Low's boys have the belief

Low's boys have the belief
(AFP) Wednesday 30 June 2010
Low's boys have the belief
Getty Images

Coach Joachim Low hopes Germany will ride the wave of youthful confidence after their 4-1 hammering of England to take them past Argentina in Saturday's FIFA World Cup™ quarter-final.

Many of his young side have only recently graduated from Germany's U-21 team which won last summer's European Championships, and while his team has an average age of just under 25 years, they are eager to take on Diego Maradona's Argentina.

"There is a very positive feeling in the team. We have gained a lot of confidence from the victory against England," said Low ahead of Saturday's clash in Cape Town.

"A lot of the younger players became European U-21 champions and it has given them a lot of confidence for a tournament like this."

Germany beat Argentina 4-2 on penalties when the teams met at the same stage of Germany 2006, but Low has yet to nominate the five players who could take spot-kicks this time.

"We have already practiced penalties, each player took two," said Low. "But you can never recreate the pressure or the nervous tension.
We have found weaknesses in their side, but I will keep that information for my players.
Joachim Low, Germany coach

"You don't know who will still be on the pitch after 120 minutes of football, injuries can change everything, so we will only decide that after extra-time has been played."

Although his side hammered both Australia and England on the way to the quarter-finals, Loew knows Maradona's Argentina will be step up in class, but the Germany coach says he has found weaknesses to exploit.

"They have great qualities. For me, they are one of the favorites for this tournament. They have a lot of experience, they have an impressive attack and not just through Lionel Messi alone.

"We have found weaknesses in their side, but I will keep that information for my players."

Argentina have won all four of their games at this World Cup and Low says they are playing with supreme confidence under Maradona. "Maradona was a phenomenon and an idol. His team plays with a lot of self-confidence and pride, they will be hard to beat.

"We have several players in the team who faced them in 2006, that was a very tense game with lots of commitment. We can't afford many errors against Argentina, they can punish any mistakes very quickly."

The only fitness doubt surrounds Brazil-born striker Cacau who suffered a muscle strain before the game against England.