Der Kaiser on England: "Tired"

JOHANNESBURG

On a quiet day here at Casa Canada - a Hoser Heaven oasis at the World Cup - I'll leave it to Franz Beckenbauer in today's Bild (English version here) to stoke the fire ahead of Sunday's epic England-Germany renewal, a matchup created by England "stupidly" finishing second in their group, he says: 

The Englishmen looked tired. There’s a reason for it: Premier League stars play far more games than their Bundesliga counterparts, including two national cup competitions. Hence they’re often burned out at World Cups or European Championships.
That’s the impression I had after watching England's first two appearances in South Africa (1-1 against USA, 0-0 against Algeria).
Our players, on the other hand, are in better physical condition.

To me, watching in the Soccer City press centre ahead of Ghana-Germany, England looked better against Slovenia, but they really could have been more clinical - Beckenbauer is right, Rooney looks way out of sorts - and they will need to go much better Sunday against a German side that will get Miroslav Klose back. Klose's replacement last night, the Brazilian-born Cacau, didn't look particularly effective against Ghana. I can see Klose, Ozil, Mueller and the like terrorizing the English defence, but Germany's youth makes them unpredictable and their backline isn't exactly airtight. And then there's that secret weapon unveiled by Capello: Free beer.

With Calamity Kelly headed out early for Italy-Slovakia at Ellis Park, spent the morning hanging around Casa Canada with Zurich, the house grasshopper. Good company. Doesn't say much, very laid-back and easygoing, but watch out. He's got bigger hops than Jamario Moon.