German skipper Maxmilian Muller, in an exclusive chat with espnstar.com, shares the secrets behind the team’s run to the final.

By Rajarshi Gupta

The German hockey team is on the threshold of history and skipper Maxmilian Muller is undoubtedly excited.

The reigning Olympic champions now have a chance of becoming only the first team in history to win the World Cup three times in a row, a fact that is not lost on their skipper.

"Despite being the youngest team in the tournament, my boys performed exceptionally. This is a chance all of them were waiting for and with history knocking on our doors, we have to up the ante further.

We have faced and beaten Australia in the last two World Cup finals and we are not at all concerned about facing them again. They are not going to be third time lucky."

Youth has its boons and Muller knew better than anyone why. Florian Fuchs, the 18 year-old striker, has stolen the limelight in the World Cup with his abilities to score and create mayhem in the opposition flanks. The youngest player in the competition is clearly the captain's favourite.

"I have never seen a player under 20 perform so well against world class opponents. He was against some big names but not for a moment was he intimidated. I was amazed to see him play the way he did.

With a talent like him and others in the team, the future of German hockey is in ver good hands."

The defending champions, who were held to a draw by Korea in their opening game of the event, raised their game by several notches and finished the league stages without a single loss, the only team in the current edition to do so.

On Thursday night, the top team in the world was breathtakingly accurate in executing their tactics against England. A penalty corner converted late in the second-half was a hall-mark of Germany's eyes for details and synchronised team-work.

"We focus a lot on penalty corners, more than any other team in the world. It is important to realise that converting them can be the difference between winning and losing."

Germany are on a rampage and the Australians, despite their doggedness and agility, will find it tough to surmount their rivals in final on Saturday. Whichever way the title clash goes, it will be a battle worth its weight in gold.