Germany ready

A trip to Sugarloaf Mountain? Or maybe the Christ the Redeemer Statue? Or Copacabana beach? Not interested, said Germany's Thomas Müller at Friday's final press conference before the main event at the Maracana. Sight-seeing hardly topped his agenda.

"For me there is only one reason to travel to Rio: that's where the World Cup trophy is," Müller said with his trademark grin. And whether he knew it or not, his answer summed up the mood in the German camp at the moment. Pretty relaxed, but focused on the task at hand.

The words "focus" and "concentration" keep on popping up here at the German team base in Santo Andre. It may be due to a directive from management not to get too cocky after the huge win against Brazil. In contrast to previous tournaments the team didn't even celebrate the win against the hosts. Team manager Oliver Bierhoff says "the players are very professional".

But the strategy may be directed at the public too. The team clearly don't want anyone to think that they aren't taking the final seriously.

Philipp Lahm on song

In the final press conference before the team sets off to Rio for the final, Philipp Lahm explained the thinking behind the approach.

"We are now just a step away from our goal, and we want it to happen now. We want to bring the trophy back to Germany again, at last," Lahm said.

The team's captain has played an important role in the Germans getting this far through the tournament. With the exception of his mistake against Ghana, the 30-year-old has been particularly strong in all games, irrespective of whether he has played in midfield or at right-back. Some 87 percent of his passes have been completed cleanly, that's among the best in the German team.

Behind the microphone Lahm didn't want to single out anyone for special praise, saying that the collective is the most important thing, "We have many players with lots of experience. They are key players in their big international clubs. We have top-level experience and that is certainly an advantage for this tournament."

Danger man: Messi

In fact, you could almost get the impression at the moment that the German team is purely focused on itself and its own strengths. Then someone mentions the name Lionel Messi at the press conference. Attacker Thomas Müller, who admits to only having had positive experiences against Messi, even has something to say on the matter: "You have to always follow him, to disrupt his play, even straight after he receives the ball."

But, Müller knows that watching Messi isn't just a job for one person. "If he gets past one player, the next person needs to be there. The person who has been beaten then has to get ready to tackle again too. Eventually, you will then win the ball."

In fact, there will be lots of defensive work to do, says Müller, who has been physically in top-form all tournament.

In response to DW's question as to why he is so convinced that Germany will get the title, team manager Bierhoff said it was the high quality of Germany's players, the team's organization and determination that would ensure the win.

"And it would be a real victory for everyone involved in football in Germany," says Bierhoff, arguing that the youth coaches of Philipp Lahm and Thomas Müller were just two examples of the many people that have formed and encouraged this current generation of players.

What if Argentina win?

But Bierhoff also must be aware that a loss in the final will mean this "golden generation" of players won't have achieved what they are capbable of. A close loss in the final on penalties and everything that Germany has been praised for over the last weeks will quickly be forgotten. There's no doubt: the expectation back in Germany is for nothing less than a win.

That is the harsh, yet simple reality, for this team which so dearly wants to win the title. And now has to.