POGREBNYAK: I DIDN’T EXPECT THAT GERMANY IS SO STRONG

Stuttgart striker Pavel Pogrebnyak shares his impressions on the World Cup in South Africa.

"Frankly speaking I didn’t expect that Germany would smash Argentina", Pogrebnyak said to sport press. "I knew that Bundesteam is strong, but I didn’t imagine that they are so powerful".

"Their mindset is perfect and all players are perfectly prepared physically. Moreover they always fight until the very end in every episode. It’s also important that all players perform in Bundesleague, that means their football style is familiar to each of them. By the way German championship’s club coefficient was the highest one in Europe last season".

"It’s hard to say who will celebrate victory in Germany vs. Spain head-to-head battle. In general before the tournament I expected Spain to win the gold, but now I don’t know, because Germans are so strong. It will be breath-taking game, and maybe it will end in a draw and winner will be determined in a penalty shootout".

"I liked how Bastian Schweinsteiger played in South Africa, as he leads the whole team. This player and David Villa are the best at the tournament".

"Naturally I recall Russia’s qualifying match against Germany. It’s a pity that we failed to win a spot in World Cup in South Africa".

"I understand that we were beaten by very strong team, and I think Germany is even stronger now. Maybe we were beaten by the future world champions, and at the same time we showed good football against them".