|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
To the bench? Matthäus could be out of German lineup
Posted: Wednesday June 14, 2000 09:50 AM
VAALS, Netherlands (AP) -- Lothar Matthäus is at the center of a storm brewing over the German camp and coach Erich Ribbeck has had a heart-to-heart talk with the veteran to assess his shaky defensive performance at Euro 2000. There seems to be a growing sentiment in the team to drop the 39-year-old star from the starting lineup. Matthäus, coming off a calf injury, played a disappointing 75 minutes in Germany's 1-1 opening draw with Romania and was more of a liability than the intended security factor in the shaky German defense. The defending champion now faces England on Saturday in a match that could be vital for both teams. Will Matthäus be in the starting 11 on the pitch in Charleroi? "If he is in the same shape in training as he was when he left the game against Romania, he won't be in the starting lineup," Ribbeck said. "But so far in training he has shown that deserves to be there." Ribbeck said he had a private talk with Matthäus to discuss the issue. "Lothar is under a lot of pressure, which honestly I don't really understand. It would be a mistake to blame everything on him," Ribbeck said. "I'll try to help him come to grips with this pressure. He's still a great player who can still contribute a lot to the team. Whether I'll succeed in this I don't know," Ribbeck said. "If he plays against England or not will depend on his performance in training," the coach said. Matthäus reacted combatively to criticism after the Romania match. "I played all right until my substitution. Your questions are irritating me," an angry Matthäus snapped at reporters. In an interview with Bild newspaper, Matthäus said he was not aware of any moves to oust him from the starting lineup. "I haven't noticed anything. If no one can tell me honestly in my face what they have against me, that's too bad," Matthäus said. Consensus appeared to be growing for Jens Nowotny to take command of the defense. The Bayer Leverkusen player is considered Germany's top defender and he was one of the rare German players with relatively few mistakes against Romania. "If Erich Ribbeck tells me to go in, assume responsibility and take command, I am ready to do it," Nowotny said. "But he has to tell me." "It doesn't mean I can't play with Lothar," Nowotny said. Nowotny said all other players should assume more responsibility. German players were careful not to publicly name Matthäus as the culprit for the defensive fiasco against Romania. The team held a meeting Wednesday afternoon to analyze the mistakes made against Romania. "The players are thinking a lot about how we can do better," said goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. "I am convinced we'll improve and play a good and perhaps even dramatic match against England." "It's not only a problem of defense, we have to play with more aggressiveness in midfield, with a lot more heart," Kahn said. "I didn't see this heart in everyone," he said. Ribbeck said he was not aware that players were questioning his lineup decisions. "It's good that they have their opinions and I'll consider all objective opinions but I haven't heard any wishes," Ribbeck said. Ribbeck conceded that the atmosphere within the team was not as smooth as being presented. "The more media there is, the more difficult it is to develop the team spirit," Ribbeck said. "The media brings out egoistic interests in players."
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
