Pezzaiuoli puts forward Germany case

No host nation has won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship since 2004, and Germany's last victory in the junior competition was in its U16 guise in 1992, but coach Marco Pezzaiuoli has been charged with ending both those runs in this year's finals from 6-18 May. The 40-year-old never played at the top level but has had more impact as a trainer, acting as caretaker coach at Karlsruher SC and working in South Korea. He took over the current Germany squad as U16s in summer 2007 and is optimistic about their chances, with their last friendly on 12 April against Bulgaria in Gera.

uefa.com: How are preparations going?

Marco Pezzaiuoli: So far, so good! This year we've had five games – against Norway [1-0], Luxembourg [5-0], Scotland [1-0 away] and Ukraine [3-0 and 0-0]. From those games we won four, drew one and didn't concede a single goal. I'm very satisfied with that.

uefa.com: Between the summer and the new year, things didn't look quite so good; there were only two wins in nine outings, with three draws and four defeats...

Pezzaiuoli: Looking back, I would consider those games to be part of a rebuilding phase. We played against top teams, such as Italy, Spain or the Netherlands, and were never overwhelmed; they were all close-run matches with marginal results. We learned a lot from those games.

uefa.com: What has made the difference since then?

Pezzaiuoli: We had a very large squad in 2008, many players were used and we tried out quite a few things. That's all different now; everyone has got to know one another better and a real team spirit has developed. The team is gelling more from match to match.

uefa.com: Admittedly the games have only been friendlies – as hosts, your side qualified for the European Championship automatically. Is that a disadvantage?

Pezzaiuoli: It's both an advantage and a disadvantage. On the one hand we are under less pressure at the moment and can experiment more. On the other hand, in friendly games, a distinct element of tension is missing. When things finally get under way we'll know more.

uefa.com: That will be the opening game on 6 May. What are your team's hopes?

Pezzaiuoli: The anticipation is massive. We've worked long and hard for this and naturally want to go as far as possible – preferably to the final. We may be lacking the technical qualities of the Spanish, but you need more than just that to win. The fans will definitely get to see some very strong teams.

uefa.com: They should get behind your team too. How valuable is that home advantage?

Pezzaiuoli: That's difficult to say. For teams in this age group the weight of expectation, and the ever-increasing pressure, can become a disadvantage. From the U19s onwards, the players start to understand how to make use of such an advantage. [The coaching staff] must show the team how to make use of the energy created by the crowd.

uefa.com: What is the key to taking the European Championship title?

Pezzaiuoli: A great deal of effort, self-confidence, respect for every opponent and absolute will to force luck when need be.