The 2006 World Cup finals are slowly but surely developing into the Miroslav Klose show. Having finished the group stage as best scorer with four goals, the Werder striker went on to the second round with a display that has the whole world talking about Miro. The 28 year old front man not only made both German goals against Sweden but was also declared 'Man of the Match' by the football federation: "Klose put on a glowing performance and created both goals", said Rodrigo Kenton, a member of the FIFA technical study group (TSG). "He harmonised with his strike partner Podolski in optimal fashion and was very successful with his atacking efforts. He was the decisive offensive link in the German side."
Werder trainer Thomas Schaaf watched on television and had to agree with the words of the experts: "He hasn't just proven that he can score goals but also showed his qualities in assisting the other strikers. His action before the second goal was sensational. He was just tirelessly involved for the team", explained the Werder coach who was not totally surprised by the Klose-Gala. "No quite the opposite, I'm really happy about every goal and every successful action. You've just got to see the quality of the players he has to face. The World Cup is an event that players work long and hard towards. I don't begrudge him anything." Thomas Schaaf also commented: "I also am keeping my fingers crossed that noone gets injured - I just hope Miro dosen't over-do it."
The praise on Saturday evening seemed to have no end. Aside from just Thomas Schaaf other football experts also were impressed by the German performance. Coach Jürgen Klinsmann also knows that he has the Werder man to thank for the two goals for his team. " Miro has been pushing Poldi along for weeks now. He helps him out in training and during the games he's been stunning. Miroslav plays a vital roll in helping his young colleague loosen up - it's normal that a 21 year old has those problems. Miro has become a true leader over the last two years."
The Werder man himself was happy about the acknowledgement. He commented on his recent development: "You can't compare me with the Klose from two years ago. I was then going from one injury to the next and I need to be fit to play my game - that's 100% at the moment." On the game he said: "I don't know why we always score such early goals. The crowd give us a push from the opening minute which really motivates us. It's unbelieveable whats happening in Germany at the moment, taht gives us a lift. It was important to me to give our all and lead through Lukas Podolski. You could see tonight how important he is to the team when he's fit and confident. After his goal in Berlin I knew that the tournament had started for him. " The striker saw a great deal of 'Teamgeist' within the side: "Everyone performed strongly and it's clear to me that I alone cannot win the tournament."