As things are currently looking, he will be a first choice player in the German national team for at least the next ten years. German coach Joachim Löw was full of praise for central defender Per Mertesacker on Tuesday afternoon: “He was one of the best central defenders at the World Cup in 2006 and he has consistently held that form over the past two years. On top of that, he has made a monumental development,” remarked Löw, who continued to heap praise on the lofty defender: “I can still remember all those people who called for him not to be nominated for the World Cup squad. He has been playing at such a high level since then and that it is truly remarkable. He has fabulous tactical qualities and has also developed as a character. He makes his opinion very clear and it is always accepted by the other players and trainers. He is consequent and concentrated in training – an absolute professional.”

In the opinion of the national team coach, the only people who are not happy to see Per are his opponents: “When our opposition put the pressure on, then he is so often the one to sort things out for us with his aerial ability and excellent tackling ability.”

Now Per Mertesacker has returned the praise of the training staff. Following the game against Poland, he saw the good physical condition of the team as being the fruits of good preparation: “It was clear to see in the game against Poland just how well and hard we had worked in the training camp. We didn’t put any value on the friendly games and that was also clear to see. On Sunday, when the time came to prove our worth, we were in the sort of condition that we had aspired to.”

The other Werder players who made the starting eleven against Poland are also highly rated within the German set-up, as ‘Merte’ commented: “You could see three Werder players in the starting eleven for the first game. In the closing phase of the Bundesliga we gave our all and we have been able to continue that here on the international stage. Here we can gather self confidence for the lofty tasks we have with Werder Bremen. After all, we want to do well in the Champions League too. The three of us are important for Werder and we want to show that here.”