Voller - unhappy at Beckenbauer comments (Allsport)

By Paul Walker, PA Sport, Seoul

Rudi Voller knows his Germany team must equal Franz Beckenbauer's World Cup achievements if he is to silence the Kaiser's constant criticism of the current squad.

The current Germany coach stands on the brink of winning the World Cup as a player and a manager - just like Beckenbauer did.

Success in this tournament would make Voller only the third man in history, after his compatriot and Brazilian Mario Zagalo, to win the tournament first as a player, then as a coach.

But Voller's team - who face host nation South Korea in Seoul in the first semi-final - have been slaughtered by Beckenbauer, who has branded them "lucky" to have even got this far.

Beckenbauer has angered the German team with constant sniping from back home.

After the narrow victory over the United States, Beckenbauer said: "Rudi must tell the players their honour is at stake. If my team had played as this one did against the United States in the quarter-finals, I'd have felt personally insulted."

Now Voller hopes to turn this attack to his advantage as he sends out a team nowhere near as good as the Germany of old, but on the brink of yet another major triumph for Teutonic teamwork and tenacity.

Voller, who is hoping that Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann recovers from a knee injury in time to play against the super-fit, hard-running Koreans, clearly believes Beckenbauer has gone over the top.

The 42-year-old former striking hero hit back, saying: "Whatever Franz has said, we will just have to get on with it. That's just the way it is.

"We do have our honour at stake. It is an honour to be in the semis of a World Cup and playing against the hosts."

He added: "We have to criticise ourselves as well and we know we need something extra now, that is something we have discussed amongst ourselves."

But Voller is clearly annoyed and upset with Bayern Munich president Beckenbauer's tirade just at a time when national unity is needed more than anything.

Voller said: "Obviously, sometimes the criticism is too harsh and exaggerated.

"We're used to that with Franz, but we don't all look at things so dramatically.

"The Bayern Munich players are particularly used to it."

Voller is trying to concern himself with the well-being of his team, and was encouraged by the fact that Hamann trained normally with the team at the World Cup Stadium in the Korean capital today and looks likely to play.

Voller, however, knows there has to be a big improvement on the performance in the victory over USA for the Germans to stand a chance of halting the Korean bandwagon.

Voller said: "We have a good chance to reach the final, but we will have to play much better if we really want to make it.

"My main criticism against the USA was that we didn't manage to go out and play with confidence. And we had every reason to be confident after the way we'd got through our group.

"It's no excuse to say that this is the biggest thing that can happen to a footballer, and we find ourselves in the semi-final against all expectations. We have to be better than that. We have to go out with more confidence."

Now Voller unashamedly admits he will use Germany's strengths - - their defensive strength, their height and ability at set-pieces - to destroy the Korean dream, and has no qualms about those sort of tactics.

He said: "As far as running and battling is concerned, you could not ask for any more, all of the players here are excellent at that.

"We have to remain compact in defence, and of course, we must play to our strengths - which do not always have to be looked at negatively.

"We have a very, very good goalkeeper in Oliver Kahn and we're deadly in the air from set-pieces. There's no shame in winning your games like that."

He added: "I hope people do view us as the outsiders, then all I need to say to the team is Portugal, Italy and Spain. I hope everybody gives Korea that respect."

Germany, who have won their last four World Cup semi-finals, have no injury worries other than Hamann, and Voller's only concern is how the youngsters in his team respond in the cauldron of noise that the Korean fans will produce.

Defender Christoph Metzelder is 21 and top scorer Miroslav Klose, 24 earlier this month, have only a handful of caps between them, but Voller says: "I have told them the semi-final is a big opportunity for them and that they should play to enjoy it, and they should enjoy the atmosphere and the occasion. They can handle it."

It won't be long before we know whether Voller and the rest of his team can handle it and whether the unlikeliest of recent German teams are on their way to their seventh World Cup final.