Germany 'perfect team'

Franz Beckenbauer has described Germany as the "perfect team" and said they will be favourites to defeat Spain in tomorrow's World Cup semi-final.

"This team, it's the masterpiece of Joachim Loew. He has placed his mark on its make-up and created a perfect team," Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner as a player and a coach, told the German Football Federation's official website.

"I have rarely seen such mastery of the game from a German team. Perhaps only in the 1970s and the World Cup winning team of 1990."

Beckenbauer was speaking the day after Germany had routed Argentina 4-0 in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the third time in South Africa that the team had hit four goals in one game.

"In the past, we would say that you had to leave the beautiful game in the dressing room, but this team shows that it is not a contradiction and that you can play well and win."

Beckenbauer believes his compatriots will be favourites to defeat European champions Spain and reach the World Cup final when they meet tomorrow.

"Germany have an advantage over Spain, who haven't yet shown the form they did when winning the Euro 2008 title," he said.

"They haven't yet looked very convincing and struggled to snatch victory in the quarter-finals against Paraguay."

Del Bosque praise

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has also saluted what he saw as a sea-change in Germany's style of play.

Del Bosque said he did not believe the Germans would be treating the meeting in Durban as a revenge mission for their Euro 2008 final loss to the Spanish as his opponents had clearly moved on.

"I don't think you can talk about revenge between two great teams. Both will be going all out to get to a World Cup final," said Del Bosque.

"They recently set out to change a (style of) football which appeared to be worn out and tired. They have managed to refresh the team since the Euros and the proof of that is in their showings here.

"They have got a great group together."