Michael Ballack should probably get accustomed to watching from the sidelines as Germany play internationally. He was injured before the World Cup, and his replacement in midfield, Bastian Schweinsteiger, has made this German side his.

Schweinsteiger, normally employed on the wing, has been one of the standout performers in central midfield in this World Cup. On Saturday, at Green Point Stadium here in Cape Town, he was the orchestrator in a German side that had all of us trying to recall when we had seen a better team performance.

When the Germans slipped four past Australia, we reckoned that the Aussies had brought an old team that had hit its peak at World Cup 2006.

When they shipped four past England, we figured the Three Lions were slow of thought and deed. We praised the Germans for their counter-attacking play, but we considered their opposition easy marks.

Now that they have comprehensively beaten Argentina, scoring four goals for the third time in five matches, they have our attention and our respect.

This is a fine German side that is poised to get better. Aside from 25-year-old Schweinsteiger, 24-year-old Lukas Podolski has plenty of international football in him, while 21-year-old Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller, 20, are graduates of the European Championship under-21 side. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is 24, defender Jerome Boateng is 21 – and on it goes.

Most impressive about the Germans is their unselfish commitment to team play. Every time they stride forward, multiple players make runs – they always seemed to have an extra player against Argentina. Two of the goals were tap-ins, the result of unselfish set-ups by players who could easily have tried a shot themselves.

Most exposed was Argentina's right flank where Diego Maradona's decision not to select a specialist right back was capitalised upon by Germany.

Javier Zanetti, one of the world's top right backs for a decade, was missed, as was his Champions League-winning team-mate from Inter Milan, the defensive midfielder Esteban Cambiasso.

Germany are similarly team-oriented when they don't have the ball–- everyone works hard to get it back, even the attacking players like Schweinsteiger.

Most importantly, they picked up Lionel Messi early, and shepherded him sideways and backwards, rarely letting him turn to face the German goal with the ball at his feet. Messi, although he did not score at the World Cup, had played well in earlier matches – but was a non-factor on Saturday.

The Germans' defensive approach was in direct contrast to the Argentinians, who let German players glide past them – and instead of tracking back, seemed to assume that it was someone else's job to get a tackle in.

Of course, the result pleased Brazilian fans, who taunted Argentinian supporters as they left Green Point Stadium. The Argentinians had enjoyed the upper hand earlier in the day, one of them holding up a sign 'Flights to Brazil – Sold Out', obviously enjoying Brazil's exit at the hands of The Netherlands.

So now it's Holland versus Uruguay here in Cape Town today – that's the match we have tickets to – and Germany v. Spain tomorrow in Durban, with the winners squaring off in Soweto next Sunday.

I picked Spain to win the tournament before it started, and still think they play the football that is most pleasing to the eye, so I am hoping they can end the Germans' run tomorrow.

Regardless of the result, though, I am enjoying the opportunity to see a very fine German team emerge at this tournament. Though it may limit his opportunities going forward, I am sure Michael Ballack would agree.