SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - German coach Joachim says Serbia will put up a fight to reckon with

Record ID: 455803

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - German coach Joachim says Serbia will put up a fight to reckon with
  • Date: 18th June 2010
  • Summary: SLATE INFORMATION
  • Embargoed: 3rd July 2010 13:00
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  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7QWQLVZNMCWE89D9X1OAE6X9C
  • Story Text: With Serbia pinned against the ropes needing a win, German coach Joachim Loew says he expects the tiny nation to come out swinging punches in their Group D showdown.
    Already a World Cup heavyweight, a young German squad has displayed a lethal knockout punch in South Africa, flooring Australia 4-0 in their opener but will wary of a Serbian team fighting for survival following a 1-0 loss to Ghana.
    German coach Joachim Loew on warned on Thursday (June 17) that they had to be ready for an intense fight. He said Serbia was like a boxer who has taken a first blow they will be poised to hit back.
    "In the last few days we have been very concerned with Serbia. We have seen that although they lost their match against Ghana, that they are a very good team, technically," he said. "They have very good individual players in their ranks, and that this situation of having lost one game makes them very dangerous. We have a lot of respect for the Serbs, and will have to be prepared for a very difficult match."
    As fights go, Friday's contest would appear a mismatch, with the three-times champions taking on a Serbia side stepping into the World Cup ring for the first time.
    But what the Serbs lack in experience, they more than make up for with raw skill and a battling spirit that Loew says cannot be underestimated.
    "In the last couple of days we were busy with our game against Australia, I said that we have won 4:0 alright, but I wasn't totally happy with all the details and all the aspects of this game. I have also seen that we should have done some things better, and I have pointed this out to the team again," he said.
    "But I couldn't see that one or more of the players had started to behave arrogantly after this match. The players were very concentrated. One or two days later this match against Australia was processed and we had moved on. And I have the feeling that the players are concentrated and preparing for this game against Serbia, because they know that this second match is also of very great importance to us."
    In addition to their fighting spirit, Loew said the Serbian team had many strong individual players, playing for top clubs in Europe, and were a force to be reckoned with on Friday.
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