SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: WORLD CUP 2010: Germany's Loew and Schweinsteiger warn of Argentine strengths

Record ID: 453137

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: WORLD CUP 2010: Germany's Loew and Schweinsteiger warn of Argentine strengths
  • Date: 1st July 2010
  • Summary: ERASMIA, NEAR PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 30, 2010) (REUTERS) ( ** BEWARE OF FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) VARIOUS OF ARRIVAL OF GERMAN COACH JOACHIM LOEW PHOTOGRAPHERS LOEW AT PODIUM PHOTOGRAPHERS VARIOUS OF LOEW SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN COACH JOACHIM LOEW SAYING: "Argentina has lots of strengths, and it is not easy to find their weaknesses, for me Argentina is one of the big World Cup favourites from the beginning. They are perhaps even the World Cup favourite, they have won four matches, they have a strong defence with lots of experience, and above all, they have a really strong attack, not just (Lionel) Messi, but also various other players who are always to score goals." VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS VARIOUS OF LOEW SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN COACH JOACHIM LOEW SAYING: "It is hard to judge him as a trainer, because of course I don't really know him, what you read or hear about him is always good, so far I have only heard good things about him. And the way the team has played in this tournament, there was a lot of conviction in the team, and pride. He has certainly managed to achieve that the team fulfill their duties, that they are confident in their style, and that they play well." NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS GERMAN ATTACKER THOMAS MUELLER SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN ATTACKER THOMAS MUELLER SAYING: "I think that the Argentine defence has an international format, if they are fit, De Michelis and Walter Samuel, who have both played in Champions League finals, I don't think that you can speak of a weakness there." NEWS CONFERENCE GERMAN STRIKER BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER SPEAKING CAMERAMEN SCHWEINSTEIGER SPEAKING AT PODIUM NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN STRIKER BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER SAYING: "I hope that the referee stops it, sees it, and gets a feel for who is provoking who, when and where. Obviously we can't let ourselves be drawn into it in the match. You saw it again with Argentina against Mexico at half-time. And you hear with the Argentines themselves, when you hear that the fans sit together in the stadium, even though they don't have tickets for it, and other ticket holders are looking for their place, but it is already occupied, and have to look where they can stand. That shows their character and mentality a bit." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN STRIKER BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER SAYING: "Lionel Messi is obviously a player who can dribble past two or three players and get through, you have to know that. And we will of course try and stop him collectively, other teams have also managed it, up to now he hasn't scored a goal, and we want it to stay like that." JOURNALISTS NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 16th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA2D2PXXLXWJYLEW7XK8161VS7D
  • Story Text: German coach Joachim Loew praised the Argentine team on Wednesday (June 30) ahead of their World Cup quarter-final clash on Saturday, but said they were not invincible.
    Loew said he expected an unbelievably tight match as they could not allow themselves any mistakes because they would be punished in an ice-cold way.
    "Argentina has lots of strengths, and it is not easy to find their weaknesses, for me Argentina is one of the big World Cup favourites from the beginning. They are perhaps even the World Cup favourite, they have won four matches, they have a strong defence with lots of experience, and above all, they have a really strong attack, not just (Lionel) Messi, but also various other players who are always to score goals," he told reporters.
    Loew, who will have the support in the stands of German Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as former captain Michael Ballack, who was injured weeks before the tournament and had to drop out, said Argentina did also have some weaknesses.
    He said that Argentina could be hurt, and they had found details of their weaknesses but he was not yet preparing for a penalty shoot-out. Germany beat Argentina on penalties in the quarter-finals at the World Cup four years ago.
    A small note detailing which side the Argentina penalty-takers usually picked was given to then Germany keeper Jens Lehmann and was largely credited with helping him save two spot kicks and send them through to the semi-finals.
    On the other hand German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said Germany must beware of Argentina's attempts to provoke them during Saturday's quarter-final.
    Schweinsteiger said Argentine players would be looking to throw the Germans off their game and urged his teammates not to be drawn into any provocation.
    Schweinsteiger, a member of the squad that beat Argentina on penalties four years ago to move into the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup, told reporters that it starts before the match, and said it was a lack of respect.
    "I hope that the referee stops it, sees it, and gets a feel for who is provoking who, when and where. Obviously we can't let ourselves be drawn into it in the match. You saw it again with Argentina against Mexico at half-time. And you hear with the Argentines themselves, when you hear that the fans sit together in the stadium, even though they don't have tickets for it, and other ticket holders are looking for their place, but it is already occupied, and have to look where they can stand. That shows their character and mentality a bit," said Schweinsteiger.
    There was a heated exchange between the Argentina and Mexico benches at half-time of their last 16 match after Italian referee Roberto Rosetti let Argentina's first goal stand despite being clearly offside. Argentina won 3-1 to advance.
    Several players and coaches from both teams clashed immediately after Germany's victory on penalties in 2006 in an incident that briefly overshadowed the hosts' joy of advancing to the last four.
    Germany and Argentina have also met twice in a World Cup final, with the former winning in 1990 and the latter coming out on top four years earlier.
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