GERMAN LESSONS
Jurgen’s advice to copy old rivals
JURGEN KLINSMANN has told England to take a leaf out of Germany’s World Cup manual – and believe “anything is possible”.
The former German national team boss appreciates why English hopes are far from sky-high after their dreadful showings at the 2010 and 2014 tournaments – not to mention the horrendous Euro 2016 campaign.
However, he reckons the current crop of Three Lions is more than capable of upsetting the odds.
Get out of Group G – and into the knockout phase – and there is no limit to what Gareth Southgate’s men could achieve in Russia, argues ex-Spurs striker Klinsmann.
Tipping Harry Kane and Co to make at least the last eight, he insists the English public need to adopt a positive attitude similar to that of their German counterparts. Sure, they are four-time winners as well as the current holders of the World Cup, while our last victory in the knockout phase of the competition was a long 12 years ago.
But Klinsmann (right) reckons that dismal past is irrelevant when it comes to England being a real threat to the big boys.
The 1990 World Cup winner, 53, said: “Everyone is looking forward to Russia with different interests, depending on where you come from.
“Expectations in Germany are simple because of our track record. They expect nothing else than winning the tournament.
“But if you make the semi-finals and play in a certain way, it’s no shame to lose at that stage.
“Once you are in the quarter-finals, and hopefully England will go to the quarters, anything can happen after that.
“Everything is possible.
They are always very close games and you need a bit of luck.
“So why should England not go for it?”
Former USA coach Klinsmann is a fan of the youthful look of Southgate’s group and feels the team can flourish on the world stage thanks to its Premier League stars.
Certainly mixing it with the very best at club level every week must stand Kane, Dele Alli and the rest of the squad, whose bid for glory begins tomorrow against Tunisia, in good stead.
Klinsmann added: “England have a young, exciting team who all play in one of the top leagues in the world. “And they have played their part with a tremendously good qualifying campaign. “So they should be full of confidence, full of energy – and go for it.” Germany’s defence starts today, against Mexico and, like England, they did not lose in the qualifiers. However, since then Joachim Loew’s men have won only one of six friendlies. But Klinsmann said: “There’s a mix of youth and experience. This group of players has so much quality.”