World Cup 2010: England vs Germany Preview Wayne Rooney must score for England to win
It’s time for the big one, England vs Germany, the most anticipated round of 16 match in the FIFA World Cup 2010. Both teams have a long history between them, and their age-old rivalry will be rekindled once again once the two European powerhouses come face to face.
England have been less than convincing in the World Cup so far, sneaking their way into the final 16 behind USA who topped their group on better goal difference. England had a less than impressive day out against USA in their first match of the World Cup, where after an early strike from their captain Steven Gerrard, the whole team almost went to sleep, including the keeper who gave away a gift of a goal to end the match at 1-1. The 2nd match against Algeria was quite simply worse than the first one. There was no coordination between the team, and most of the players were roaming around the ground like headless chickens. The final match against Slovenia was a must win and thanks to a clean volley from Defoe, England made it through after winning one nil.
Germany, on the other hand, has been in simple words hot and cold. They started their World Cup campaign with a bang, smashing 4 past the helpless Australian team. There was hunger to perform among the team, a good game plan and choreographed moves. But all that simply disappeared in the next game against Serbia; it looked as if an altogether different German team had come out to play. The 3 time world champions looked short of ideas against a resilient Serbian team, and suffered a shock 1-0 defeat. Finally, in a must win game like England, Germany needed a wonder strike to make it through after a 1-0 win over Ghana.
However, Germany would be the team in better form if both teams are compared purely on the quality of game on the pitch in the World Cup so far. England, though, is high on confidence after coming up with the goods when needed.
There are some players in the England team who are yet to hit their strides, surely none more so than Wayne Rooney. The Manchester United man has had a horrible World Cup so far, with not even one good passage of play for him to write home about. The striker has simply lost his touch, and considering what he did for his club in the season gone by, he was tipped as the most important player for England in the World Cup, but many believe he has outlived his form. The German coach, though, made it clear that Rooney will be a big threat, and in truth there is too much quality at his disposal to write him off. He may just be a time bomb waiting to explode in the big game.
The revelation from England’s last game was James Milner on the right wing. The former Newcastle man, who replaced Lennon on the flank, was outstanding throughout the match, making endless runs up and down the flank. His numerous crosses in the 6 yard box kept the defence on their toes. It was his cross in the first half which led to Defoe’s goal against Slovenia.
The midfield pairing of Lampard and Gerrard finally looked to be clicking in the last game, but there is still a lot to be desired from the big name duo, and for sure the two of them will be integral in England’s plans.
For Germany, Klose should be back after his red card suspension. The man who picked up the Golden Boot in the 2006 World Cup on home soil has once again been in good touch, already getting his name on the score-sheet. Podolski is another man sure to give headaches to the English defence. The tall attacking midfielder has a knack of making darting runs into the box, and uses his big frame to good effect. In midfield, another crucial man in the absence of Ballack will be Schweinsteiger; he controls the centre of the field with authority, and his distribution to the front men is the key for German strategy. At the back, Captain Lahm has been solid. Lahm has two World Cup records to his name: as the youngest World Cup captain and also as the man to score the first goal in the 2006 World Cup. He is also effective when it comes to using his head in set pieces.
Germany and England have met a number of times before but none more famous than the World Cup final in 1966, when England beat Germany 4-2 to win their first and till now only World Cup. Although this match is not the final, but the Germans would like nothing better than to make it to the quarter finals at the expense of their bitter rivals.
Tags: