It's Not Meant To Be Easy

I can remember a time in the past when non-footballing fans would say, "How can it be the World Cup? You don't play all the teams to win it." Well that remains as true now as it did back then, but if England do win the 2010 FIFA World Cup they would have done it the hard way beating Slovakia (don't laugh), Germany, Argentina, Spain and Brazil. I'm sure if they could have contrived some way of having to beat the Dutch they would have done that as well.

"Germany, it had to be Germany," I heard somebody say the other day. The English have an almost psychological need to beat the Germans that defies logic, but then football often does defy logic. Fortunately we do seem to have moved on from the days of the Dambusters theme and shouts of "Two World Wars and one World Cup," but only just. The country that we happened to fight in two World Wars, the last one, if you hadn't noticed, finished sixty five years and three generations ago.

To the Germans the unbridled nationalism (rather ironic really), jingoism and barely concealed racism has been something of a mystery. As Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger writes in his definitive history of German football 'Tor!', "the English wanted to get all 'gung-ho.' then so be it."

The 1966 World Cup victory remains the high point in the history of English international football. Since 1966 Germany (as either West Germany or the current unified state) have reached World Cup Finals (1974, 1990 and 2002), European Championship Finals (1972, 1976,1980, 1992 and 2008), winning five out of eight, England have managed two semi finals, and like the 1966 World Cup victory, one of those at home. Even this morning on Sky they were referred to as 'the old enemy,' which all seems slightly bizarre to me.

Since that famous victory back in 1966 we have played the Germans 20 times by my reckoning, we have won 5, drawn 4 in ninety minutes and lost the rest. Three of those four draws saw us eliminated from competitions (Euro 72 qualifiers, 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996 finals) and of the 5 victories three were in friendlies. In short if we rely on history to be the basis of feeling somehow superior to the Germans than it certainly doesn't come from either football or economic stability. I think our attitude towards our northern European cousins derives as much from jealousy and admiration as it does a sense of pumped up jingoism.

Anyway back to today's match. The English strength lies in their strength, it's one of the qualities we are admired for in footballing terms, the never say die attitude. Our forwards should have the better of the German defence, Defoe and Rooney will be too quick for the central defenders and if Phillip Lahm has to spend a lot of time covering then Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard should have a field day on the left. England can be exposed down the centre where the combination of Podolski, Klose and Oezil will be too quick for the ponderous Terry and crippled King (if Carragher plays things will be even worse, if Upson plays help!).

Prediction? England to win 2-1 to set-up a meeting with Messi and co.