Ferdinand keen to prove Kaiser wrong

(GSM) – Rio Ferdinand believes England can quiet Franz Beckenbauer when they meet Germany in the second round of the World Cup on Sunday. Beckenbauer had said England were “stupid” for not winning Group C, accusing the English of playing “kick and rush” football.

But the England defender, who was ruled out of the World Cup, claims Beckenbauer failed to unsettle the English squad, claiming that he is happy that England will play Germany.

Ferdinand told The Sun: “I think those comments will come back to bite Beckenbauer. Perhaps he wasn’t expecting Germany and England to meet this early in the competition.”

“It has unsettled him and he has got a bit rattled, so he’s looking for ways to get under our skin.

“But he hasn’t. He has just made the lads more determined. The team that wins a World Cup doesn’t necessarily start great. It’s the way you finish that counts.”

“I know some of the lads think it would have been better to play Ghana and it would have been an easier route for us.

“But I prefer Germany, because you know what you’re getting with them. Ghana can be unpredictable. Germany are more straightforward.

“We start again at the knockout stage and facing Germany will spur us on. We are going to have to play well and have a bit of luck. Yet we see ourselves as a lot better team than one which goes out in the last 16.”