Mertesacker Warns Germany Against Losing Focus With Argentina
By Opeyemi Oladunjoye
Germany defender, Per Mertesacker has warned his teammates that even a small drop in standards on Sunday will mean defeat for Germany in the World Cup final.
Germany will be in Rio de Janeiro as favourites for a fourth title aftera breathtaking 7-1 victory over hosts Brazil in their semi-final on Tuesday.
Mertesacker however believes the slightest loss of focus could open the door to an Argentina side aiming to lift the trophy at the home of their neighbours and bitter rivals.
“We must play the same way that we did against Brazil, otherwise we have no chance,” said the Arsenal centre-half, who has not started since the second round game against Algeria.
“Our performance against Brazil was nearly 100 per cent. If you look at the stats, the passing, the goals we scored, everything was so fluent. But if we drop five per cent then we will have no chance.
“(Winning 7-1) is dangerous for us. We can’t lose our focus now because we scored seven goals. We must keep calm and be aware of the situation. Our main target is to win the final. We want to finish on a high. We want more history. We don’t want to just settle for this result before the final.”
