Soccer: Louw's men feeling the pressure

There is tension in the German camp, as was highlighted when Lukas Podolski responded aggressively to a critical off-camera comment by a television reporter after last month's home defeat to Argentina, inviting him to "bring it on".

Germany qualified impressively but the concerns highlighted by England's victory in Berlin last season were evident even before last week.

Negotiations over Joachim Louw's contract renewal broke down before the match. It now seems the coach's future will be decided after South Africa - hardly a vote of confidence.

Against Argentina, Germany were largely outplayed and rarely threatened.

The main selection issue is in goal. Before the match Rene Adler was told by goalkeeping coach Andreas Kopke that the jersey was "his to lose"; he did his best to do just that, being embarrassed by Gonzalo Higuain's goal and making other errors.

In attack, concerns remain over the lack of credible alternatives to Miroslav Klose and Podolski. Other issues are the capacity of young star Mesut Ozil to step up in time for the summer - the 21-year-old Werder Bremen midfielder has scored only seven league goals this season - and the form of Michael Ballack, whose role Louw had to defend last week.

Nevertheless, such is Germany's tournament pedigree it would be unwise to write them off.