MATS HUMMELS WILL be ticked off by Germany’s management after posting a video of him jumping from a balcony into a swimming pool — days before key World Cup qualifiers.
Germany have won all six qualifiers so far and could secure their place at next year’s World Cup by beating the Czech Republic in Prague on Friday if other results go their way before hosting Norway in Stuttgart on Monday.
However, Hummels posted a video on Instagram on Tuesday, shot on a break in Croatia after Bayern Munich’s 2-0 win at Werder Bremen on Saturday, of him leaping into a pool and narrowly missing the edge on landing.
The centre-back posted: “looks more spectacular than it actually is. #donttrythisathome” alongside the video, which attracted lots of comments from fans urging the World Cup winner to be more careful.
The 28-year-old’s daredevil video, which attracted almost 300,000 views on Instagram and was used in an online article by Germany’s most popular daily Bild, did not impress Germany’s management so close to internationals.
“It would have been worse if he’d jumped in head first,” Germany’s team manager Oliver Bierhoff told reporters on Wednesday.
We’re not the social media police, yet we will point out that he is a role model.
“Mats is actually very reflective and I wouldn’t put too much on this,” added Bierhoff.
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Against this huge Fiji team I think it’s fair to say that everyone on the bench will get a game
@Niall Cunneen: this will be quite close id say
I hope McCloskey will be a mainstay in the squad after this month
@Shcoop: I bet he won’t do whatever he was told not to do in his last game.
Have to say the technique on the bag hit is all wrong
Head across body , asking for a concussion
Sorry , pedantic I know
@Tony O Dwyer: I don’t think they’re doing tackle practice there…
@Tony O Dwyer: Chris Farrell should be holding that tackle pad. I’d have both McCloskey and Farrell hitting the forwards’ pads.
@Tony O Dwyer: Good point! He won’t want Joe seeing that photo. It always annoys me seeing pro players do it. The worst one I ever saw was Leigh Halfpenny getting knocked out for refusing to tackle with his left shoulder against Italy. What’s even worse is that he still won’t tackle with his left shoulder to this day!
@Conor Paddington: It’s still asking for injury. We all know that McCloskey is going to win a physical contest with Carbery in training but if it’s a game and he doesn’t, he risks serious injury. He is also taking most of the power out of his cleanout by having his neck in front of the man.
@Tony O Dwyer: It’s a rucking drill.
@EK: it’s not asking for injury if he’s not practicing his tackling.
@Gary: Correct, it’s a rucking drill and the height of Carbery’s feet off the ground suggests that McCloskey hit the pad low and then lifted his mate which is the proper rucking technique.
@Conor Paddington: How wonderfully disingenuous of you to ignore my second point. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that whatever drill McCloskey does, whether it’s tackling or rucking, should be practiced with perfect technique to prepare him for game situations. Otherwise he’s practicing a mistake.
This isn’t a witchhunt, just an attempt from a coach to preach the virtues of good habits in training. Unless of course Conor Paddington is an alias for Allen Iverson then…..it’s just practice man.
@EK: I would like the record to state that I am not disingenuous, just lazy. I didn’t read that far. Sorry. That said, we still don’t know what the drill is, my initial point stands. But as you said, it’s a bad angle if he is clearing out.
@Conor Paddington: Fair enough and point taken.
@Tom Reilly: Agreed but the purpose seems to be to unbalance the ball carrier for either a second to secure possession.
Murray might be on gardening leave mariahh
@Range Rover: Carey?