Klinsmann gave a detailed interview to CNN ahead of the World Cup. With the Champions League final stages still not completed, the World Cup fever hasn’t caught the football world yet. But we are getting there.
Klisnamm talks on what the three World Cup wins have meant:
there was the oil crisis and the ’70s terrorism two years before, the Olympics in Munich that disaster and it was just perfect timing that they had that exceptional team right at the World Cup, when they hosted the World Cup, and looking back in the history of German football every time they won a big World Cup it was at a very special moment. The ‘54 World Cup was the first time the people got the recognition back after the second World War and felt like they are proud of something you know it brought people back together and you know now we can keep our heads up again. And then ‘74 as I mentioned and then the 1990 world cup was our team was the team of the reunification you know, so we were the team for both sides of Germany so now, you know throughout the last 16 years, we’ve melted together. And now comes the next milestone.
But Germany isn’t expected to win the World Cup. Brazil and Argentina are the strong favourites with people backing England as well. Other teams are underdogs in one way or the other. So Klinsmann suggests the team would be better in 2010:
certainly looking into the future and looking towards World Cup 2010 South Africa, Germany will be strong again.
Among the players, the interview just has talk on Michael Ballack which is a disappointment. I would have liked to know more on what Klinsmann thinks about other players, some deeper insight into the team. Over all it was a good interview but I wanted more out of it.
Germany will have a lot of pressure regardless of how good they actually are on paper. Teams can crumble or up their notch in this situation. Remains to be seen what happens with Germany.