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Germans confident of mental edge over England |
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June 17, 2000
VAALS, Netherlands (AP) - Germany has not lost a competitive match to England for 34 years.
"We have only one player who can still remember," coach Erich Ribbeck said Friday as reporters doubled over with laughter.
The coach was referring jokingly to his libero Lothar Matthaeus, who is 39.
Matthaeus and Ribbeck have been savaged by the German media since the defending champion's dismal performance in the 1-1 opening Group A draw with Romania.
Ribbeck was nevertheless in an upbeat mood Friday, one day before the clash with England, traditionally one of the most high-profile showdowns in international soccer.
And the reason for the good mood?
"I haven't read the papers yet this morning," Ribbeck replied, drawing another round of laughter.
But there has been little reason for rejoicing in the German camp.
The defending champion looked anything but convincing against Romania. Matthaeus played poorly himself, drawing growing calls for his ouster from the starting lineup. Captain and star striker Oliver Bierhoff is lost for the tournament with a calf injury.
And still the Germans feel they have a mental edge over their old foe, if for no other reason than that they have such a long unbeaten streak against England.
As if to signal their confidence (or play a psychological trick) Ribbeck took the highly unusual step of announcing his starting lineup one day ahead of the match.
Sebastian Deisler, a 20-year-old Hertha Berlin midfielder, gets his international debut as a starter Saturday in Charleroi, Belgium.
Didi Hamann, a Liverpool midfielder, becomes the second starter who plays his club soccer in England after Christian Ziege of Middlesbrough.
"I think England have their own problems. They have great respect for us and they know they are not the best team either," Ziege said.
Ziege's job will be to stop David Beckham from sending over his dangerous crosses.
Ribbeck made four changes from the Romania match. Midfielder Thomas Haessler, defender Thomas Linke and forward Paulo Rink were dropped, while striker Oliver Bierhoff is injured.
The team against England will have two new strikers.
"If nothing happens in practice, this will be the 11 that will start," Ribbeck said.
And the reason he revealed the line up so soon? "Because now things are clearer, we have been together longer," Ribbeck said.
"When we play England, there is no need to try to confuse the opponent, but to give our players a chance to prepare mentally for the match," he said. "It may be good that they know who will start."
"I'll be happy to see Kevin Keegan. It's important for all of us to realize that it's a game and not war," Ribbeck said.
"It'll be a very special game," Ribbeck said, recalling the long history of England-Germany showdowns.
"There are younger people who don't really care what happened in the past and maybe that's better, but it's important to realize how important is to win tomorrow's game," he said. "It's about all or nothing."
Germany has one point, while England has none after losing 3-2 to Portugal.
"Perhaps that's an advantage for us, but it's minimal," Ribbeck said. "And it's good to be underestimated."
Matthaeus, who is coming off thigh injuries, has promised a much better performance this time.
"I can reassure everyone. I am top fit again and I feel great," Matthaeus said.
Matthaeus has been fighting against critics who have demanded his ouster from the lineup.
"I am sure I'll play much better against England," he said.
And if nothing else helps, there is superstition as a final resort: The Germans see it as a good omen that they will be playing in green jerseys.
They played in green when they beat England in a penalty shootout at the 1990 World Cup semifinal in Turin, Italy, and in 1972 when Germany scored its first victory at Wembley, a 3-1 win in the quarterfinals of the European Championship, which was then played under a different format. |