I write this as the opening game of the 18th World Cup enters its final minutes, with Germany leading 4-2. I've had the good fortune to be sitting very close to German coach Jürgen Klinsmann, who has spent most of the game on his feet: gesturing, cajoling, applauding. His hair is thinner, but he looks as lean and athletic as ever.
Klinsmann is a new kind of German cosmopolitan. He is a polyglot and a resident of California, having lived previously in Italy, France and England, and as a coach he is committed to a direct, open, attacking game, more in the style of Arsène Wenger's Arsenal than the cautious and hugely efficient German teams of old.
There is something reckless about Klinsmann's Germany - and he has his critics at home. Indeed, Franz Beckenbauer has been at best muted in his support of Klinsmann and his tactics. But the hosts are exciting to watch. If they are to progress in this tournament, as they surely will, they will soon be confronted by teams far superior to plucky Costa Rica, teams who will be encouraged by Germany conceding two goals tonight.
But what a wonderful start, so different from the drab, low-scoring opening games of past tournaments.
One last thought: am I alone in thinking that a couple of the German players had an uncanny resemblance to our own Peter Crouch. Per Mertesacker, for instance?
Jason Cowley is the editor of Observer Sport Monthly
