I used to be a huge fan of Jürgen Klinsmann and today I remembered one of the many reasons why. (& a bonus rant: my favourite World Cup ads!)

Klinsmann was on a discussion panel after the England-Germany game Sunday on ESPN/ABC. This is not quite verbatim [brackets = paraphrased]; Jürgen's interestingly honest answers flashed by before I could accurately record them, and I do not remember the other panelists' names. I ran to the computer as soon as I could...

Same Old Question #1: Do you think Germany are¹ under more pressure after this win?

JK: [We are not thinking about pressure; that is not how we think about it.] We have just been worried [wondering?] whether the quality is there...[wondering whether the new young players have the quality. And now it is clear that they do.]

Whether the quality is there. That's such a German answer, in a good way! The questioner ignored it and plunged onwards.

Same Old Question #2: Is it a problem that the German captain isn't playing?

JK: [Well, actually multiple people have stepped up and helped with leadership...] Maybe they operate more freely, have more breathing room
because the alpha dog is not there. (Meanwhile he was using his hands to illustrate "breathing room in midfield" in an extremely sexy way.)

Klinsmann's English is far better than my Deutsch (einfach schrecklich), and despite my own preferences, the World Cup group round never fails to remind me of how beautiful men (of all nations) can be, in victory or defeat. JK's remarks reminded me of when "they" asked Freddie Fittler what he said to the Roosters³ at half time to make them turn the game around, and Fittler (player turned coach) said essentially, [I don't remember. I probably didn't say anything. They all knew what they had to do, and I don't think half time speeches by a coach have much effect at all.] 

I enjoy actually watching sports so much more than listening to people talk about sports², and these chats reduce the amount of time available for watching expensive advertising (the top ads are like miniature movies, and sometimes they cost just as much) during half-time, and for the record this year my favourite ads (not in order) are:

• The Allstate ads featuring Mexican national team goalkeeper Memo Ochoa, where visions of multiple catches float in the air (possibly still viewable here); they're so simple and beautiful that I have to work not to cry⁵ every time the voice-over says "protección es la jugada" 
• The Wieden+Kennedy spots for Nike, including the full length Write the Future and its related single-player-focus ones (although some of the players featured haven't been doing well, but it's not as bad as the Blade Runner curse, and the whole point of the spots is the high stakes so of course disappointment is part of that), the stunning "Orange is the color of insanity," and the AIDS outreach time-travel ones featuring the Didier Drogba Academy; I wish all these would stay up longer on YouTube
• The beer ad with the duelling card tricks (girl in hula skirt vs ice cold beer) during a penalty kick: flatteringly, it exaggerates the role that I as a fan have in supporting the players, and the timing is absolutely dead perfect; I'm sorry that I don't recall the brand (Budweiser?), but I'm not a beer drinker (and, Budweiser, if it is your commercial, my absolute favourite of yours is the one where the steer and the Clydesdale race along the fence together; I get weepy⁵ at the end of that one too)

Notes:

1. Using British English practice in which team names are plural, because I can.
2. The only thing I hate more than panel post-mortems are segments where a reporter corners someone who is panting and covered with sweat and asks, "How do you feel knowing that you've worked for seventeen years to get here and just 'lost' by coming in fourth fastest in the world?" Unless the questioner is a bona fide practioner of the same sport and manages to chat in a respectful manner I mute the sound or turn the tv off, regardless of how attractive the coming ads might be...
3. The Sydney Roosters play Aussie rugby league (NRL) football, just one of the four types or "codes" of football that can be enjoyed in Australia, which four include soccer but do not include the kind of football played in the USA, which Aussies call "gridiron".
4. I would much rather watch a good commercial than a bad movie.
5. Crying is not a bad thing. Even tough soccer players sometimes cry when they're sad and frustrated. Note to Sepp: swap the fourth official for well-managed video review and goal line detection chips in the balls!
6. And this is very likely my last sports rant until the Tour de France (go Slipstream Sports), unless the late rounds are ultra exciting. Since the tournament began I have been twittering #worldcup almost exclusively and I'll put any other insights over there :)