BERLIN, June 27, 2006 - Germany have launched into their World Cup campaign on the basis of flooring opponents by putting them under pressure and scoring early goals. Nerves thus calmed, and with the home crowd all the more raucous by having something to cheer about from the opening stages, Jurgen Klinsmann's side have steadily progressed, dumping out Sweden to book a quarter-final match with Argentina. The hosts have proved to be the real early birds of the event. In three of their four matches to date, they have scored an opening goal within the first six minutes - only Poland made them hang around before Oliver Neuville bagged a decisive injury-time strike. But the Germans' early blitz may have been rumbled as the Argentines say they will adopt the same strategy at Berlin's Olympic Stadium in an attempt to douse the massed ranks of home supporters' enthusiasm. "We will look to get stuck into them from the outset," insisted midfielder Maxi Rodriguez, author of the brilliant goal which sank Mexico in the last round. "Germany won't allow us to settle down or give us a moment's freedom - they are going to come at us in the opening quarter of an hour just as they did against Sweden," forecast Rodriguez, whose effort unlocked the door late on against the Mexicans, coming eight minutes into extra-time. "That means Argentina will look to knock them down right from the start," he asserted. The team that can settle quickest is likely to have the best chance of making the last four after a duel between two teams who met in the 1986 final - which Argentina won - and the 1990 trophy match - which saw Germany triumph. Both sides have been through the usual mantra of respect - but not fear. "We respect them, but we have no fear," said Rodriguez. "We are looking good and we feel we can beat anybody." German coach Jurgen Klinsmann has said exactly the same, since the final whistle sounded against the Swedes, who were mown down by Lukas Podolski's brace inside the opening 13 minutes. Rodriguez says home advantage can be a double-edged sword. "The pressure is very much on them as they are at home and a top candidate to win the title along with Brazil. "But we think we can beat them - we know the German way of doing things, I think Argentina will find it easier against them than against Mexico as they (the Germans) have a very defined system. "Whatever happens it will be a very intense match." German defender Phillip Lahm says the hosts cannot wait for Friday to arrive. "Everyone is fired up and we will get on with it straight away," said the Bayern Munich star. "The early goal is part of our game plan." In the opening 4-2 win over Costa Rica, it was Lahm who scored a fantastic goal in the sixth minute to put the hosts in command as he scored the opening goal of the tournament. "We want to get the fans on our side immediately so we start at a furious pace," explained goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. "Apart from the Poland game we have managed to do that every time." Defender Christoph Metzelder said the home support pumped up the players. "I think we have used the atmosphere to pump us up and we start very fast," Metzelder explained. "Emotions are running high and we use them." For the first time in the country's history a sports psychologist, Hans-Dieter Hermann, has been employed to prepare the Germans mentally. "Every player needs a strategy to help him prepare," said Hermann.
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