Chapter 207: European Red Devils VS German Tanks (Part I)

Belgium and Germany will eventually meet in the final, this result is both unexpected and reasonable, Belgian football since the recruitment of Digan to join, in just a few years, talent showed a blowout state, now this team, although still young, but many players in the team, have participated in many international competitions, before the World Cup in Brazil, has won two European Championships and South Africa World Cup.

The German team has been working hard for more than ten years, through continuous accumulation, starting from the 2006 World Cup in Germany, continuous improvement, this World Cup finally reached the final, and has the opportunity to compete for the fourth star in German history.

In eight hours, Brazil's World Cup final will be underway, with the Belgians eager to defend their title and the Germans in their 24-year bid for the trophy.

Before the game, German coach Loew also analyzed the German team's championship situation in an interview with reporters: "Maybe the semi-final and Brazil team are too dreamy, in fact, I have not found the reason why the German team can score 4 goals in 6 minutes and finally win 7:1 against Brazil, which I have never experienced so far, and it is estimated that this kind of thing will not happen a second time." ”

'However, that win gave us confidence, it was the best game in the history of Germany, but for today's final, I have to ask my players to forget about that big win, because only then can we make sure that tonight's game is the most important and successful game in 24 years, and neither the players nor the coaches can think that something like the semi-final will happen in today's final.'

'Our opponents in today's final are very strong against Belgium, we have lost to them before, but Germany's 7-1 win over Brazil will earn them extra respect, so they may be more careful in the game.

"Belgium are a tough opponent, not only because they have the best player in world football today, but because of their characteristics, that kind of fast style of football, which is where their success comes from, coupled with their aggressiveness and their ferocious scrambling, we have to be aware of that today, they may counter-attack in the game on the basis of a solid defence, and in the front field they have the best player in the world, Degan. and Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, two very good attackers, especially Degan, who is quick and technically excellent, and his nose in front of goal is desperate. ”

"But I'm still very confident that the German team is stronger now than in the past few World Series, I think this game will be very similar to the final in 1990, when the German team was against Argentina, they were also defensive, hoping to drag the game to extra time or even a penalty shootout, in attack they are completely dependent on Maradona, so in today's game, the German team has to improve the speed of the game to avoid this happening, the German players have to believe in their own advantages. And to carry that into the game, I'm not asking the Germans to run like crazy in the game, but to find a balance between attack and defence, and we have to try to make mistakes and keep attacking the box and creating chances. ”

'At the same time, Germany have to be very careful in the game because Belgium rely on Digan's individual ability, Hazard and De Bruyne are also dangerous, and we are a stronger team in this game as we were in the semi-final against Brazil, but it is not a guarantee of a title. Nevertheless, I am very optimistic about today's game and I am confident that the German players will be able to win the final trophy. ”

Loew was full of confidence, and Bierhoff, the leader of the German team, shouted the slogan of winning the championship before the game: "Champion!" Now is the time! ”

After four consecutive World Cup semi-finals and the last five major tournaments without missing the trophy, the German team leader also revealed a surreal subjective logic: it was their turn.

"We've been preparing for this long race for four years." Listening to Bierhoff, the Germans did not pay attention to the group stage and the previous knockout rounds, and they were sure to pass the test and go straight to the podium.

As they expected, the most difficult and controversial 1/8 finals were decided through extra time, and then it became easier and easier, 1:0 to defeat France was a small victory and a complete victory, 7:1 to destroy the host, reminiscent of the first game 4:0 Portugal, their wisdom, experience, and strategy were more vividly displayed when encountering strong opponents, and the Germans seemed to deliberately prove that they were only here for the big game, and the small team could not arouse their interest at all.

This is the fifth time Bierhoff has served as the team leader of the semi-finals of the tournament, and in the eight years since the revival of Klinsmann and Loew's baton, Bierhoff has formed an internal tandem and one of the executors of reform, and he insists that as long as the team does not win the championship, he will not leave his current position, and he has the heroism of "not breaking Loulan and never returning".

"We're stronger than we were in 2010, we're more mature, we're fully prepared to win the title, and now our desire to win is stronger than ever."

The last time Germany reached the World Cup final was in 2002, when Bierhoff was also present, and the first-time Klose team, Bierhoff also hit the post in the final, but Bierhoff believes that there is no comparison between the final now and 12 years ago, not at all, and the current German team is stronger.

"12 years ago, the German team had no skills, we completely relied on fighting spirit to advance, but also thanks to the draw, before the final met Paraguay, the United States, South Korea, it was not difficult, the host South Korea to the semi-finals has been considered a successful crossbow, and now, we can reach the final, with our strength!"

Former Germany international and coach Jurgen Klinsmann, the current head coach of the U.S. team, also expressed his support for Germany before the game, believing that his compatriot could beat Belgium in the final to win the eventual title.

"I think our team can end the 24-year wait, the World Cup will be back in the hands of Germany, the team is ready, they have shown very good form in the previous games, of course, the German team must not be taken lightly, Belgium are very threatening in attack, you have to respect your opponents, objectively I think Germany has more chances."

The Germans are also confident at this time, having just scored a goal in the semi-finals, surpassing Ronaldo and becoming the second highest in the World Cup scoring charts, Klose believes the time has come for Germany to be crowned fourth World Cup champion.

The 36-year-old German striker will play in the final of the World Cup for the second time: "This time it was completely different from 2002, when we were a young team and no one expected us to reach the final, but in the end we did it, even if we lost the title at the end, we still felt great, and now it's time for us to win the title, for us the team spirit is not empty words, now we are a real team, a tight-knit whole. ”

'We enjoyed the semi-final against Brazil but after 24 hours I forgot about it and unfortunately it was just a semi-final, just like the next game against Belgium, we have to show our best and I'm looking forward to an exciting game, it's going to be a battle of tactics and a little trick and not repeating the game against Brazil.'

Klose is now the second-highest scorer in the World Cup, with his goal against Brazil taking his tally to 16, surpassing Ronaldo, who will face Digan, the world's top scorer, in the final.

"For me personally, it's important to surpass Ronaldo, but people know me and know that my goal is to win the title, and I don't have the luxury of continuing to surpass Degan, although it is a bit discouraged to say that, but it is really impossible, but we will win the championship and that is the most important thing!"

"We all want to win the title, but the first thing we have to do to do that is to limit Degan, he's a dangerous player and he can do it just by giving him a little gap! I'll remind my teammates to be on their toes! ”

At the same time, German midfielder Schweinsteiger also compared the Belgian team to a wolf pack in an interview, and Digan is the leader of this wolf pack.

"Our opponent in the final, Belgium, is like a wolf pack, and Degan is the head wolf of this wolf pack, look at their performance against the Netherlands, they managed to freeze Robben, they didn't give him a chance, and in the end they beat the Netherlands with two goals from Degan, in the game you can see the effort that Degan has put into fighting for his country, and it will be very difficult against his Belgium in the final, Belgium are a very good team, they have world-class players like Degan, Eden Hazard and Marouane Fellaini."

Schweinsteiger went on to say that in the final the German team just had to play as well as they did against Brazil: "In the game we need to be patient, we need to show our football on the pitch, we need to be smart enough in the game, and now we are in good shape, like against Brazil, and of course I know that against Belgium is a completely different game, I don't think we are under a lot of pressure, even though only one of the German team has experience in the World Cup final. But a lot of the players in the squad have experience in big games and you know how to manage the pressure in this big game, so now we just want to win the game and when we get on the pitch and the referee blows the whistle for the start of the game, all we have to do is give our best in the game. ”

The World Cup in Brazil is coming to an end, and now there is only one last game left, although Belgium have won the last three World Series, but before the decisive battle is about to begin, people are obviously more optimistic about the German team that has been buried for more than a decade and finally looks up to the world.

Raul, a Spanish footballer who played in the Bundesliga, also believes: "I think the Germans are the best prepared for this game, they have more confidence after the 7-1 win over Brazil in the semi-finals, the overall quality of football in the Germans is better than that of the Belgians, they don't depend on one person, and Belgium is too dependent on Degan, which is likely to be their weakness." ”

Maldini, the icon-bearer of Italian football, also expressed his support for Germany in an interview ahead of the final: "Normally it is impossible to predict who will win more in the World Cup final, but this tradition has been broken in Brazil, where the Germans have built confidence in the semi-finals and have a physical advantage over Belgium, who played extra-time. ”

The Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, who had just lost the semi-finals, also said: "The Germans don't rely on anyone, everyone in their midfield has the ability to shoot and score, the defence is not perfect, but it is already tight, conceding only four goals in the last six games, Neuer is also a goalkeeper you can trust, Loew knows how to push the team's form to the maximum, a big win will not let them slack off, the stronger the opponent they face, the better they will play." ”

Even Digan's good friend, English football legend David Beckham, is also not optimistic about Belgium's progress: "The Belgian team is obviously too dependent on Degan, after being named the best of the match in the first six games in a row, it is clear that in the final, the German team will pay more attention to him, his space will become smaller and smaller, the final is obviously more difficult to play than the knockout round, there is no doubt that Belgium need the best Degan, but what about the others? While Degan is playing better and better, the role of other Belgian players has been invisibly weakened, and if they want to win the championship, in addition to Degan, Belgium also needs other players to show their best form! ”

In an interview, Deegan said: "I can understand people's opinions, but it doesn't mean that I agree with them, the Belgian team is a whole, in this whole, everyone's division of labor is different, someone is responsible for scoring, someone is responsible for defense, as for the Belgian team depends on me, is there anything wrong with that?" I feel like I'm still not at my best, but there is still room for improvement in Belgium, we came here with the goal of defending the title, and now we are getting closer to that goal, and at this point we are not going to give up the victory! When it comes to the final, my teammates and I will show the world that Belgium is the strongest of all! ”