World Cup 2010: Klose: We Had England Beaten After Six Minutes

Related Stories   Mirrorfootball :    Miroslav Klose has blasted England for not being a “true team”. The veteran striker says Germany knew Fabio Capello’s men were there for the beating after just seven minutes of their clash on Sunday. And Klose says England look great on a team sheet, but never live up to their reputations when the pressure is on for their nation. He said: “Look at players in that England team, they’re world class, that’s the long and short of it. “But the key thing is presenting yourself as a team and I don’t think that was the case with England. “We thought that the famous 40 years of hurt could come into play here. That England could have been the team that at last ended that wait. “Yet we realised after 6 or 7 mins that they’re not really up to it and we can beat them.” Klose has 50 goals in 99 caps - his World Cup finals total is 12, the same as Pele - and he’ll lead the line against Argentina at the weekend. But he feels it is Germany’s ability to play as a team - sadly lacking in England’s case - which sees them still in the tournament while England head home. Klose added: “Germany keep pulling through because of a certain quality we know we have. You see it every day in training. “It’s crucial to present yourself as a true team. This is what helped take the wind out of England’s sails. We played as a team and they didn’t seem to. “Look at the names, one against one, and you have to consider Arg as the strongest side for the weekend. That’s true against England too. On paper they were more renowned, more famous but that didn’t translate to their performance on the pitch. “We’re just a compact unit. It’s proved we’re a tournament team, one which gels as the tournament goes on. “I don’t know whether my experience adds anything to this England debate. But they have fantastic payers. At the beginning and in the dressing room, we asked ourselves: ‘Is this England team better than their Preemier league teams?’ Simple answer, yes.” But Klose has backed English calls for video technology to be introduced to determine whether the ball has crossed the line. Klose said: “If technical solutions are there, they should be used. TV evidence is another thing altogether, but a chip inside the ball or a goal-line light beam barrier would make sense. It’s visible in tennis and other sports so why not football.”