Friedrich

Though Arne Friedrich made just four appearances for Germany during the qualification campaign for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, most German fans could not imagine a national squad without him.

The pacey centre-back captained his country last week as Joachim Low’s charges eased to a 3-0 friendly victory over Malta – due in part to the unavailability of regular captain Michael Ballack, but also as a result of the high regard in which Friedrich is held by his colleagues.

"Jogi [Low] knows how I play and what he can expect from me. I think he also knows he can rely on me," said the defender in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com. "I’ve been a regular in the squad for years now." Indeed, only the likes of Ballack (98 caps), Miroslav Klose (94), Bastian Schweinsteiger (73) and Lukas Podolski (71) boast more international caps than the 1.85m stopper (70).
Despite this, other names are often touted ahead of Friedrich in the defensive pecking order, though it is not something that appears to unduly bother the player. "It’s probably because I’m not so much of a public figure. That’s different internally, though," said Friedrich.

Turning to the summer
The Hertha Berlin captain had to endure the disappointment of relegation from the Bundesliga just a few weeks ago as the capital club finished bottom of the table. "There are several reasons for that – it’s a puzzle with many pieces. It would be pointless talking about that now. Unfortunately we couldn’t turn the ship around."

Friedrich is now focusing fully on the football highlight of the year, the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. "To win it would be a dream come true, but we’re not the favourites in South Africa," he said, before adding: "I’m concentrating solely on the national team and I want to win the World Cup if at all possible. Obviously I want to play as much as I can too." Friedrich also admitted to FIFA.com that his preferred position is in the centre as opposed to one of the flanks: "I think the coach sees me more as a central defender too."

source:FIFA