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Matthaeus to stay put
Germany libero Thon gracefully accepts replacement
Posted: Thursday July 02, 1998 07:24 PM
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Thon (above) will be replace for the rest of the World Cup by veteran Lothar Matthaeus (AP) |
NICE, France (Reuters)
-- Olaf Thon, who started the World Cup as Germany's
first-choice libero, admitted on Thursday he had no chance of dislodging
veteran Lothar Matthaeus from the position for the rest of the
tournament.
"I said I was disappointed. ... I have told [Germany coach] Berti
Vogts that I will be trying to get into the team in another position," said
Thon. "He has made his decision and he is not going to change his mind. I
am now going to concentrate on midfield."
Vogts brought the 37-year-old Matthaeus into the team after the
Germans struggled in their second group match against Yugoslavia.
The veteran helped them battle back from 2-0 down to snatch a 2-2 draw.
At first Matthaeus went into midfield. Then Thon was substituted in
the last group match against Iran and finally
dropped for last Monday's second-round clash with Mexico,
Matthaeus replacing him at libero.
The veteran is now set to continue his record-breaking World Cup run
when the Germans meet Croatia in the
quarterfinals in Lyon on Saturday.
"I was in the team and I think I put in average performances in the
first three games. But it was not enough to be in the team for the second
round," Thon, 32, said at the Germans' training camp on the Cote
d'Azur.
Ever since Franz Beckenbauer created the libero position in the 1960s
and 1970s, the role in the national team has been one of the most
prestigious jobs in German football.
Matthaeus' international career looked over when he ruptured an
Achilles tendon in 1995 and Matthias Sammer made the position his own
during the country's successful European championship campaign in 1996.
But after a serious injury to Sammer, 1990 World Cup-winning captain
Matthaeus was called up at the last minute just before the finals to
provide cover in the German squad.
After criticizing his players for forgetting against the Yugoslavs
they were at a World Cup, Vogts clearly believes Matthaeus has an
inspirational influence on and off the pitch.
Thon is keen not to let any controversy about selection upset the
German campaign. He was remarkably composed at a news conference on
Thursday despite being on the wrong end of one of Vogts' more ruthless
selection decisions.
"What we need at the moment is calm in the camp," he said. "Lothar
Matthaeus conducted himself very well when he was not in the team [at the
start of the World Cup]."
Matthaeus is set to play a record 25th World Cup match against
Croatia, four more than any other player in history. He will extend his
German record of caps to 129.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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