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Football > German defence must improve
June 26, 2010

German captain Philipp Lahm has warned his side they must improve their defending against England or risk World Cup heartache in Sunday's last 16 clash.

Old rivals England and Germany meet in Bloemfontein in a mouth-watering match with a quarter-final against Argentina or Mexico at stake.

Germany booked their Round of 16 berth on Wednesday by bouncing back from their shock group stage defeat by Serbia with a nervy 1-0 win over Ghana.

Lahm's defensive qualities shone in key moments when he saved a header off the line and then blocked a second-half shot which was goal bound.

"Against England, we must defend better than against Ghana. The slightest mistake could be fatal, it will be quite a challenge for our young team," warned 26-year-old Lahm, who replaced the injured Michael Ballack as captain.

"For us, this will be a great football match, every player can look forward to it, but we also need to be aware that every mistake could be crucial."

Germany have won all four penalty shoot-outs they have faced at World Cup finals and Lahm says his squad will be ready in the event of Sunday's match being decided by spot-kicks.

"We haven't practised yet, but we have some very good shooters, there's no need to worry," he said confidently, although Lukas Podolski did miss a penalty in the group stage loss to Serbia.

Despite his small size (1.70 m and 65 kilos), Lahm has grown in stature this season and is equally comfortable on the left or right side of the defence where he is an attacking threat with the ball at his feet.

Aside from the Germans opening 4-0 win over Australia, neither Germany nor England have played consistently well at the finals.

In the 31 meetings between the two sides, Germany have won 10, England have won 15 with six draws and Fabio Capello's side claimed a 2-1 victory when the teams last met in November 2008 at Berlin's Olympic Stadium.

England have been criticised after a poor World Cup so far and their star-studded side will be desperate to claim Germany's scalp.

"If their players are in possession of the ball, we will have to close them down and give them less room to work in," said Lahm.

"We need to be courageous against England, hold the ball when we have it and give nothing away."

Germany are hoping key midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will be fit having picked up a hamstring injury against Ghana, while experienced striker Miroslav Klose is back having served a one-match suspension.

"I am sure that Bastian will play on Sunday. He is a fighter," said Lahm.

"Miro has trained well, he is an important player and always seems to score at the big tournaments.

"We are happy that he is back for Sunday.".
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