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Germany v Italy: actually, we have no chance, says Ballack - but he was grinning at the time
Germany skipper Michael Ballack has declared Italy favourites to win Tuesday night's World Cup semi final clash in Dortmund. Italy have never lost against the tournament hosts in a World Cup match, and it is just four months since the Azzurri handed Jurgen Klinsmann the worst defeat of his coaching career.
The 4-1 result in Florence spelled the low point of the Klinsmann era and Italy has not tasted defeat in any of their last 23 matches. In fact, you have to go back to October 2004 to recall Italy's last defeat when Slovenia edged them in a World Cup qualifier.
Throw into the equation Italy's gradual improvement through this tournament and that is why Ballack believes Germany are underdogs. "They are a very strong opponent with a long streak and they have beaten us comfortably not a long time ago," Ballack stated. "They dominated us.
"Actually, we have no chance. Everything speaks against us, everything favours them," he added, with a smile. "They have had a rough start to the tournament but they stuck to their system and it has always been enough to advance to the next round," he added. "Their win over the Ukraine was very impressive."
Germany come off an epic shoot-out victory over tournament favourites Argentina, but Ballack, who has fully recovered from minor calf problems, believes Italy pose a much bigger threat. He continued: "Our chances are much worse than against Argentina and our hopes rest on the crowd."
Italy's Francesco Totti is in agreement with Ballack and believes the time is right for Italy to reach their first World Cup Final since 1994. Marcello Lippi's men can draw inspiration from Italy's past triumphs over the Germans.
They beat West Germany 4-3 in a thrilling World Cup semi-final in 1970 in Mexico and again 12 years later with a 3-1 win in the final played in Spain. That marked the Azzurri's third and last world title.
"We are convinced our heads and our hearts are in the right place and we are in the best possible condition to make it happen," Totti said. "Our intention is to write another page in this duel. The games of the past have left a mark and we want to write another page, perhaps the most memorable one of all."
Germany are playing at home and in a city that has proved a lucky charm for the national team. They have yet to lose in Dortmund, having won 13 of their 14 international games there. "To beat Germany on their own turf would be the maximum," Totti said. "It's a difficult challenge, but not an impossible one.
"Let's not forget that in Mexico and in Spain, they (Italy) played away from home," Totti said. "We are determined. We have a complicated task ahead but it makes it even more stimulating. People are already talking about the final, but I am not thinking about any other game than Tuesday's clash. Our rival is Germany, our aim is to beat them and once we do that, we can look ahead."
Lippi is not expecting to find out until Tuesday if Alessandro Nesta will be fit to play against Germany. The experienced defender has struggled with a muscular injury since the start of the tournament and missed the clash against Ukraine.
The good news for Lippi is that Marco Materazzi will return from suspension and is set to partner captain Fabio Cannavaro at the heart of the Italian defence, should Nesta be ruled out. Lippi expects to welcome back Juventus midfielder Mauro Camoranesi, who been unable to train for the past two days after picking up a knock in his thigh in their previous round game.
However, not all the odds are stacked against the hosts as they have won 13 of 14 matches in Dortmund, boasting an impressive goal difference of 59-7. They got a first taste of the boisterous atmosphere three weeks ago when they defeated Poland 1-0 through an injury time winner from Oliver Neuville.
"The crowd will be behind us like a wall and support us until the very last minute," Ballack added. "We are in great shape. We'll see whether that will be enough or not. We have a lot of self-confidence, the team is very hungry."
Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann was in no doubts about Germany's ambitions and exuded his usual confidence. "With the confidence we have built thus far, we are convinced we can win two more games," he claimed. "We will be playing our game and then we are able to beat them. We are full of enthusiasm and zest and no-one can destroy that. Playing Italy in a World Cup semi final is something very special. We want to - and we will - take the next step."
Germany midfielder Torsten Frings will miss Tuesday's semi-final against Italy after being banned by Fifa.
Frings was found guilty of throwing a punch at Argentina's Julio Cruz during the ugly fracas that followed Friday's quarter-final in Berlin.
However, captain Michael Ballack and top scorer Miroslav Klose will be fit after shrugging off minor injuries.
Italy's Alessandro Nesta, who has missed the last two games with a groin injury, looks certain to miss out.
Ballack and Klose, who passed late fitness tests to play in the quarter-final win over Argentina, will again shake off minor problems to feature.
But manager Jurgen Klinsmann is unable to select an unchanged line up for the fifth match in six games because of the unavailability of Frings.
But the impact of Oliver Neuville, Tim Borowski and David Odonkor as substitutes in previous games should ensures the hosts have a wealth of options on the bench.
Alessandro Nesta has not featured since limping out of Italy's last Group E game against the Czech Republic, though he publicly claimed before the quarter-final win over Ukraine that he was hopeful of recovering in time for the semis.
Marco Materazzi is available again after a ban, but Mauro Camoranesi is struggling with a right knee injury.
Luca Toni's brace against Ukraine may have earned him a stay of execution after a below-par tournament before the quarters, but Alberto Gilardino looks set return in place of the injured Camoranesi in a 4-3-1-2 formation.
That would free Francesco Totti to roam behind the front two with coach Lippi hoping to expose Germany's defensive flaws in Dortmund.
BIG MATCH STATS
Head-to-heads
Italy and Germany have met on 28 occasions, with Italy winning 13 and Germany seven. The pair have contested six competitive matches which all took place at major championships. Italy are unbeaten in this respect winning twice and drawing four times. In four previous World Cup encounters, Italy have won twice and drawn twice. The sides have met only once at the World Cup semi-final stage. In 1970, the Italians secured a dramatic 4-3 victory in extra time setting up a final meeting with Brazil. Germany missed a chance to vindicate that loss in the 1982 World Cup final, in which they fell 3-1 to the 'Azzurri'.
In the last meeting between these teams, Italy hammered Germany 4-1 in a friendly in Florence. Alberto Gilardino, Luca Toni, Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Del Piero netted, before Robert Huth produced a late consolation goal for the visitors.
Team facts - Germany
Germany have reached seven World Cup finals in their 16 appearances, winning three (1954, 1974, 1990).
The Germans have won seven of their last nine matches, and can become the first nation to reach eight World Cup finals.
Team facts - Italy
Italy have won three World Cups (1934, 1938 and 1982) and one European Championship (1968). They are unbeaten in 23 international matches, their longest undefeated streak since 1939.
Italy's nine goals at the 2006 World Cup have been scored by eight different players. They have only conceded one goal at this tournament, and that an own goal by Cristian Zaccardo in the group match against the United States.
Player facts - Germany
Torsten Frings, Lukas Podolski, David Odonkor and Arne Friedrich will miss a potential final match if they receive a yellow card against Italy.
Miroslav Klose is currently the top scorer at these finals with five goals. Klose has a total of 10 World Cup goals and is one of 12 players in the competition's history whose goal tally is in double figures. Gerd Muller (14), Jurgen Klinsmann (11) and Helmut Rahn (10) are the other Germans on the list. Half of Klose's goals in Germany 2006 have come from assists from Michael Ballack.
Player facts - Italy
Daniel De Rossi will serve the last of a four match suspension and will be eligible should Italy reach the final. Marco Materazzi returns from a one match suspension after having been sent off against Australia. Fabio Grosso, Gianluca Zambrotta and Gennaro Gattuso will miss a potential final match if they receive a yellow card against Germany.
Alberto Gilardino will celebrate his 24th birthday the day after the match.
Miscellaneous Info
The hosts have won six of the previous 17 World Cup editions. Germany also hosted the World Cup in 1974, when they emerged victorious by defeating Holland in the final. (West) Germany have a very impressive record while playing in Dortmund - winning 13 and drawing one of the 14 international matches played in the city. The draw came in 1977 against Wales. During these matches, Germany have scored 59 times, and conceded only seven.
Italy have reached the World Cup final every 12 years since 1970. They lost in 1970, won the final in 1982 and lost in 1994. They have lost all three of their penalty shoot-outs contested in the World Cup, whereas the Germans have won all four of theirs.
England's conquerors Portugal will welcome back midfield duo Costinha and Deco from suspension for Wednesday's semi-final against France in Munich.
That is likely to mean Tiago and Armando Petit, who played in the win over England, will drop to the bench.
France coach Raymond Domenech is set to keep faith in the team that beat Spain and Brazil in previous rounds.
The win over Brazil was the first time in two years that France have fielded the same team in successive games.
Costinha and Deco's return for Portugal means coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will return to his first-choice XI in a 4-5-1 formation.
Following Zinedine Zidane's majestic display for France against Brazil, Costinha could be tasked in a man-marking role on the veteran midfielder.
Portugal have no injury worries, although Petit is suspended for match.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo will continue on the wing after Fifa confirmed that he would not be investigated for his part in Wayne Rooney's sending-off as Portugal beat England on penalties in the quarter-finals.
An unchanged side for the third straight game means France will match Portugal's 4-5-1 formation, with Arsenal's Thierry Henry again deployed as a lone frontman.
That will mean the likes of David Trezeguet, Sylvain Wiltord, Mikael Silvestre and Louis Saha will again start on the bench.
Uruguayan Jorge Larrionda has been appointed referee for the game, assisted by compatriots Walter Rial and Pablo Fandiono.
The Uruguayans have officiated at two matches so far, the group game between Italy and the United States which saw Larrionda send off three players and France's 2-0 victory over Togo.
The Football Association will write to FIFA within the next 36 hours to offer their observations on Wayne Rooney's red card.
Rooney broke his silence on Monday to insist he had not intended to kick Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho in the groin. The England striker said he was "gobsmacked" to be sent off by referee Horacio Elizondo in the World Cup quarter-final and the FA will support his case.
"I can confirm the FA will be submitting a response to FIFA within the next 36 hours with regard to Wayne Rooney's sending-off," said director of communications Adrian Bevington. "Wayne has already made clear publicly he did not have any intention of making contact with Ricardo Carvalho. It is also worth noting that we believe there were one or two potential fouls against Wayne during the same move."
Rooney faces a suspension which will force him to miss the start of England's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.
The length of the ban will be dictated by FIFA's disciplinary chiefs, who seem unlikely to receive the apology they had hoped for from the FA.
Earlier in the day, FIFA president Sepp Blatter gave his backing to Argentinian referee Elizondo.
Blatter said: "The referee was touching distance from the players and he took the decision according to what he witnessed.
"I can only say that the referee's decision is final and I have not seen any protest from fans or even team-mates on the field of play."
Peter Taylor, the man who made David Beckham England skipper in November 2000, believes that John Terry is the "obvious choice" to take over the captain's armband.
Beckham relinquished the captaincy after Portugal knocked England out of the World Cup last weekend and Terry was immediately installed as the bookies' favourite to succeed the 31-year-old Real Madrid midfield star.
Terry has admitted that it would mean "an awful lot to anyone" to lead his country and England Under-21 coach Taylor, who has just taken charge of Crystal Palace, said: "When I had to pick a captain for my one game in charge I had three options, in David Beckham, Gareth Southgate or Gary Neville.
‘The war of words between Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo raged on last night — after a peace bid brokered by Sir Alex Ferguson appeared to backfire.
‘And angry England striker Rooney — dubbed Wazza by pals — has confided to team-mates that “The only way he would like to bury the hatchet is in Ronaldo’s head.”
‘The two Man Utd colleagues were urged yesterday to privately settle the row sparked on Saturday when Portuguese winger Ronaldo appeared to beg the ref to send Rooney off during England’s World Cup quarter-final defeat.
‘Club manager Sir Alex insisted it was for the sake of United’s future hopes of Premiership glory.
‘But Rooney, 20, was further infuriated when cheeky Portugeezer Ronaldo claimed on a website his red-carded rival had CONGRATULATED him after the match — and wished him well in the World Cup.
‘And rather than healing the wounds, the pair’s rift opened wider last night as raging Rooney issued a thinly-veiled statement revealing his agony at his dismissal.
‘The £30million striker insisted he bore “no ill-feeling to Cristiano” but was “disappointed that he chose to get involved”.
‘That line was a direct refusal to make peace with his club-mate and a barely-concealed dig.
‘Earlier, Rooney had reluctantly agreed to send 21-year-old Ronaldo a brief text after Sir Alex told them to patch things up. Last night a club source said: “It’s driving him mad — he is still spitting. He sent a brief text after he was asked to make peace with Ronaldo — even though Ferguson has been telling everyone he can see why Wayne would want to punch Christano and settle the score. Ferguson can definitely see Wayne’s point of view.
“He was still seething yesterday — and then to make matters worse he hears that Ronaldo is calling them the best of buddies.
“Wayne’s statement doesn’t need much reading between the lines. It’s pretty obvious from his comments, especially where he says that he is an honest player and was appalled by the amount of cheating going on.
“He feels totally stitched-up by Carvalho, but the real betrayal is Ronaldo. They were good friends and team-mates and whatever Ferguson tries to do it’s difficult to see how this can be resolved.”
The Sun also includes the line, ‘Rooney — who had previously threatened to split Ronaldo in two with a pickaxe,’ which, less than a year after the death of Anthony Walker – killed with a pickaxe at the hands of a scouser who had a brother playing for a Manchester team – was probably not the most tasteful thing.
Germany captain Michael Ballack admits his team's strength has been sapped after going through extra-time and penalties to defeat Argentina, but promised the prospect of reaching the World Cup final would get the adrenalin pumping against Italy on July 4.
Germany captain Michael Ballack admits his team's strength has been sapped after going through extra-time and penalties to defeat Argentina, but promised the prospect of reaching the World Cup final would get the adrenalin pumping against Italy on Tuesday.
Germany take on Italy in Dortmund in the first of the semi-finals with the host nation trying to recharge their batteries for the final push.
"It was a hard slog playing 120 minutes against Argentina but we have had a few days to recharge and can give everything again. There is no problem there," Ballack said at Monday's press conference.
Italy cruised to a 3-0 win over Ukraine in their quarter-final match while several Germany players - including Ballack - went down with severe cramp.
"Everyone is fit and refreshed. Italy did not have as many problems in terms of the result and the length of the game but it is not a problem," said the new Chelsea man.
"It is a long tournamemt - almost six weeks with preparation - but we are all targeting the final and you do not feel tired when you are winning."
Germany are doing just that with five consecutive wins and go into the Italy match full of confidence.
"I can not wait for this match. The team wants to reach the final and we all sense that," said the 29-year-old midfielder.
"We have been good so far and have a lot of confidence. We have been very consistent in every game and that has to continue."
Another reason for German confidence is that the game is being played in Dortmund where Germany have never lost, winning 13 out of their 14 internationals at the venue.
"We have never lost in Dortmund so we can not wait to play there," said defender Philipp Lahm.
"We have never lost in Dortmund so we can not wait to play there," says Germany defender Philipp Lahm. Germany captain Michael Ballack admits his team's strength has been sapped after going through extra-time and penalties to defeat Argentina, but promised the prospect of reaching the World Cup final would get the adrenalin pumping against Italy on July 4.
"Dortmund is a bit different to the other stadia and it gives us a bit more self-confidence.
"We scored in the last minute against Poland there to win and would take the same again."
Italy crushed Germany 4-1 the last time the two teams met in Florence on March 1 but Lahm says a lot has changed since then.
"We are now in the World Cup semi-final and you can not compare the atmosphere with after the Italy game in March," said Lahm, sporting a black eye from a training accident.
Along with Lahm, skipper Ballack was in the team that night in Florence and the pair both suffered against Italian opposition at club level too with Bayern Munich receiving a 4-1 mauling from AC Milan in the Champions League.
"We recently lost 4-1 against Italy and lost 4-1 with Bayern against AC Milan in Champions League. It seems we do not have any chance," Ballack joked.
The two defeats give Ballack plenty of incentive to turn over Italy with the the hurt of 2002 - when he missed the World Cup final through suspension - also driving him on
Marcello Lippi's guidance of Italy into the last four of the World Cup has been so beset with difficulty that sniping from German newspapers would perhaps be expected to pale into insignificance.
But suggestions here that the Italians may have been responsible for supplying the video that has seen German midfielder Torsten Frings banned from tonight's semi-final were enough to promote an emotional rebuttal from the Italy coach.
Already fuming at racist insults printed in Der Spiegel newspaper over the weekend, Lippi and his players arrived at their training session at Dortmund's Westfalenstadion to be confronted with suggestions that FIFA banned Frings only after being sent a video by the Italian FA of the fight that followed Germany's quarter-final victory over Argentina last Friday.
Lippi said last night: 'No one on our side lifted a finger to make this happen. We were as incredulous as anybody else to hear about this today. It is outrageous to say that we were involved.
'We are happy to play any German team that they wish to field.'
Lippi is usually a man of gentle humour and the veteran coach has dealt with the unusual problems of the last few weeks with apparent ease.
Having discouraged talk of the match-rigging scandal involving four Serie A clubs under investigation in Italy, he has also nursed his players through the shock of learning that their friend and former international colleague Gianluca Pessotto had attempted to kill himself last week.
But some things are difficult to take after the stress and pressure of a month-long tournament and it is clear that Lippi and his players remain irritated by suggestions in Der Spiegel that Italians are 'lazy, greasy, parasites'.
'It is the match I have dreamed of since I first watched Italia 90'
Midfielder Gennaro Gattuso revealed last night that the insults have only served to increase the motivation of him and his team-mates.
Gattuso, who briefly lived in Germany as a boy, said: 'I still feel very angry about it. It was an insult to all the Italian people that work here. It gives me a lump in my throat, I get so angry.
'I still have some uncles who live here and I know how much they suffered like many others who had to leave their homes and come here to find work.
'This game is so much more important than any I have ever played in before because we are trying to repair the image of Italian football.
'This has been an ugly period for the game in my country. The things at home have not been good.
'It is the match I have dreamed of since I first watched Italia 90 on the television. I can't wait to get out there.'
Italy approach tonight's match knowing that their status as underdogs has not been helped by the fact that AC Milan central defender Alessandro Nesta was last night declared unfit after a fortnight of struggling with a thigh injury.
His absence means that inexperienced Palermo defender Andrea Barzagli will once more deputise, although Lippi feigned a lack of concern last night after seeing his fourth choice centre back play his part in the 3-0 win against Ukraine in the last eight.
Lippi said: 'We will not be taking a risk with Nesta. It is not worth it when you consider that we could be in the final and we would need him then. We could make it worse and that would be a disaster.
'Anyway, I think there will be no problem with our defence. We have players who I trust and I expect them to do very well again.'
The Italian coach was also keen to talk up the contribution of centre forward Luca Toni against Ukraine. The Fiorentina striker had failed to score until he grabbed two goals in quick succession in Hamburg.
Lippi said: 'When you have scored 80 goals in three seasons, you just know that you will score goals again.
'That is what I thought with Toni. It was not as if he had suddenly woken up and forgotten how to score goals. I think he will be very dangerous against Germany.'
The Italy squad was greeted with near hysteria by a group of 500 supporters when they arrived for their training session here last night and it was much the same when they left 90 minutes later.
Their support will be difficult to hear tonight, drowned out by 50,000 Germans. But maybe they won't need to hear it. Lippi and his players seem to be carrying plenty of motivation deep within.
For Brazil there could only ever have been two endings. Either their finest generation of players in a quarter of a century took the World Cup home forever. Or they returned in an angry haze of blame and recrimination.
Last night fans regaled Carlos Alberto Parreira with a vulgar chant, but the coach knew the blame would always lie with him. 'When a team wins it is because of the talent of the players.
When it loses, the culprit is the coach. We're just confirming that script, he said in the aftermath of the 1-0 defeat to France.
What was not meant to be in the script was the performance of Ronaldinho at this World Cup.
Twice World Player of the Year, the genius behind Barcelona's redemption as Spanish and European champions, the smiling assassin was supposed to make this tournament his.
He left it without a goal and with the world wondering where his inspiration had gone. The criticism was misplaced.
Ronaldinho had sacrificed his talent to the greater good. Parreira's tactics meant that Ronaldinho's freedom of expression was removed.
He had to mark, cover for static forwards and track back.
He and Kaka put so much effort into defensive duties that the medical team said they were the most tired players after two matches.
'I don't think this is the hour to speak about who erred, everyone wanted to do better,' said Ronaldinho.
Juninho Pernambucano, 31, believes it is time for the over 30s such as Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Gilberto, Emerson, Ze Roberto, Ricardinho and Dida to step aside.
He said: 'We have to leave our places to the younger players, to make a new team for 2010.'
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