German National Football Team Thread (Nationalmannschaft)

[cgf]

What I want to see:

Reus-Ozil-Muller
Kroos-Schweini
Lahm
Bender-Hummels-Boateng-Grosskreutz

With Lahm moving to RB and Gotze or Khedira joining the midfield trio as the other option, although Lahm is the only guy we have really built for the lone-holder role, so that change would mean moving to a double pivot and lone-10 behind Mesut.

[cgf]

Thank you kind sir.
I absolutely do not want Italy to meet Germany again this summer. My Italian eyes see both teams evenly matched, and although things have gone our way lately, the trend just seems unlikely to continue.

...that's what I've been thinking since I was born...

[magik9113]

Thank you kind sir.
I absolutely do not want Italy to meet Germany again this summer. My Italian eyes see both teams evenly matched, and although things have gone our way lately, the trend just seems unlikely to continue.

...that's what I've been thinking since I was born...

that's the best thing i've heard/read all week.

in '06 and '12 I felt very confident for Italy. Not so much now

[DD12]

Italy is always Italy buddy.

History will repeat itself. I am dying to play against Germany again.

[cgf]

It is impressive just how embarrassed by your own NT you are that you have to connect yourself so strongly to a foreign team just because they've been successful against the team you're so jealous of.

[Det the Threat]

Thank you kind sir.
I absolutely do not want Italy to meet Germany again this summer. My Italian eyes see both teams evenly matched, and although things have gone our way lately, the trend just seems unlikely to continue.

Honestly, we don't beat Italy, that's just it.

It's like Argentina trying to beat Germany or England shooting penalties, it's just not going to happen.

What I want to see:

Reus-Ozil-Muller
Kroos-Schweini
Lahm
Bender-Hummels-Boateng-Grosskreutz

With Lahm moving to RB and Gotze or Khedira joining the midfield trio as the other option, although Lahm is the only guy we have really built for the lone-holder role, so that change would mean moving to a double pivot and lone-10 behind Mesut.

I'm not a big fan of Großkreuz at RB, Bender at LB and rather keep Lahm at RB or even LB.

I wouldn't mind Lars Bender at RB, if Lahm's playing in centre midfield, but I'd rather play Sven Bender at the holding midfielder spot(Schweinsteiger can't play the lone defensive midfielder) and move Lahm back to the RB spot, because that would help our wings defensively.
Heck, I'd even think about letting Lars stay at RB and move Lahm to LB, given that both Schmelzer and Jansen aren't all that good.

Also, if we do play those three up front I'd rather have Reus(like he played at Gladbach) or Müller in the middle. Though, they'll certainly rotate positions anyway.

BTW: Our central midfield is a tough thing to decide on. Kroos is playing very well, but you can't play him and Schweinsteiger together at the centre midfield spots, as Schweini just can't play the holding midfielder position very well and better teams would eat them alive. He also can't play on the wings and it would be tough to play him over Özil, if Mesut isn't totally out of form.

[cgf]

Sven doesn't have the ball skills to start for us too many teams will park the bus against us and counter, that's why it has to be Lahm if we go with a lone holder. He's the only one with the skills, mobility, and defensive prowess to anchor that position while keeping the possession game smooth so we can actually take those buses apart. Plus with Lahm behind them we've seen how Schweini and Kroos can really do great things as they have with Bayern.

If Khedira were healthy I'd use a double pivot with him and Schweini just behind Kroos with Lahm at one FB spot and GK/Lars/Jantschke at the other, but since I don't expect him to have shaken off the rust and got back into form by then we're sort of forced into lahm at the 6. It really does suck cause my actual dream midfield for us would be a Sami-Ilkay double pivot behind Kroos and that front 3.

I think not playing Mesut in the middle would be a mistake, he's at his best when he can go up very high and drag CBs wide with him, creating space for others to rush in, and getting himself into positions to receive the ball in wider positions between the lines, and quickly play the lethal pass. With a Reus-Ozil-Mueller attacking trio one of the wingers would be rushing into the middle almost constantly, making it more of a -1-2 type trident with Reus and Mueller playing as wide forwards and Mesut having a completely free role that averages out a little behind them, although he starts the furthest forward.

Goetze can then be our ultimate joker, coming in for any of the front 5 spots.

It's actually very similar to the 4-3-1-2 that we've seen from clubs like Mainz, Freiburg and Frankfurt that they've used excellently to press even top teams that outclass them.

[Hijinks]

Jogi Löw just announced his 30 man roster, from which he has to eliminate 7 guys before the world cup starts:

Manuel Neuer (Bayern München), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96)

Jérôme Boateng (Bayern München), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Großkreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Höwedes (Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcell Jansen (Hamburger SV), Philipp Lahm (Bayern München), Per Mertesacker (FC Arsenal), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria Genua), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund)

Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Schalke 04), Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg), Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04), Mario Götze (Bayern München), André Hahn (FC Augsburg), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern München), Max Meyer (Schalke 04), Thomas Müller (Bayern München), Mesut Özil (FC Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (FC Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), André Schürrle (FC Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern München)

Miroslav Klose (Lazio Rom), Kevin Volland (1899 Hoffenheim)

any thoughts? questionable to me are guys like jansen, mustafi, goretzka, hahn, meyer and podolski. who will be no. 7, i have no idea. jansen should be nowhere near this team though.

[Point forward]

^^No big surprises. My first thought was "tough break for Gomez and Adler, but kind of expected", and Durm has to be the happiest man alive atm. He is green as hell, but has shown great flashes and plays the one position where we suck (LB). As Schmelzer's backup, I would feel better with Durm than with Boateng, Jansen or Westermann

[Hijinks]

^^No big surprises. My first thought was "tough break for Gomez and Adler, but kind of expected", and Durm has to be the happiest man alive atm. He is green as hell, but has shown great flashes and plays the one position where we suck (LB). As Schmelzer's backup, I would feel better with Durm than with Boateng, Jansen or Westermann

No doubt about that. In a perfect world we just would've two philip lahms. one for the RB and one for the LB...

[Det the Threat]

any thoughts? questionable to me are guys like jansen, mustafi, goretzka, hahn, meyer and podolski. who will be no. 7, i have no idea. jansen should be nowhere near this team though.

Zieler ahead of Leno or ter Stegen's a joke but he's the #3 so that doesn't matter.
I guess his first name alone brings a lot of laughs and therefore helps the team spirit but if he's got a real future ahead of Leno or ter Stegen then we've got a problem.

Kruse had some bad luck and lost his spot to Volland, but that's a wash.

Also, I do hope that ter Stegen's not playing against Poland(he's been nominated) as this is just another experiment by Löw with the goalies having no chance to succeed given that we're playing a glorified under 21 squad against a motivated polish side.

[Foye]

Rüdiger, Sorg and Günter nominated for the game against Poland? Not sure if German or Swabian NT.

[Andi Obst]

Zieler ahead of Leno or ter Stegen's a joke but he's the #3 so that doesn't matter.

Oh, I think it does. Being on a WC roster, no matter in which role, is a pretty big deal for every player and especially for a young guy. Zieler over Ter Stegen is a freaking joke.

Rüdiger, Sorg and Günter nominated for the game against Poland? Not sure if German or Swabian NT.

Rüdiger? Come on, Löw's Stuttgart love is ridiculous

[Andi Obst]

^^No big surprises. My first thought was "tough break for Gomez and Adler, but kind of expected", and Durm has to be the happiest man alive atm. He is green as hell, but has shown great flashes and plays the one position where we suck (LB). As Schmelzer's backup, I would feel better with Durm than with Boateng, Jansen or Westermann

No doubt about that. In a perfect world we just would've two philip lahms. one for the RB and one for the LB...

Give me 11 Lahms, some of them just need to grow a little

[cgf]

My only changes would be taking Kruse over Hahn, Jantschke over Jansen, and MAtS or Leno over Zieler, with only the first two having any real significance.

[Next Coming]

I'm partial to DFB this cycle. Think they deserve something for their transformation recently. Massimo you can bring your abuse my way, pal.

[Foye]

Incompetence at Löw's best is Sebastian Rudy over Johannes Geis btw.

[Det the Threat]

Incompetence at Löw's best is Sebastian Rudy over Johannes Geis btw.

Well, Geis is not playing in Jogis favourite region(which includes the clubs Freiburg, Stuttgart and Hoffenheim) and therefore doesn't have a chance.

I'm surprised that even one Gladbach player(next to ter Stegen) made it(Chrstoph Kramer), as guys like Jantschke or Herrmann aren't rewarded for their good season with the club.

Also, his reasoning for nominating Zieler(a young goalkeeper for the future) is just a slap in the face of guys like Leno, ter Stegen or even Trapp.

[Foye]

Incompetence at Löw's best is Sebastian Rudy over Johannes Geis btw.

Well, Geis is not playing in Jogis favourite region(which includes the clubs Freiburg, Stuttgart and Hoffenheim) and therefore doesn't have a chance.

I'm surprised that even one Gladbach player(next to ter Stegen) made it(Chrstoph Kramer), as guys like Jantschke or Herrmann aren't rewarded for their good season with the club.

Also, his reasoning for nominating Zieler(a young goalkeeper for the future) is just a slap in the face of guys like Leno, ter Stegen or even Trapp.

On the plus side it could've been worse. Löw could've nominated Neuer, Adler & Zieler. In case Neuer went down we would've been completely f*cked then. Given Neuers recent performances we are f*cked anyway, though.

But nothing can top Jogi nominating Nicolai Müller for a pointless America trip after a long season last year to then offer him a full 15 minutes to prove what he can do for the NT.

[Det the Threat]

On the plus side it could've been worse. Löw could've nominated Neuer, Adler & Zieler. In case Neuer went down we would've been completely f*cked then. Given Neuers recent performances we are f*cked anyway, though.

If that would've happened, Jogi would've given Kevin the gloves and he would've thrown Döner in everyone's face that tried to score on us.