It was surely one of the worst performances by a German squad at a major tournament…probably dating back to their dreadful outings at “Euro Cup 2004” in Portugal, where they finished with 2 draws and a loss. It seems that all of the “soccer juggernauts” (Brazil, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Argentina, Italy, England, etc) have been lackluster. At least Germany and the Netherlands are still alive, despite their recent struggles against inferior opposition. Hopefully it was a proper “wake up call” for the Deutsch and the Dutch.
There were some bright spots in Germany’s game, such as Neuer’s brilliant play to aid his woeful back line. The lightning-fast Schürrle made some passing errors, but created their best offensive chances and was repeatedly unlucky in the box. Müller lacked accuracy on headers and other short shots, but at least he kept grinding for 120 minutes. Mario Götze looked lost and displayed some extremely careless passing. Lahm had his best game at these WC Finals (in which he’s been mostly invisible), defending very well and blasting a hard shot that was narrowly saved by the Algerian keeper. The monstrously-ugly Sami Khedira had one nice cross, but was reckless with the ball after coming on late. Without Mats Hummels, the squad’s quickest and most athletic defender, Howedes, Boateng, and Mertesacker were exposed. I realize that Mertesacker isn’t the fastest guy, but does every single announcer need to constantly deride his speed and athleticism? The commentators must’ve literally mentioned it 25-30 different times during the broadcast. It reminded me of the NFL, where any white player that isn’t a speed-burner is either described as being “slow” or “not the fastest”...and even when they easily blow past black defenders, as having “deceptive” or “sneaky” speed. At least Mertesacker has great heading/leaping ability on set pieces and great size and length, unlike Boateng, who is also extremely slow and lacks athleticism and leaping ability.
Why the living legend, Miroslav Klose, wasn’t brought on for a team starving for goals boggles the mind, especially given that Ozil had one of the worst performances you’ll ever see. Klose, who is also a talented defender who always works hard, was seen “warming up” several times near the 90[SUP]th[/SUP] minute and beyond, but he never saw the pitch. Let’s hope this classy player sees some time in the future and achieves his record-setting 16[SUP]th[/SUP] WC Finals goal when it matters most.
In the end, Germany fought and scraped their way past a decent Algerian team with two fast forwards, a serviceable keeper, and a stifling defense. Honestly, the 4-0 result against Portugal may not have been so impressive without the PK and the red card. Their defense was terrible against Ghana, but at least they found the net and rebounded after being down 2-1. Against Team Jew-SA, they were above average and without the rainy conditions, they likely would have scored more than Müller’s lone goal.
As much as I fundamentally-despise the “French” national team, they haven’t lost a match in these WC Finals…albeit against some average/terrible opponents such as Ecuador, Switzerland, Honduras, and Nigeria. Whether their success is a result of “luck,” the strength of their opponents, or actual quality, they’ll certainly be no push-over for Die Mannschaft, especially given their immense struggles yesterday.
The “lasting images” from the Germany-Algeria contest are positive, as they depict the blond bomber, Schürrle, getting the better of the Negro keeper…
Of course, no German fans (at home, abroad, or in the stadium) were actually “excited” when the goal came only moments into the extra period, nor were the players overly enthused. It was a moment of sheer relief, as they were expected to drub this team of mystery meats and sand Negroes and had finally “got the job done” by the narrowest of margins. Honestly, fans of Die Mannschaft remind me of NFL’s New England Patriot fans…they support a talented, white-friendly, classy team that is a perennial contender. When they win, it’s expected and there isn’t much to celebrate (aside from a WC or EC title). When they lose or win in a poor fashion, there is an infinite quotient of doom and gloom.
