Berlin: Captain Michael Ballack will seek to create order from chaos in the Germany defence and midfield when he returns for their second Group A game against Poland in Dortmund on Wednesday.
Ballack watched from the sidelines with alarm as well as admiration as the hosts beat Costa Rica 4-2 in the World Cup's opening game with a carefree attacking style that left worrying gaps at the back.
The 29-year-old midfielder has recovered from the calf strain that kept him out of that match and on Monday he warned his team mates to expect a far tougher match from a Poland side wounded by their 2-0 defeat by Ecuador.
"Poland play a very different style of football to Costa Rica," Ballack said at a news conference on Monday.
"Costa Rica let the German team play, sitting back and putting in few tackles. This will be a much hotter evening for us.
"The situation is different as well. The Poles know it's a make or break game for them now. It's going to be tougher, much tougher."
Ballack can play an elegant passing game or take a much more aggressive defensive role as the occasion demands.
Coach Juergen Klinsmann has described him as the "Lokomotive" of the team and he clearly expects to get through a lot of work on Wednesday.
"Poland are under great pressure," Ballack said. "That's inevitable after losing your first match.
"But they'll be like a boxer who has taken a few knocks. We can expect them to retaliate."
Ballack has scored 31 goals in 65 appearances. This will be his first World Cup match since the semi-finals four years ago, after he missed Germany's 2-0 defeat by Brazil in the final because of suspension.
Comments
0 comment