The belief that Joachim Low placed on his young squad has been repaid with interest but even defender Per Mertesacker admitted surprise at quite how well Germany had done in South Africa 2010.

 

With a semi-final against Spain on the horizon and memories of the heavy defeats inflicted on England and Argentina still fresh, a number of players have come of age very quickly. “We are a very young side, but that has been our big secret” said Mertesacker, “Everyone is fighting for the team. We are all behaving like a team and we are all doing our jobs.”

Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng and Sami Khedira have all caught the eye. Boateng is looking forward to playing against the Spanish before his Premier League adventure. Ozil has also attracted attention after some sterling displays whilst Khedira has filled in for the injured Michael Ballack well. Muller will miss the match through suspension.