German coach Loew thinks high of Spain

Barnaby CHESTERMAN

Germany coach Joachim Loew said on Monday that World Cup semi-final opponents Spain will be a tougher proposition for his young team than both England and Argentina were.

And he claimed that the principal threat is that whereas Argentina have Lionel Messi, Spain have many players of the same calibre.

Germany have dazzled in the World Cup so far, hitting four goals in three out of their five matches, including humiliating England 4-1 and then Argentina 4-0. But Loew thinks they will find the going a lot tougher in Durban on Wednesday against the team who beat them 1-0 in the final of the European Championships in Vienna two years ago.

“It’s not a case of taking revenge for the Euro, Spain were the best team in the tournament and in the final,” said Loew.

“Now the situation is different, we’re better than we were in 2008, we have a chance of winning this game. “Personally I think Spain are THE favourites for the tournament, in the last two-three years they’ve been the most consistent team, they’ve always played and won the important matches.

“They don’t have just one Messi who is able to make a difference on the pitch.

“It’s a team that doesn’t make many mistakes, far fewer than the likes of England or Argentina.

“They’re very organised, they work together both in attack and in defence, they’re a great team.

“Spain make it look easy, they don’t have to use up all their energy.”

Loew is particularly wary of the havoc Barcelona pair Xavi and Andres Iniesta can cause, but he believes his team will be able to stop them.

“They’ve played together for a long time at Barcelona, that’s what makes the difference,” he said. ERASMIA, Tuesday, AFP