Tevez issues Germany warning

Argentina striker Carlos Tevez has warned his team-mates that Friday's quarter final opponents Germany will pose a real theat to their World Cup bid.

 

In one of several intriguing last eight clashes, hosts meet favourites in the capital, with dynamic young hit-man Tevez well aware it will be a tough game in Berlin.

 

Both sides have proven they have realistic aspirations of World Cup glory, with Germany emerging as the competition's surprise package after beginning the campaign unfancied by many.

 

Tevez, who has made fleeting but impressive cameo appearances from the bench, believes all of Argentina's top players must perform when it matters on the highest stage.

 

"We must show balls," Tevez said. "It's going to be a very tough match, cerebral too.

 

"Germany are going to have to show more than they have done so far to beat us.

 

''They know that if they let us play, we can cause them problems. I like to play with the crowd against me, we Argentine players are used to that.

 

"The great players and the great teams show themselves there.''

 

Germany's prowess in the air has been well documented but when quizzed on whether this would give the Europeans an edge, Tevez insisted Argentina had an advantage on the ground.

 

"Playing them on the ground we can hurt them,'' he added.

 

"They play well in the air because they are tall. I'm not afraid of them if they come (at me).

 

''I'd be afraid of them in a fight but I'm not afraid because we're going to play football."

Rodriquez: Germany not as tough as Mexico

Rodriquez: Germany not as tough as Mexico
HERZOGENAURACH, Germany -- Argentina struggled to beat Mexico, pulling through with a 2-1 victory on Maxi Rodriquez's stunning left-footed volley in extra time.

 

After practice Monday in northern Bavaria, Rodriquez dared to speak the unspeakable -- Germany might be easier to defeat than Mexico as the two former champions prepare to meet in Friday's quarter-final in Berlin.

 

"Mexico has a way of playing that is difficult for us with lots of movement in midfield with defenders also going forward," Rodriguez said. "Germany has a different system, and we know it very well.

 

"It might be easier and doesn't present us with as many problems."

 

Mexico marked Argentina closely, but Germany has been a more attacking team, which Rodriguez said could give the Argentines more space to operate. And German coach Juergen Klinsmann, who has been working on his team's fitness, has promised to keep attacking.

 

"I think it's in our favour if they (Germans) attack," Rodriguez added.

 

The two countries have a long history.

 

They played the World Cup final in '86 and '90 -- each winning one. Overall, two-time champion Argentina has a slight edge in the series. But the last two games -- both played last year in German -- finished in 2-2 ties.

 

Two days after his stunning volley, Rodriguez is still being asked about it. It was his third goal of the tournament, a shot that's pushed other big-name Argentines into the shadows -- like 19-year-old Barcelona striker Lionel Messi, 22-year-old Carlos Tevez, midfield playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, and even No. 1 striker Hernan Crespo.

 

"It was an instantaneous decision," Rodriguez said of his left-footed volley from the area. "There are goals like this that come very seldom, particularly with my left leg which I don't use very much."

 

A right-footed player, Rodriguez said his grandfather often forced him to practise with his left.

 

"I always tried to practise with both, but I always favour my right," he said, setting up a joke. "About the only thing I use my left for is stepping onto the bus."

 

Former Germany star and Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has suggested Germany needs to mark Riquelme closely, and says Torsten Frings is the man to do it.

 

"He (Riquelme) is an important player who settles us down and organizes us," Rodriguez said. "He controls everything, and let's hope it keeps going that way."

 

Though Rodriguez described Germany as a less risky foe than Mexico, he also acknowledged that the three-time champions, as the host country, may also be the tournament favourites along with Brazil.

 

British bookmakers William Hill on Monday had Brazil as the 11-4 favourite followed by Argentina (10-3), and England and Germany, both at 11-2. They are followed by Italy (15-2), Spain (12-1), Portugal (14-1) and France (20-1)

 

"What favours Germany is because they are the local team with fan support," he said. "But on the field it's 11 against 11.

 

"If Argentina plays well, it can beat anybody."