GERMANY’S BAD BREAK

SOMETIMES as a manager you don’t want the half-time whistle and that was the case with Germany against Japan.

I’ve been a manager and feel for Germany boss Hansi Flick (inset) as it’s hard coming in at half-time when you’re that dominant.

I remember playing at Yeovil, we were 1-0 up at half-time and battering them. I was thinking, ‘what can I say, it’s one of the best displays I’d seen for ages’.

We went out and lost 2-1. It then eats away at you.

Germany didn’t need half-time, they were so good.

Japan are not the worst in the world, they work hard and will have a go on the counter-attack.

But the Germans were masters of their own downfall. They couldn’t kill the game off and it cost them dearly when they took their foot off the gas.