Semi-Finals Discussion: Espana vs. Deutschland

[cgf]

Well, we ended up taking second again. I'm hugely disappointed but it's fair, we played our worst game and spain their best and still should've won if Oezil didn't let Sergio Ramos trip him, Toni Kroos had settled the ball instead of volleying it, Mueller hadn't been given a yellow for a phantom-hand ball and Kroos hadn't had the flu and was able to start. Anyway congrats to the spaniards who have finally overcome decades of under-achieving and failure. I still loathe the way they waste time from the first whistle and the refereeing in the finals was beyond terrible, but the Germans deserved to lose that semi the way we played, I just wish it wasn't too this spanish team. This defeat upset me more than 2008 where at least Spain was playing beautiful positive football. Any way I figure this is as good a thread as any to post my post-tournament analysis of the german team.

My Analysis of German National Team

Strikers
Starter:

Miroslav Klose
What can I say about Miro, he’s been incredible for the National Team and he’s been a hero since the first time he donned the National Jersey in the world cup and scored a hat trick against Saudi Arabia. He times his runs to perfection, has an incredible work rate, slick eye for passing, is quick on his feet, his head was made for hitting a soccer ball and he’s simply ruthless in front of net. A glorious career is winding down and although I would’ve loved nothing more than to see him tie Ronaldo’s record against spain and then take the record for himself in the final that was not to be and I can say that I’m glad that he’ll end up tied with Gerd Mueller for World Cup goals. The only shame of his career is that he hasn’t been able to play at his best on the European Stage, but those of us who saw him for Werder can attest to his brilliant form at the club level pre-Bayern. It was a joy seeing him re-capture his form for the national team and it will be strange seeing us without him in 2012 or 2014.

Bench
Mario Gomez
Mario Gomez looks the part, he’s big, strong, moves well and can jump, unfortunately he has no touch and, as he proved in 2008, has a remarkable skill for muddling up goal scoring chances. I hope Loew finally gives up on him because he’s trash.

Cacau
He’s been a great sub for us this world cup, like Miro he runs and runs and he’s strong on the ball, playing good passes and using his quickness to get into openings. At 29 I don’t think he’ll be around for long, but I really appreciate all of the hard work he put in for this team.

Stefan Keissling
The Big man only got PT in the 3rd place game but he looked good in the time he did play, very quickly who took a man on one-on-one and delivered a strong shot that went wide, his size drew the defense to him off of the corner that Khedira converted and he almost snagged a goal of his own all in 10 minutes of play. I’d like to see him given a run as the starting Striker because he isn’t the best fit for our counter-attacking play, but he can deliver good passes on the counter to spring our plethora of speedier attacking mids. Plus he gives us a new dimension in built up offense with his aerial prowess. Plus he looks like a 70’s porn star and that can’t be under-estimated.

Attacking Mids
Starters:

Thomas Mueller
I frankly still can’t believe how phenomenal he’s been this year, from good third division player to Van Gaal’s favorite player on a Bayern team that almost won a treble and a guy who picked up 5 goals at the world cup at age 20. Mueller’s been incredible, strong on the ball with a nice eye for passes and crosses, a great sense of timing on his runs and an incredible work rate that makes him a fantastic defender as well Mueller really is the total package, one can’t help but wonder what the spain game would’ve been like had he not been suspended for a phantom handball instead of the ineffectual Piotr Trochowski. If Keissling, Helmes or whoever else we try up front doesn’t work out I would not be opposed to seeing how we do with Mueller as the front man.

Mesut Oezil
The 3rd generation turkish immigrant Oezil has had a break out tourney and put his name on the map. Although I think he’ll stay at Werder and should extend that stay another year or two he’s a fantastic attacking talent who’s slick on the ball and delivers vicious through balls and passes. My biggest gripes are that unlike Mueller Mesut does not track back and help out defensively very much, in fact I’m pretty sure he plays more defense and in the opposing half than his own and he shouldn’t have let Sergio Ramos trip him at the end of the first half against Spain, if he had stayed strong and finished there I can’t help but think we would’ve pulled that game out and won. Overall a stunningly gifted player who should improve his consistency and become an all-world talent in the coming years.

Lukas Podolski
Prinz Poldi’s goal scoring record for the national team is something you just can’t argue with, he has one of best left footed strikes in the world and he’s strong on the ball. All of that said Lukas has been quite disappointing, he still doesn’t track back regularly and against Spain he was our sloppiest player who’s errant passes stopped two or three good counters. Voted the top young player of the World Cup just four years ago Lukas has bought the Prinz Poldi hype and seemingly gotten lazy since then. Hopefully the new blood can push him as both Marko Marin and Toni Kroos will be gunning for his starting spot and ultimately a move back to Striker might be required. That said he’s scored a lot of goals for this team and it’s tough to bet against someone who’s been as productive at such a young age as him.

Bench:
Toni Kroos
Speaking of that young talent if not for Oezil and Mueller Toni Kroos may well have been a starter on this team from the beginning and broken out the way those two have on the international stage. Unfortunately he didn’t get an opportunity until the semi-final where his bought with the flu kept him out of the starting eleven. Toni’s suberb on the ball and has unreal precision on his passes, crosses and free-kicks. Had he not succumb to the flu that Spain game would likely have ended differently as well…speaking of which I’m still disappointed with his finish in the 73rd minute of that game. If he had settled the ball and finished more precisely or just played it over to Miro we’d have taken the 1-0 lead but instead it was Spain who capitalized not 5 minutes later. Still only 20 Toni has a long career in front of him and while the 2010 WC wasn’t a shining moment for him this kid should have one hell of a bright future ahead of him either shifting Oezil out wide or taking Khedira’s spot in the central midfield.

Marko Marin
A winger with stunning pace and quickness who can dribble around anyone he only got on the field against Serbia where the team was already a man down and a goal down, so he pressed and played too recklessly, which is unfortunate given how talented the kid is offensively and how well he plays with Oezil for Werder. At 21 he’s still got a long career ahead of him and in that time we can hope that he starts tracking back more and that his precision with his passes and crosses increases as he does have a tendency to play reckless passes. A guy who’s quickness and touch make him a suberb sub he got little PT this cup to judge him on but is another for the future who can be a thorn in the side of even the best teams if he comes on fresh around the 60th minute.

Piotr Trochowski
What a disappointment, Trochowski got the start against Spain because of Mueller’s suspension and Kroos’ flu and proceeded to produce nothing short of one off foot strike that was knocked wide for a corner. Piotr got the start over Marin because he comes back on D and plays safe passes but his lack of creativity and goal scoring instincts really hurt this team. A solid player Trochowski really shouldn’t play too much on the international level. A solid World Cup although he didn’t create much positivity. He gets a resounding meh from me.

Central Midfield
Bastian Schweinsteiger
What. A. Beast. Schweini has truly become a boss in the center of the pitch since he got moved in from the wing, he’s made a few mistakes, like the one leading to Uruguay’s first goal, but overall he’s controlled games from the centre sitting like a QB picking out charging wingers and attacking players to launch attacks and when he did seek to play his way up he was very successful doing so as well. Plus his boat is still golden as his long range blast lead to the rebound that became Mueller’s fifth goal of the tourney against Uruguay. Defensively he’s also been a revelation as he’s picked the ball out of many an attacker’s feet. To summarize, Basti = stud.

Sami Khedira
The man who took over for Ballack had a strong tournament, covering a lot of ground as his runs forward gave Schweini room to chillax in the middle of the field and he was finally reward with the 3-2 against Uruguay. A well rounded player who’s strong defensively, through the air and making forward runs Khedira’s only deficiency is his precision in the final third where he struggled to find room for his shot or a final pass. Although I’m thoroughly pleased with his play so far I do think he could be replaced by the much more offensively gifted Kroos or even by the more defensive option of Boateng or Westermann in 4 years time.

Defense
Starters:

Phillip Lahm
The captain had another strong showing as he’s proven to be a stud defender who’s pace and stamina make him a demon up the flank. While he delivers good crosses, passes and shots Lahm isn’t the craftiest dribbler, which is why I still prefer him on the left, where his little cut in to the right is still unstoppable. Either way Lahm was a rock on the side of the defense and proved a good option for the captains armband, he’s unbelievable still only 26 and has at least one more world cup in him and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him again filling the role of captain in Brazil.

Per Mertesacker
The 6’5” tree of a defender continued his play for the national side as he’s a wonderful defender who’s got incredible coordination for such a lanky dude and he does a great job using those long legs to pick the ball away from defenders. Merte could improve with the ball at his feet as he’s still a guy you don’t want making more than simply passes but with Schweini taking a quarterbacking role in the middle of the pitch that’s just fine.

Arne Friedrich
The former Hertha and soon to be Wolfsburg defender had a great tourney raising his play tremendously and getting his first career international goal. Arne played smart defense despite his lack of quickness and did well at distributing the ball to Schweini and the wingbacks. In general I’m pleased with his play although I won’t be upset to see him replaced by Boateng, Hummels or Hoewedes as Merte’s partner in 2012.

Jerome Boateng
Speaking of the more talented of the Boateng step-brothers Jerome had a great tournament and I can only hope that he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle at Man City as he’s wonderful young defender. Quick, strong and agile he’s got the ideal physical traits for a defender and skill wise he’s got a lot to work with. As a centerback only Lucio can be as crafty dribbling up the pitch and as he showed against Uruguay he can play some simply marvelous crosses and passes, his ball through three defenders right into Keissling’s path was a beauty and his well-rounded skillset also makes him highly versatile as he can play on the wing as he did for die Mannschaft, inside as he does for Hamburg or even in the midfield where he’d be a terror. Overall a wonderful first international tourney for the young man who shares my hometown. Where Boateng plays in 2012 on will be determined by the players around him, as Castro, Aogo, Hummels, Hoewedes and Khedira will battle for two of the 3 positions he can play. Wouldn’t really surprise me if he ends up Man City’s most regularly implemented defender by 2012 as the sky’s truly the limit for this kid.

Bench:
Holger Badstuber
The Bayern man started the tourney out wide but his lack of pace caught up with him as Serbia was able to harass him along the flank. I do like this kid and think he’d be much better off in the middle, although unfortunately for him both Hummels and Hoewedes look like studs in the making. So his best fit may well be our most stacked defensive position. Either way Badstuber proved he’s a solid defender who can deliver nice crosses and passes when he’s able to get forward but unfortunately he’s just too slow at this level to make it as a wingback.

Sedar Tasci
The final man to get on the field who saw a solid minute of play against Uruguay, Tasci’s another versatile defender who’s solid as a defender and solid with the ball. Although he got the call to come along this year he’s got a tough battle ahead of him to get brought along next time around. A good player who’s got the bad luck of coming through during a very strong generation of German footballers. He didn’t really play enough to be reasonably graded.

Goalkeepers
Starter:
Manuel Neuer
The Schalke man had a wonderful tourney. He’s made some great saves and showed his excellence at distributing the ball, coming up to clean up clearances against spain like a sweeper. Neuer has the type of accuracy with his balls that got Lehmann so many starts, despite his strong play I think Rene Adler will take over this spot in 2 years time as Adler will never be as strong on the ball as Neuer, but he’s insanely quick and can be dominant at keeping the ball out of the net the way Neuer has yet to show he can be. Whichever one of these two keepers is between the pipes it’s clear that the Germans are once again stacked in net with their new generation of Kahn/Lehmann.

Bench:
Hans-Jorg Butt
Butt played pretty well for a man as old as him as he’s had a great season with Bayern and played well against Uruguay. That said age has clearly started to catch the man who’s given up one of the most infamous goals of recent Bundesliga history. He just didn’t have the quickness to react to Forlan’s stunning volley or get off his line to stuff Cavani’s break away. I’m glad for him he got the start in the game for 3rd place, but this position should be even strong once Adler is healthy enough to replace him.

Overall I’m pleased that we made it to the semi’s with such a young team, but the way we played we deserved more, especially since we had two golden opportunities to take the lead over Spain, first when Mesut Oezil let Sergio Ramos trip him in the box on a breakaway and secondly when Toni Kroos volleyed a crosssoftly at the net. Ultimately it’s almost poetic that we went out due to our zonal marking on a corner as we started the tourney almost conceding to Australia because of our zonal marking on a corner.

[cgf]

I for one, think it was a blessing in disguise that Ballack didn't play this tournament. I have always thought he was horribly overrated...I would like a German's point of view on him because I never understood his hype.
Germany should be very proud because this team was extremely young and played some great soccer, scoring 4 goals in 3 separate matches..even against the likes of England and Argentina. They have tremendous potential. I feel as if they will need to find someone to replace Klose though, in order to win the next world cup.


As for Spain, I think they played a great match. Controlled it almost entirely and their midfielders are just too good. I found it enjoying to watch them despite the game finishing with only 1 goal

Ballack in 2002 and at Bayern was easily one the best players in the world, he played from box to box, was our biggest goal threat, best playmaker and overall just did everything at an elite level, shoot, pass, cross, head, defend, lead, he was a beast. I think the move to Chelsea wasn't the best decision as his play stuttered and he got stuck in a cramped midfield where he needed to be more of a cog instead of being the man. That said he has gotten older and time has taken its toll so that he's no longer the superstar he was with Bayer and Bayern.

[Basti]

Well, we ended up taking second again. I'm hugely disappointed but it's fair, we played our worst game and spain their best and still should've won if Oezil didn't let Sergio Ramos trip him, Toni Kroos had settled the ball instead of volleying it, Mueller hadn't been given a yellow for a phantom-hand ball and Kroos hadn't had the flu and was able to start. Anyway congrats to the spaniards who have finally overcome decades of under-achieving and failure. I still loathe the way they waste time from the first whistle and the refereeing in the finals was beyond terrible, but the Germans deserved to lose that semi the way we played, I just wish it wasn't too this spanish team. This defeat upset me more than 2008 where at least Spain was playing beautiful positive football. Any way I figure this is as good a thread as any to post my post-tournament analysis of the german team.

My Analysis of German National Team

Strikers
Starter:

Miroslav Klose
What can I say about Miro, he’s been incredible for the National Team and he’s been a hero since the first time he donned the National Jersey in the world cup and scored a hat trick against Saudi Arabia. He times his runs to perfection, has an incredible work rate, slick eye for passing, is quick on his feet, his head was made for hitting a soccer ball and he’s simply ruthless in front of net. A glorious career is winding down and although I would’ve loved nothing more than to see him tie Ronaldo’s record against spain and then take the record for himself in the final that was not to be and I can say that I’m glad that he’ll end up tied with Gerd Mueller for World Cup goals. The only shame of his career is that he hasn’t been able to play at his best on the European Stage, but those of us who saw him for Werder can attest to his brilliant form at the club level pre-Bayern. It was a joy seeing him re-capture his form for the national team and it will be strange seeing us without him in 2012 or 2014.

Bench
Mario Gomez
Mario Gomez looks the part, he’s big, strong, moves well and can jump, unfortunately he has no touch and, as he proved in 2008, has a remarkable skill for muddling up goal scoring chances. I hope Loew finally gives up on him because he’s trash.

Cacau
He’s been a great sub for us this world cup, like Miro he runs and runs and he’s strong on the ball, playing good passes and using his quickness to get into openings. At 29 I don’t think he’ll be around for long, but I really appreciate all of the hard work he put in for this team.

Stefan Keissling
The Big man only got PT in the 3rd place game but he looked good in the time he did play, very quickly who took a man on one-on-one and delivered a strong shot that went wide, his size drew the defense to him off of the corner that Khedira converted and he almost snagged a goal of his own all in 10 minutes of play. I’d like to see him given a run as the starting Striker because he isn’t the best fit for our counter-attacking play, but he can deliver good passes on the counter to spring our plethora of speedier attacking mids. Plus he gives us a new dimension in built up offense with his aerial prowess. Plus he looks like a 70’s porn star and that can’t be under-estimated.

Attacking Mids
Starters:

Thomas Mueller
I frankly still can’t believe how phenomenal he’s been this year, from good third division player to Van Gaal’s favorite player on a Bayern team that almost won a treble and a guy who picked up 5 goals at the world cup at age 20. Mueller’s been incredible, strong on the ball with a nice eye for passes and crosses, a great sense of timing on his runs and an incredible work rate that makes him a fantastic defender as well Mueller really is the total package, one can’t help but wonder what the spain game would’ve been like had he not been suspended for a phantom handball instead of the ineffectual Piotr Trochowski. If Keissling, Helmes or whoever else we try up front doesn’t work out I would not be opposed to seeing how we do with Mueller as the front man.

Mesut Oezil
The 3rd generation turkish immigrant Oezil has had a break out tourney and put his name on the map. Although I think he’ll stay at Werder and should extend that stay another year or two he’s a fantastic attacking talent who’s slick on the ball and delivers vicious through balls and passes. My biggest gripes are that unlike Mueller Mesut does not track back and help out defensively very much, in fact I’m pretty sure he plays more defense and in the opposing half than his own and he shouldn’t have let Sergio Ramos trip him at the end of the first half against Spain, if he had stayed strong and finished there I can’t help but think we would’ve pulled that game out and won. Overall a stunningly gifted player who should improve his consistency and become an all-world talent in the coming years.

Lukas Podolski
Prinz Poldi’s goal scoring record for the national team is something you just can’t argue with, he has one of best left footed strikes in the world and he’s strong on the ball. All of that said Lukas has been quite disappointing, he still doesn’t track back regularly and against Spain he was our sloppiest player who’s errant passes stopped two or three good counters. Voted the top young player of the World Cup just four years ago Lukas has bought the Prinz Poldi hype and seemingly gotten lazy since then. Hopefully the new blood can push him as both Marko Marin and Toni Kroos will be gunning for his starting spot and ultimately a move back to Striker might be required. That said he’s scored a lot of goals for this team and it’s tough to bet against someone who’s been as productive at such a young age as him.

Bench:
Toni Kroos
Speaking of that young talent if not for Oezil and Mueller Toni Kroos may well have been a starter on this team from the beginning and broken out the way those two have on the international stage. Unfortunately he didn’t get an opportunity until the semi-final where his bought with the flu kept him out of the starting eleven. Toni’s suberb on the ball and has unreal precision on his passes, crosses and free-kicks. Had he not succumb to the flu that Spain game would likely have ended differently as well…speaking of which I’m still disappointed with his finish in the 73rd minute of that game. If he had settled the ball and finished more precisely or just played it over to Miro we’d have taken the 1-0 lead but instead it was Spain who capitalized not 5 minutes later. Still only 20 Toni has a long career in front of him and while the 2010 WC wasn’t a shining moment for him this kid should have one hell of a bright future ahead of him either shifting Oezil out wide or taking Khedira’s spot in the central midfield.

Marko Marin
A winger with stunning pace and quickness who can dribble around anyone he only got on the field against Serbia where the team was already a man down and a goal down, so he pressed and played too recklessly, which is unfortunate given how talented the kid is offensively and how well he plays with Oezil for Werder. At 21 he’s still got a long career ahead of him and in that time we can hope that he starts tracking back more and that his precision with his passes and crosses increases as he does have a tendency to play reckless passes. A guy who’s quickness and touch make him a suberb sub he got little PT this cup to judge him on but is another for the future who can be a thorn in the side of even the best teams if he comes on fresh around the 60th minute.

Piotr Trochowski
What a disappointment, Trochowski got the start against Spain because of Mueller’s suspension and Kroos’ flu and proceeded to produce nothing short of one off foot strike that was knocked wide for a corner. Piotr got the start over Marin because he comes back on D and plays safe passes but his lack of creativity and goal scoring instincts really hurt this team. A solid player Trochowski really shouldn’t play too much on the international level. A solid World Cup although he didn’t create much positivity. He gets a resounding meh from me.

Central Midfield
Bastian Schweinsteiger
What. A. Beast. Schweini has truly become a boss in the center of the pitch since he got moved in from the wing, he’s made a few mistakes, like the one leading to Uruguay’s first goal, but overall he’s controlled games from the centre sitting like a QB picking out charging wingers and attacking players to launch attacks and when he did seek to play his way up he was very successful doing so as well. Plus his boat is still golden as his long range blast lead to the rebound that became Mueller’s fifth goal of the tourney against Uruguay. Defensively he’s also been a revelation as he’s picked the ball out of many an attacker’s feet. To summarize, Basti = stud.

Sami Khedira
The man who took over for Ballack had a strong tournament, covering a lot of ground as his runs forward gave Schweini room to chillax in the middle of the field and he was finally reward with the 3-2 against Uruguay. A well rounded player who’s strong defensively, through the air and making forward runs Khedira’s only deficiency is his precision in the final third where he struggled to find room for his shot or a final pass. Although I’m thoroughly pleased with his play so far I do think he could be replaced by the much more offensively gifted Kroos or even by the more defensive option of Boateng or Westermann in 4 years time.

Defense
Starters:

Phillip Lahm
The captain had another strong showing as he’s proven to be a stud defender who’s pace and stamina make him a demon up the flank. While he delivers good crosses, passes and shots Lahm isn’t the craftiest dribbler, which is why I still prefer him on the left, where his little cut in to the right is still unstoppable. Either way Lahm was a rock on the side of the defense and proved a good option for the captains armband, he’s unbelievable still only 26 and has at least one more world cup in him and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him again filling the role of captain in Brazil.

Per Mertesacker
The 6’5” tree of a defender continued his play for the national side as he’s a wonderful defender who’s got incredible coordination for such a lanky dude and he does a great job using those long legs to pick the ball away from defenders. Merte could improve with the ball at his feet as he’s still a guy you don’t want making more than simply passes but with Schweini taking a quarterbacking role in the middle of the pitch that’s just fine.

Arne Friedrich
The former Hertha and soon to be Wolfsburg defender had a great tourney raising his play tremendously and getting his first career international goal. Arne played smart defense despite his lack of quickness and did well at distributing the ball to Schweini and the wingbacks. In general I’m pleased with his play although I won’t be upset to see him replaced by Boateng, Hummels or Hoewedes as Merte’s partner in 2012.

Jerome Boateng
Speaking of the more talented of the Boateng step-brothers Jerome had a great tournament and I can only hope that he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle at Man City as he’s wonderful young defender. Quick, strong and agile he’s got the ideal physical traits for a defender and skill wise he’s got a lot to work with. As a centerback only Lucio can be as crafty dribbling up the pitch and as he showed against Uruguay he can play some simply marvelous crosses and passes, his ball through three defenders right into Keissling’s path was a beauty and his well-rounded skillset also makes him highly versatile as he can play on the wing as he did for die Mannschaft, inside as he does for Hamburg or even in the midfield where he’d be a terror. Overall a wonderful first international tourney for the young man who shares my hometown. Where Boateng plays in 2012 on will be determined by the players around him, as Castro, Aogo, Hummels, Hoewedes and Khedira will battle for two of the 3 positions he can play. Wouldn’t really surprise me if he ends up Man City’s most regularly implemented defender by 2012 as the sky’s truly the limit for this kid.

Bench:
Holger Badstuber
The Bayern man started the tourney out wide but his lack of pace caught up with him as Serbia was able to harass him along the flank. I do like this kid and think he’d be much better off in the middle, although unfortunately for him both Hummels and Hoewedes look like studs in the making. So his best fit may well be our most stacked defensive position. Either way Badstuber proved he’s a solid defender who can deliver nice crosses and passes when he’s able to get forward but unfortunately he’s just too slow at this level to make it as a wingback.

Sedar Tasci
The final man to get on the field who saw a solid minute of play against Uruguay, Tasci’s another versatile defender who’s solid as a defender and solid with the ball. Although he got the call to come along this year he’s got a tough battle ahead of him to get brought along next time around. A good player who’s got the bad luck of coming through during a very strong generation of German footballers. He didn’t really play enough to be reasonably graded.

Goalkeepers
Starter:
Manuel Neuer
The Schalke man had a wonderful tourney. He’s made some great saves and showed his excellence at distributing the ball, coming up to clean up clearances against spain like a sweeper. Neuer has the type of accuracy with his balls that got Lehmann so many starts, despite his strong play I think Rene Adler will take over this spot in 2 years time as Adler will never be as strong on the ball as Neuer, but he’s insanely quick and can be dominant at keeping the ball out of the net the way Neuer has yet to show he can be. Whichever one of these two keepers is between the pipes it’s clear that the Germans are once again stacked in net with their new generation of Kahn/Lehmann.

Bench:
Hans-Jorg Butt
Butt played pretty well for a man as old as him as he’s had a great season with Bayern and played well against Uruguay. That said age has clearly started to catch the man who’s given up one of the most infamous goals of recent Bundesliga history. He just didn’t have the quickness to react to Forlan’s stunning volley or get off his line to stuff Cavani’s break away. I’m glad for him he got the start in the game for 3rd place, but this position should be even strong once Adler is healthy enough to replace him.

Overall I’m pleased that we made it to the semi’s with such a young team, but the way we played we deserved more, especially since we had two golden opportunities to take the lead over Spain, first when Mesut Oezil let Sergio Ramos trip him in the box on a breakaway and secondly when Toni Kroos volleyed a crosssoftly at the net. Ultimately it’s almost poetic that we went out due to our zonal marking on a corner as we started the tourney almost conceding to Australia because of our zonal marking on a corner.

great analysis. well done!

oh and

To summarize, Basti = stud.

thanks mate

[call.me.dude]

My Analysis of German National Team

(...)

Bench
Mario Gomez
Mario Gomez looks the part, he’s big, strong, moves well and can jump, unfortunately he has no touch and, as he proved in 2008, has a remarkable skill for muddling up goal scoring chances. I hope Loew finally gives up on him because he’s trash.

I agree with basically everything you wrote but the part on Gomez. Sure he sucked in the last few years when he was playing on the NT and frequently for Bayern, but how can you be trash if you were player of the year and in 82 Bundesliga games from 2006/07 to 2008/09 have scored 57 goals (2006/07: 25 games, 14 goals, 7 assists 2007/08: 25 games, 19 goals, 3 assists 2008/09: 32 games, 24 goals, 8 assists. Per 34 games a season that is 23.6 goals and 7.5 assists in a three year span). Add to that 10 goals and 5 assists in 29 games (only 21 starts) last season. That would make it 111 games and 67 goals, which is still amazing (20.5 goals and 7 assists per 34 games). The stats speak for themselves. No other german striker comes even close to Gomez' efficiency over the last 4 years.

Other german strikers from 2006/07 to 2009/10:

Kießling: 130 games, 50 goals, 21 assists (13 goals, 5.5 assists per 34 games)
Helmes: 46 games, 23 goals, 5 assists in Bundesliga (17 goals, 3.7 assists per 34 games), 53 games, 31 goals, 9 assists in 2. Bundesliga (19.9 goals, 5.8 assists per 34 games) --> 99 games, 54 goals, 14 assists overall (18.5 goals, 4.8 assists per 34 games)
Kuranyi: 132 games, 61 goals, 27 assists (15.8 goals, 7 assists per 34 games)
Klose (2004/05 to 2007/08, probably his best 4 year span): 116 games, 63 goals, 46 assists (18.5 goals, 13.5 assists)

So Klose's 4 year span from 2004 to 2008, in which he was an absolute world-class striker and had that one historic season (25 goals, 13 assists in 26 games), is the only one that matches Gomez' last 4 years. As sad as it sounds to anyone that has seen Gomez play for the NT in the last two years, Gomez was clearly Germany's best striker over the last 4 years. And I truly believe that he will come back to his former self.

But on another note: Our future looks great!!!!

------------------- Neuer ------------------------ : Adler, Wiese
Lahm ----- Merte -- Hummels -- Boateng : Jansen, Höwedes, Badstuber, Schäfer, Träsch, Tasci
---------- Khedira* --- Schweini ------------- : Kroos, Hummels, Träsch, *Ballack
Müller ----------- Özil ----------------- Kroos : Jansen, Marin, Podolski, Reus
-------------------- Gomez ---------------------- : Helmes, Müller, Podolski, Kießling, Cacau