Arend said:
On what planet? With any decent coach I would say that this match is 50/50, with a good German coach maybe even 60/40 for Germany, but with that useless slob Löw there is no way that Germany can actually win this. Let’s recapitulate:
- He continues to play with Center Backs, even though after the second game it was pretty clear that this does not actually work.
- He continues to ignore his obvious mistakes (like he did before), sticking to faulty tactics and formation while being totally aware of his mistakes.
- He continues to let Lahm play in DM, which means that he values Lahms wishes higher than the teams success-
- He continues to ignore Großkreutz and Durm as alternatives
- He fields Mustafi over Ginter......to let him play as full back
- He fields Khedira even though he contributes nothing to the offense and only wins 30-40% of his tackles.
- He fields Özil even though he has been an useless plug so far
- He relegates Klose to the bench, despite the obvious poor finishing
- He doesn’t think that it’s necessary to have more than ONE real striker in the team.
And probably some more points that I missed
Great points.
Of course, Lahm should return to his right back position. Aside from a blistering shot against Algeria and some emergency defensive play at times, “Der Kapitän” has been invisible at these WC Finals.
Defensively, Hummels is their most athletic/speedy player, and his absence was quite perceptible. Let’s hope he’s over his illness by Friday. Both Boateng and Mertesacker have looked terrible in space, but at least Mertesacker is tall and long, allowing him to clear opponents’ corner kicks with his great heading ability and extend his legs to clear dangerous balls as opponents dribble past him. Boateng is not only slow, but lacks athleticism and vertical leaping ability. Durm or Großkreutz have yet to play in these WC Finals, but what do they have to lose?
In midfield, Toni Kroos has set up some nice chances/goals, especially from corner kicks, but he's committed plenty of giveaways. Schweinsteiger has been better than Khedira, but he’s made some mistakes passing the ball and exhibited poor body language/leadership against Algeria. During the American broadcast of Monday’s game against Algeria, Negro-aficionado commentator, Ian Darke, stated something like:
“Word has it that there are two factions growing amongst the German team during training sessions. One supports Khedira starting in the midfield, the other supports Schweinsteiger. Perhaps that is the reason they’ve struggled to play as a team today?” Who on the German team supports Khedira, besides his metrosexual twin, Ozil?
Offensively, Klose, Müller, and Schürrle should be their wingers/forwards, with Götze, Podolski, and Ozil as reserves. In the last major tournament, Euro Cup 2012, Ozil was surely one of the best midfielders in the world. Since then, his play has greatly regressed, both at Arsenal and in the black, red, and yellow jersey. The Algeria game was one of the worst I’ve ever seen him play.
All in all, I don’t trust this team. Their “big win” against Portugal (who turned out to be very average) was tainted by a soft penalty kick awarded early in the game and a red card by Portugal. The draw against Ghana (who ended up not winning a single game in the tournament) was a defensive disaster, but at least they fought their way back after being down 1-2. The 1-0 victory over the U.S.Gay was a decent showing, but the rainy weather inhibited offensive chances for both teams.
I don’t know if they’ll beat the felenously-unsightly Arabs/Negroes masqueraing as “France,” at squad that seems to be more lucky than good and haven’t lost a game (three wins, one draw), but have looked pitiful in the process. Aside from Colombia, all of the 8 remaining teams have looked vulnerable. Brazil against Mexico/Chile. France against Ecuador/Switzerland/Nigeria. Germany against Ghana/Algeria. The Netherlands against Mexico. Costa Rica against Greece/England. Argentina against Iran/Nigeria. Belgium against the U.S.