"We have excellent conditions here, both on the pitch and off it," Germany coach Julian Nagelsman told reporters a few hours after the team's arrival at Wake Forest University campus in Winston-Salem, USA.
"If you feel comfortable and can prepare well, the likelihood of playing good matches increases. And if you deliver good performances, the chances of success rise, too," added the 38-year-old, who is about to take part in his first World Cup.
The location was selected a something of a retreat, as the distances to be covered in the first World Cup jointly staged by three countries, the USA, Canada and Mexico, make this tournament a Herculean task.
"We have been preparing for nearly two years. Our travel experts have visited the site frequently to ensure that the team's quarters and all organizational matters cannot serve as excuse for any lack of sporting success," the German FA's (DFB) managing director, Andreas Rettig, told DW.This will be Julian Nagelsmann's first World CupImage: Federico Gambarini/dpa/picture alliance
Rumor has it that the team hotel, the Graylyn Estate, is haunted by Nathalie Gray, the wife of the man who built the castle-like structure in the 1920s.
