Lahm to lead Germans at World Cup

Philipp Lahm has been confirmed as Germany's new captain, although he will not be leading the team for Saturday's friendly international against Hungary.

The Bayern Munich full-back will wear the captain's armband in South Africa due to the injury-enforced withdrawal of Michael Ballack while Bastian Schweinsteiger has been named as vice-captain.

"I think both players have an important role and will take on lots of responsibility," said Germany coach Joachim Low.

"Both have played a really good season with Bayern Munich and, in the past few years with the national team, they have played a very important role.

"Their performances with Bayern this season have confirmed that they are capable of taking on responsibility."

Although Lahm will wear the captain's armband, Low expects Schweinsteiger to be more at the centre of the action, purely due to his position on the field.

He therefore is a more natural successor to Ballack.

"Schweinsteiger should take the role of Michael Ballack," he said.

"He has a similar way of playing and can take Ballack's role. He is an emotional leader, a motor for our team and always pushes the team from midfield."

Miroslav Klose, the man with the most caps in Low's squad, missed out on the captaincy due to the fact he has not played many games this season for Bayern.

However, that does not mean Low has any doubts about him hitting top form by the time Germany kick-off their World Cup campaign against Australia on June 13.

"Of course Klose was also a justifiable candidate for this position," explained Low. "He has not had an easy season and not always played, but he remains a very, very important player for us.

"He is a role model for many of our young players, who go to him in the dressing room or outside for advice.

"He is important, even if he is not captain, not only for the goals he scored in qualifying, but for everything he has done for us in the past.

"In training and in the two games we have (before the World Cup), we want to get him back into the form we know of him."

Klose will lead the team in Budapest on Saturday as Low intends to leave Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Thomas Muller and Hans-Jorg Butt behind.

"They have played a lot of games this season and we decided that it is better for them to use these next three days to follow an individual training plan to get them up to speed with the rest of the squad by Monday," explained Low.

Butt has also been suffering from a stomach bug in the last few days while he was today confirmed as the national team's third-choice goalkeeper.

Goalkeeper coach Andreas Kopke confirmed that Schalke's Manuel Neuer will be the new number one, ahead of Werder Bremen's Tim Wiese. Butt is third in the pecking order, but that does not mean he can just sit back and relax in South Africa.

"Manuel Neuer will be our number one, which means he will also be in goal against Hungary tomorrow," said Kopke.

"It was a very tight decision because the two other goalkeepers have played a great season."

Tomorrow's match is Low's last chance to see his team in action before he must submit the 23 names which will form his final squad selection.

That means two members of his current 25-man squad will not be boarding the plane to South Africa on June 6 and Low knows it is going to be a "brutal" decision, both for him and the players, although he is no closer to deciding who he will have to let down.

"I don't have two names in my head yet," he said.

"Everybody is making a very good impression and giving everything that they have got.

"I am waiting for the Hungary game, which will give us some important indications, and will make this decision as late as possible because you can never tell what might happen with further injuries."

Germany have already been deprived of Ballack, Rene Adler, Simon Rolfes and Christian Trasch due to injury, which is why Low will leave it until midday on Tuesday before handing FIFA his final choice of players.

After trimming his squad, Low will have one final dress rehearsal before leaving for South Africa as Germany host Bosnia-Herzegovina in Frankfurt next Thursday, although he is not even sure whether the players who start that game will be the same one who will face Australia.

"Sometimes, you only find your perfect team after one or two matches of a tournament," he said.

"Maybe a player does well in training or I notice something that needs improving in the first or second match and we make the necessary changes.

"At the end of the day, all of the players in my squad have got to be able to adequately replace anybody and we are working towards that."