Thats sounds more like a compliment to me. Saying he should still be in the EPL

"You see, I wasn't sure, I had to ask," Ballack said. "He should be playing in a better league - a player of his big ability shouldn't have left the Premier League so early. He is a player who hasn't been consistent in his career. He can score two or three goals in a game, but in the next game there is nothing."

Ballack said. "He should be playing in a better league - a player of his big ability shouldn't have left the Premier League so early.

you can say that again

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i fucking hate him too

Ballack is the dirtiest player out there. Very physical, goes for revenge tackles. SERIAL DIVER. Complains to the ref at every opportunity. I fucking hate him.

I'm deeply embarrassed of cowardly Aussies who wish injuries on our opponents. Where is the glory in defeating a team with a limp?

I hope Ballack the disrespectful cunt is injured.

Michael Bollocks just the tonic for Kewell

* By Robbie Slater
* From: The Sunday Telegraph
* May 15, 2010

HARRY Kewell is mentally tough, and if he needed any motivation to fire at the World Cup then Germany's captain Michael Ballack has provided it.

It is always dangerous to criticise another player, especially one you are playing against, and I won't be surprised if Ballack's comments about Kewell come back to bite him and Germany in South Africa.

I don't think Ballack has followed Harry's career that closely, otherwise he would have known the injury nightmare he has gone through.

We know that Harry has not always fulfilled his true potential. The reasons are quite simple - the injuries.

What you can say about Harry is that he has huge mental toughness and will to succeed.

There are a lot (of players who have quit given the same nightmare Harry has faced.

He has never thrown in the towel. And, as long as I've known Harry, it has never been about money. The passion for playing football drives him and he wants to play at another World Cup.

While Ballack suggests Harry should never have moved out of England, I think he did the right thing going to Turkey.

Harry's body dictated that he left the English Premier League. It's faster, it's a bigger league, there are more games and it's tougher.

Ballack arrived at Chelsea in 2006 when Harry was still at Liverpool and the injury curse hit him.

Harry is still having his battle with injuries, but we know that if the Socceroos' medical staff can get him right for the opening game against Germany in Durban on June 13, he could turn on and force feed Ballack some humble pie.

Harry is obviously in a difficult situation and I think Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek will treat him with kid gloves.

We won't see him play against New Zealand in Melbourne next week and he may not even participate against Denmark or the US in other lead-up games because any setback now would be fatal.

Harry has to be 100 per cent the next time he takes the field. This is the dilemma facing the medical staff, Harry and the coach.

If he doesn't get any game time in those three matches, is it a gamble to play Harry from the start against Germany?

At the end of the day, it will come down to Harry. He knows his body and he'll know whether he's going to be ready or not.

Unlike the previous World Cup preparation, when Guus Hiddink put the players through a rigorous training program in Germany which nearly "killed" the players, Verbeek won't be able to do the same thing.

A lot of the players are older, there are a lot of injuries and players such as Mark Bresciano, Vince Grella and Kewell will have to be nursed along leading up to the first match.

Preparation and fitness will be massive to our success, as it was in Germany.

If you look at our crucial games in Germany, we got results against Japan and Croatia because of our fitness. We simply wore them down.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/michael-bollocks-just-the-tonic-for-kewell/story-e6freyar-1225867206580

German soccer star Michael Ballack doesn't rate Harry Kewell

* By Jessica Halloran
* From: The Sunday Telegraph
* May 15, 2010

GERMANY captain Michael Ballack did not know which club Socceroos star Harry Kewell played for and said the Australian will struggle at this year's World Cup.

Ballack, named in the World Cup All Star Teams in 2002 and 2006, said Kewell is inconsistent and does not handle expectation well.

"He has great ability, but he can go up and down as a player," Ballack said in an interview with Alpha magazine. "He has a wonderful left foot, but then when people expect more from him he can't really show it. Where is he playing now?"

When told Kewell was playing with Turkish club Galatasaray, Ballack said that the Australian left the English Premier League prematurely.

"You see, I wasn't sure, I had to ask," Ballack said. "He should be playing in a better league - a player of his big ability shouldn't have left the Premier League so early. He is a player who hasn't been consistent in his career. He can score two or three goals in a game, but in the next game there is nothing."

Ballack's international scoring record is excellent for a midfielder - 42 goals from 98 games - and Germany have not lost a game in which he has scored for five years.

In the revealing interview Ballack, who plays for Chelsea and is without doubt Germany's most important player, had no knowledge of Australia's coach Pim Verbeek.

"Nothing, I'm afraid," Ballack said.

However, the Chelsea star had a better assessment of the Australian side, which he said will "have nothing to lose" and would challenge Germany in the World Cup opener.

But Ballack said they expect to win their match against Australia. "That is normal, we expect to win every game," he said.

"It is important to start the tournament well. We know we are in a tough group, and we expect Australia to give us a very difficult game. They are a strong and physical side, just like they were at the World Cup in 2006.

"They impressed me then and were unlucky to go out to Italy. They have now qualified for this World Cup very well, too."

He did not see Australia as the weakest team in the group.

"No, I don't think that," Ballack said. "I really don't. We see Australia, Ghana and Serbia all on the same level. Remember we saw you play so well in our country four years ago, so the players assume Australia will be just as difficult as Serbia and Ghana.

"(Australia) played very well in qualifying, and have several good players.

"Trust me, we will not underestimate them. Maybe Australia are a little bit like Germany: a very good team, but don't have so many superstars, which makes Australia unreadable."

Ballack made it clear that Germany have one intention at the World Cup - and that is to be the last team standing in South Africa.

"If you play for Germany you can have only one expectation: to get to the final and win it," he said. "We have to win, nothing less, it is the German way.

"At the last World Cup we came third and at Euro 2008 we reached the final, so we have got close in recent years. This year in South Africa maybe we aren't one of the top favourites like in the past.

"We have been struggling a bit, losing some friendlies, and we have problems in our side but we can win the World Cup. History shows you always have to look out for the Germans."


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/german-soccer-star-michael-ballack-doesnt-rate-harry-kewell/story-fn4ke077-1225867203450