The sense of assurance that German football has worn like an overcoat for three decades was nowhere to be seen here last night.
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Voeller: On a knife-edge
(RossKinnaird/Allsport) |
When the most notoriously earnest member of the Germany squad tries to crack a joke to relieve the tension, the coach admits he is living on a knife-edge and the Press looks to bury a 'lucky' coin in the pitch, the damage England wrought in Munich two months ago is laid bare.
Rudi Voeller will be held responsible for a national disgrace if his side do not convert their 1-1 draw in Ukraine on Saturday into a place in Korea and Japan at the Westfalenstadion tonight.
Tense and edgy, he said: 'It's only human to feel the pressure. I can't do anything about the situation. I expect my players to give their game of the year. They have to. We must play without fear, without anxiety. It is about our character.'
The German camp yesterday was the microcosm of a nation on the verge of a collective nervous breakdown.
The most popular tabloid resorted to burying a 'lucky pfennig' in one of the penalty boxes. And when asked about the feelings in the team hotel, sweeper Jens Nowotny, who rarely breaks into a smile, said: 'If you didn't read the papers or turn on the TV, you'd think you were on holiday. But I wouldn't come to Dortmund for my holidays!'
The laughter that followed was forced and part of the tension.
High up in the Westfalenstadion a sign is constantly counting down the days to the beginning of the 2006 World Cup. It may equally be counting down the minutes to the end of Voeller.
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