The idea for the title of the entry comes from this round-up of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in the European zone - England to rejig defence, Germany fret over Ballack. Surprise, the two eternal rivals in the same sentence. Just nice, given in this final update ahead of the qualifiers, it will be news on what is happening to that two national teams I support.
News which come out after I had did my own preview to the Belarus-England and Germany-Wales matches, that is. So I had said in my preview to the former that defender David Wheater and goalkeeper Joe Hart are joining up the senior squad after the England U-21 side won 5-4 on aggregate in the play-offs to reach European Under-21 Championships (which is going to be held next year in Sweden). Gabriel Agbonlahor was actually supposed to be part of the trip to Belarus, along with England U-21 coach Stuart Pearce (he is actually part of England coach Fabio Capello's backroom staff, apart from being the U-21 coach) but, he was forced to pull out with a minor hamstring injury.
In a general overview of the action in Group Six qualifying round, Belarus coach Bernd Stange (whose side will be facing England at home) believes it would be a "European sensation" if his side were to take anything from their World Cup qualifier with England in Minsk. Since taking charge last July Stange has revamped the national team, opting for a youth policy which, while unsuccessful at first, has since led to wins against Holland 1-0 to finish their Euro 2008 campaign, before friendly draws with Germany and Argentina. It has created a surge of popularity in the sport with the national team rising to their highest ever FIFA ranking, 57th, last month.
Belarus have shown signs of their improvement in the World Cup qualification campaign so far, with an impressive 3-1 win against Andorra preceded by a 1-0 loss in Ukraine, when a debatable last-minute penalty denied them a deserved point. His side will have to make do without their captain and Barcelona midfielder Aleksandr Hleb, although England have their own injury problems with their captain, John Terry, and his Chelsea team-mate Ashley Cole unavailable. Rio Ferdinand will lead the England squad once again. In Wednesday night's only other game in Group Six, Croatia are expected to get their campaign back on track at home to bottom-placed Andorra.
It's still a case of touch-and-go for Germany captain Michael Ballack as he sat out in training again yesterday. While that is the only doubt in the Germany camp ahead of their qualifier against Wales in Monchengladbach, Wales coach John Toshack expects to have full-back Gareth Bale available after a foot injury, while Carl Robinson and Lewin Nyatanga are overcoming minor knocks. He had also revealed that Bellamy had trained well all week and there had been no adverse reaction to his first game in a year for his country at the weekend, while the Wales chief expects to give defender James Collins his first start for his country in 11 months.
Team news aside, what both sides have to say ahead of the qualifier. 11 months ago when both sides last met in Frankfurt, Germany had already qualified for Euro 2008. But, Toshack's side frustrated their hosts. This time round, after the Wales match is over, Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff will lead a delegation to South Africa start his country's meticulous preparations for their next major finals to book their hotels for the 2010 finals in South Africa. But before that, they are determined to make Wales pay for the draw which happened 11 months ago.
Germany striker Miroslav Klose had underlined their determination not to allow such an embarrassment to occur again. By being 'relentless' this time. Bierhoff when speaking to the press yesterday, had said that they would not underestimate the Welsh. I was watching Eurosportnews today and it has a report of the qualifier, it did showed midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger (who used to play for Aston Villa in the Premier League before being at VfB Stuttgart at the moment) speaking to the press...in perfect English. The man who was nicknamed 'The Hammer' during his time in England, is relishing re-acquainting himself with Craig Bellamy, who he remembers well from his days in the Premier League.
All the talk that the Germany squad whom Wales captain Craig Bellamy and his team-mates will be facing not being the best German side, the West Ham striker is hearing none of it. He is actually more than happy that the German officials with the group's fourth round of games to be played this week - are soon to travel to South Africa to look at hotels for the finals (he pointed to their track record of winning and qualifying for major tournaments as the reasons why). With much of his side playing against the Germans 11 months ago and actually got a draw in Frankfurt despite the Germans already qualified for Euro 2008 before the meeting, coach John Toshack will ask for the performance of their lives from his Wales side against Germany. Toshack shrugged off the news of the German delegation being off to South Africa to sort out hotels and training facilities for the 2010 finals later this month.
He said: "That is very German-like. They are organised and efficient, just as their team is." But he joked: "Mind you, we've been there too! Three months ago, but we kept that quiet!" Sense of humour aside, Toshack knew it is time for his team to end their 50-year wait to reach the World Cup finals by taking a step closer to South Africa 2010 with a point against Germany. Not since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden have Wales qualified for the finals of world football's biggest tournament. For the Wales coach with in all respect to Russia (whom they unfortunately lost 2-1 in their opening group match), he knows facing Germany will be their biggest test of the competition. Toshack wants a repeat of the heroic defensive performance which secured a 0-0 draw in Frankfurt when these countries last met, in a Euro 2008 qualifier in November. His captain Craig Bellamy is looking forward playing against the Euro 2008 finalists.
I had said earlier that it's a case of touch-and-go for Germany captain Michael Ballack. Team manager Oliver Bierhoff is hoping Ballack will feature. Should Ballack fail to recover in time for the match in Monchengladbach, Werder Bremen's Torsten Frings would be likely to come in to the team. But Bierhoff insisted the coaching staff would wait before making a final decision on the captain.
In the other Group Four qualifying action (the link in the previous paragraph is actually a general overview of the action), Russia try to bounce back from the defeat to Germany at home to Finland. Russia lie fourth on three points, a point behind Finland with both sides having played two games, and will be looking for three points to help keep the pressure on Germany.
World Cup qualifiers thought of the day: Too nervous to think of anything to add, except that the England match will be on here 'live' actually on the Football Channel early tomorrow morning, Singapore time. The Germany match? In the afternoon tomorrow, as delayed telecast and also on the same channel. Considering both matches start about the same time as well. Me on double tenterhooks.
Should fans be criticised for booing their own team? (But with tickets costing a lot in these troubled financial times, do fans have the right to boo if the standard is not up to scratch? If an opera singer’s voice breaks at the theatre you can whistle and ask for your money back, but not at a football match.)
Savage's repentance stuns Toshack (Old foe makes U-turn on eve of Wales manager's crucial match in Germany)
Flight without the risk of falling (Bayer Leverkusen's Rene Adler had some debut for the national team. bundesliga.de has more on the shooting star in the German goal.)
Slovenia's golden age could return as Kek releases the owls (When Zlatko Zahovic stormed out of the 2002 World Cup, Slovenian football seemed set for a period of decline but, against all the odds, they appear to be making a comeback)
