The http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Germany-c2904 head coach believes the games against Italy will be won or lost in the midfield, and called on his players to contain the pass master Andrea Pirlo.
The Germans progressed to the semi-finals of the 2012 European Championships by beating http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/England-c749
side, who held them for a goal-less draw for 120 minutes and were eventually beaten on penalties.
Now the European giants will come up against each other tonight, in a repeat of the 2006 World Cup semi-final. The Mannschaft are the most in-form team, considering their performances in the group stages and the quarter-finals.
Italy however, have had a somewhat renaissance, after an average display in the group stages they are growing in confidence as the tournament progresses. The resurgence of the midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo this season has helped
them a lot. The former AC Milan playmaker was an integral part of the Juventus that won the Scudetto last season.
His impressive performances have not gone unnoticed, as Joachim Low reveals he has been keeping a close eye on the midfielder. The German tactician knows Pirlo is an excellent footballer, gifted with a lot of creativity and vision.
He believes the Bianconeri man is Cesare Prandelli’s main weapon, and the Nationalef midfielders will have to be on their toes if they are to stop this magician. In his opinion the DFB eleven’s midfielder will have to get on the
ball from first minute if they want to boss the midfield.
"Pirlo is an exceptional player, with good ideas. He’s the one who directs the game, so we have to stop him and get in his radius. We have to think of a way to play better than http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Italy-c2926 in midfield and dictate the tempo of the match,”
he is quoted as saying in an interview.
Low reckons the midfield is where the match will be won or lost, and his style cannot concede the possession to Italy or let them play football. He believes the match will probably be his sides' toughest so far, but the Mannschaft
manager is aware of his side’s strengths and knows they are capable of reaching the final.
"We will not let Italy show us how to play football. I know it will be very tight. We are well prepared, we know our strengths and we’re in a position to get in the final by beating Italy,” he added.
The match will be a cagey affair, as both sides will try to pack the midfield in order to get as much possession as they can. In http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Sami-Khedira-c32325 and Schweinsteiger, Germany have players who are more than capable of outplaying the
Italian midfielders, who are not the youngest and could be chasing shadows.
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