By sportswriter Pan Yi

    BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Juergen Klinsmann, the former world-class soccer striker but lack of coaching experience, will try his best to repeat the glory made by Franz Beckenbauer, who claimed the World Cup title for Germany as a player and a coach.

    Beckenbauer, now the president of the 2006 World Cup Germany organizing committee, had been the star playmaker in the 1974 German team who triumphed on home soil. He coached the 1990 side to the third title in Italy with Klinsmann as the key forward on the team.

    The relay baton came to Klinsmann's hand in the summer of 2004 when Rudi Voeller, Klinsmann's regular strike partner at the 1990 World Cup, quit as Germany boss following his side's first-round exit at EURO 2004.

    In the search for Voeller's successor, hot favorite Otto Rehhagel, a mysterious German coach who just led "minnows" Greece to fulfil the dream of being crowned at EURO 2004 in Portugal, ruled himself out of the running.

    Then Klinsmann's appointment unleashed a wave of euphoria among fans and players alike, his positive attitude and optimistic outlook outweighing his lack of coaching experience. Klinsmann had not directed any team at any level in the world before taking up the German national soccer team, the hosts of the 2006 World Cup in 2004.

    As a great player, Klinsmann also captained the German team to the 1996 UEFA European Championship in England. He scored a total of 47 goals in 108 international appearances while at club level, he pursued a glorious career in four of Europe's top leagues. He started out with Stuttgart and later played for Germany's most successful club Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Sampdoria in Italy, Monaco in France, and Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League.

    After hanging up his boots, Klinsmann moved to the United States and took up residence with his family in Los Angeles. He maintained his fitness by training with MLS outfit LA Galaxy, and later acted as a technical consultant at the club.

    His experience in America brought him some trouble as he has received criticism for 'commuting' from his home in California. When his side were crushed 4-1 by Italy in March this year, those voices grew louder. That rout meant Germany will go into the FIFA World Cup having not defeated one of the world's leading football nations in 17 attempts since 2000.

    But Klinsmann, 42, has his own convictions and will not allow these setbacks to affect his determination: to direct hosts Germany to lift World Cup on home soil again.

    Since taking office in 2004, Klinsmann has shaken up the infrastructure of the German team, changing it from its slow and predictable styl under Voeller to become more fast-paced and focuson attack.

    He brought in American fitness trainers and a psychologist, surrounded himself with trusted former teammates, and dismissed several long-term staff members.

    The new boss enjoyed a near-perfect start to his time in office, opening his reign with a 3-1 victory in Austria before earning a deserved 1-1 draw with Brazil in a repeat of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final.

    His team displayed spirit and desire at last year's Confederations Cup where it showed its quick-paced attacking style and battled to a commendable third place at the eight-nation tournament, beating Australia, Tunisia and Mexico along the way.

    Klinsmann picked up several young talents, such as Bayern midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and Cologne's striker Lukas Podolski, and ended months of debate by naming Arsenal's Jens Lehmann as his new No. 1 goalkeeper, leaving longtime starter Oliver Kahn on the bench.

    Naturally, the armband of the captain went from Kahn to the key playmaker in the midfield Michael Ballack, who is the most important driving force of the German tank. Ballack has scored dozens of winners for Germany and Bayern Munich and is in his prime at 29. He will bound for Chelsea after the World Cup.

    Obviously, Klinsmann is getting ready with his new team to pass the lofty test this summer. "If the team goes into the tournament highly focused and fit, we can achieve something. And we in the coaching staff have a very positive feeling," he said.

    "We want to use the home-field advantage and we want the team to really believe in itself," he noted. Enditem