体坛英语新闻：Get off the red carpet

BERLIN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Not many expect a tough run out for Germany when they face Gibraltar in its European Group D qualifier this Friday evening.

The game is the lopsided uneven duel between the 2014 World Cup winners against policemen, firefighters, harbor workers, customs officers and accountants. Putting it simply, Gibraltar's football team is not the biggest worry on Joachim Loew's mind. Germany's 53-year-old head coach and his team have fight against memories of the past summer.

Loew, Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos (both Real Madrid), Jerome Boateng, Mario Goetze, Manuel Neuer (all Bayern Munich) and Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund) have to attempt to forget the most important summer of their lifetimes.

"We have to get the Brazil tournament out of our heads," Boateng said.

"We might be world's number one but we have to be ready to start from rock bottom," added Khedira.

Having the thought in your mind is one thing, the more difficult thing is to live with it as everything you do is seen in comparison to winning the 2014 World Cup. Fans expect a final-like festival in every of Germany's games.

The challenge - to get off the red carpet and back to the daily grind - could not be more ambitious. Last week, Loew and his players must have felt like Hollywood stars as they witnessed the movie "The Team" showing the glorious moments of their World Cup campaign.

The film will undoubtedly soon be a hit in the nation's cinemas. A few days ahead of the movie's start, the team was awarded Germany's highest sports award the "silver laurel leaf" by German President Joachim Gauck in the capital, Berlin. On top: A new survey says Germany is the most popular country on the planet - which is seen in close connection to the successful 2014 World Cup.

One man who knows exactly how hard post-World Cup life can be is Spain's coach Vicente Del Bosque. His advice is clear, "Joachim Low and Germany have to forget the World Cup. Your victories in the past don't help you to win the next game," 63-year-old Del Bosque said after the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship winner were eliminated in as early as their 2014 World Cup group phase.

"You have to see things from a rational point of view and forget about your emotions."

Meaning pragmatism beats romantic feelings. It might help that Loew and Germany are going through a period that does not offer many highlights. Neither the game against Gibraltar nor the following friendly against Spain does as the encounter is more about prestige.

"We have to take it as it is. It's not going to be any different in the first months of 2015," Oliver Bierhoff, Germany's team manager said.

Georgia, Gibraltar again, followed by friendlies against Australia and the United States don't sound like matches the world will be watching closely.

For Loew the status quo means doing some work in the background. He has to get his team in a frame of mind capable of focusing on the new goal which is nothing less than winning the next major tournament, 2016 Euro in France. On top of everything, Loew has to put together a new team which is not an easy task when considering the challenges in probably the strongest football continent and the need to dampen the emotions after the 2014 World Cup.

"We know what we have to do, but we are looking forward to the winter," said Loew after the so far not convincing qualification games on the road to France. Germany finds itself only in fourth place in Group D (four points) and well behind the leaders Poland and Ireland (seven points).

Until then Loew has to use the time left to look at new candidates for his defense, especially Cologne defender Jonas Hector (24) and at players like Lukas Podolski and Leverkusen's Karim Bellarabi, who was nominated by Loew after the World Cup. Podolski has to convince Loew that he is worth his place in the squad as the 29-year-old has not been in the best shape recently and has been talking about leaving Arsenal to get more playing time.

Gibraltar might not be most important game for Germany, but it is an important one for Podolski as Andre Hahn (24) and Patrick Herrmann (23/both Borussia Moenchengladbach) are breathing down his neck.

As fans in Germany only talk about how easily their team will beat Gibraltar (which has not managed to score in three qualification games) Loew and Bierhoff hope for a satisfying finish of the, in general, overwhelming year 2014.

Things look good for a happy end for Germany this year, but first of all they have to forget about their greatest moments last summer in Brazil.