Totally agree with your opinions on the French team – freakish talent in Zidane, unorthodox but brilliant coach etc. etc. etc.
On to the Germany vs Italy match up: (note – my opinions are probably shit but I’ll make them anyways…:eh: ).
1) The Germans seem to thrive on, not crack under pressure
2) I agree the Germans faded against Argentina but dont see this as a trend. They were sloppy on defence against Costa Rica, worked hard without the scoring prowess against Poland, played great front and back against Equador & Sweden. Still thinking that Klinsmann has the soccer knowledge to see problems they may face with Italy and get the squad adjusted for it.
3) Germany’s performance in non-world cup matches never parallels its world cup peformances. They had qualifying troubles for the last one and made it to the finals – the Germans have a history of overachieving at the world cup.
4) Italian confidence in their chances could be an advantage or disadvantage. True they have more rest due to less challenging games – but, and this is a big but – both of these factors can be as much a disadvantage as an advantage. I was concerned about Germany meeting Argentia after having such an easy time with Sweden – Argentina on the other hand had a war with Mexico. Having a less than competitive match can get the team off the edge they need to win.
5) Klinsmann does lack experience as a coach, this is true. But tactically, he has proven himself worthy thus far. Plus, he has balls. He stepped into the job of coaching the current team when it seemed no one else wanted to, then he goes one further and pretty much re-defines how the squad should play. Just because a coach has less experience doesnt necessariy mean they are not as good, although this may be more true than not.
PS – Happy Canada Day!