Germany meets lions, promises more aggression when it faces England

Germany promises aggression against England

ERASMIA, South Africa — Germany’s first encounter with lions proved to be a gentle affair.

Its knockout game against main rival England on Sunday should be a much more aggressive occasion.

Two days before their highly anticipated game against England, aka the Three Lions, the German players visited a lion park near their training base outside Pretoria and played with some of the cubs.

“And I am happy to report that all players came back healthy and that no one was eaten by the lions,” coach Joachim Loew joked.

Captain Philipp Lahm said the outing was good for the players to escape the daily routine of their hotel, but that they will not be treating their England opponents Sunday with such gentleness.

“We saw lions this morning, we did not touch the big ones but stroked their cubs,” Lahm said. “But on Sunday we will be going into the one-on-one situations with far more aggression.”

England and Germany have played each other in several important World Cup games, including the 1966 final won by England, and a 1990 semifinal won by Germany in a penalty shootout.

Lahm said he was aware of the historical significance of the past games, but that it probably won’t play a great role in Sunday’s game.

“This is year 2010 and these games will not mean very much,” he said. We were not born then.”

England had a rocky passage into the second round, finishing second in Group C. But Loew and his players have been full of praise for their upcoming rivals.

“England is always England. It’s team with a lot of fighting spirit and very strong mentally, with incredible experience,” Loew said. “The axis with John Terry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney has the highest quality you can find in European football.”

Although Germany has conceded only one goal in three games, its defense has looked wobbly at times, with central defender Per Mertesacker looking particularly vulnerable.

But Loew was even more concerned about his team’s finishing.

“We started a lot of good moves against Ghana but we did not finish them. England will be able to use this space if we don’t do it better,” Loew said.

Loew’s biggest worry is that he may have to replace one of his most important players, midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has assumed the role of injured captain Michael Ballack.

Schweinsteiger sustained a right-thigh injury in the 1-0 win over Ghana on Wednesday, and Loew said there was a “very big question mark” behind the midfielder for Sunday’s game.

“Bastian is the engine of our team, both in the offense and in defense,” Loew said.

Toni Kroos could replace Schweinsteiger, Loew said. Defender Jerome Boateng is also likely to miss the game because of a calf injury, but striker Miroslav Klose is available after serving a one-match suspension against Ghana.