the role of head coach this week. The focus is on working with the team, just as it is when I am assistant,” he said.
The German team are currently training in the Dutch border town of Venlo ahead of a supporters event in nearby Aachen on Wednesday.
They then travel to Borisov to face Belarus on Saturday, before hosting Estonia in Mainz on June 11.
On Monday, national team director Oliver Bierhoff rebuffed criticism of the decision to hold a training camp on Dutch soil.
“We just had European elections, I don’t understand these questions,” he said.
“Half of Germany’s Ruhr region goes shopping in the Netherlands every weekend. We don’t see borders anymore.”
