England v Germany: Can Fabio Capello's men triumph?

Jun 27 2010 by Lee Gibson, Sunday Mercury

FORGET the hype, the provocative headlines and the historical overtones which surround any match between England and Germany.

In the end their last 16 encounter in Bloemfontein will come down to a simple question.

Which team can produce their finest form and hold their nerve best over 90 or possibly 120 minutes in the capital of the Free State?

If it was a competition in technique and fluidity and keeping the football then it would be difficult not to favour Germany.

They have a precocious playmaker in Mesut Ozil, one of the tournament’s eye-catching players, a rush of vibrant new blood and the enduring threat of men such as Lukas Podolski and veteran striker Miroslav Klose.

Their 4-0 demolition of Australia was arguably the most dominant performance of South Africa 2010 so far.

But on a day when temperatures on a barbecue weekend in the UK could reach 90 degrees and when 20 million are expected to tune in there is real reason to hope that England somehow will find a way through to the quarter finals on a winter’s afternoon in South Africa’s somewhat cooler ‘city of roses.’

Inevitably, there has been endless talk of penalties.

Hardly surprising considering the agonies of England’s semi-final defeat in 1990 in Italy and Gareth Southgate’s penalty miss in the Euro 96 semi-final.

But, as goalkeeper David James pointed out this week, it need not come to that.

England have the power to clinch it in normal time. They just have to play with the freedom which eluded them in draws against the United States and Algeria but which showed signs of improving in the 1-0 victory against Slovenia.

Let’s face it, for much of this World Cup England’s players have given the impression of being paralysed by the fear of failure.

The reins of terror were loosened, however, against Slovenia. They began to believe.

Steven Gerrard, right, demonstrated he could be a compelling influence from his starting position on the left and John Terry at last was the dominant force we knew and trusted before the revelations in his private life, while James Milner on the right began to demonstrate the first glimpses of his ability to deliver the crosses manager Fabio Capello has clearly seen in training.

It was not beautiful football to frighten Brazil and Argentina. But it promised more. If only England could set loose the real Wayne Rooney it promises much more.

The extent of Rooney’s physical discomfort from a niggling ankle injury is difficult to gauge.

What is plain, however, is that he is not the player who scored goals so freely for Manchester United last season. Not yet.

His touch is heavy, his body language frustrated and yet he is undroppable. He remains the team’s most potent force, although the promotion of Jermain Defoe alongside him against Slovenia certainly gave England a darting surge of energy.

It gives Capello the welcome option of playing the same winning, improving team on Sunday and he should do so, even if he is tempted to turn to the superior class of the fit-again Ledley King in place of Matthew Upson whose distribution leaves much to be desired. This is no match for players of suspect physicality.

It is one almost certainly which will be won and lost on the grounds of physical and mental toughness. England v Germany is not and never has been your normal football fixture.

Ever since a Russian linesman gave one of the most controversial goals in World Cup history to help England to their final victory against Germany in 1966 the fixture has been laced with spice.

The fans never fail to ram home the historical conflicts between the nations and it will be no different in Bloemfontein, although hopefully without the malevolence which surfaced when the two teams met in Charleroi in the 2000 European Championships. That ended in a tight 1-0 England triumph. This time England have a significant advantage in experience and, if they play with tempo and pace, the edge overall. With guarded confidence the chances are it will be a narrow England victory. But, please, no penalties.