DEFAULT GERMAN VICTORY IN A CORPORATE BEHEMOTH OF A WORLD CUP

D. Ray Morton, 14th July 2014.

That cherubic scoundrel Mario Götze kisses the World Cup shortly after scoring the goal that won it for Germany

A month ago when World Cup 2014 started, football fans were greeted with the possibility of a truly great showcase of the game and we very nearly got one. Somewhere along the line it became altogether very serious. Germany were able squeeze past a stubborn Argentinian side thanks to a late goal in extra time from substitute Mario Götze to win the whole damn thing. Perhaps a fitting conclusion amidst the corporate flatulence that had filled this newfangled Maracanã stadium. Götze, afterall, is the guy who jilted the romantics of Borussia Dortmund to seek fame and fortune at the global powerhouse that are rivals Bayern Munich. Such dignitaries as German prime minister Angela Merkel and...the guy from "That '70s Show", Ashton Kutcher, were in attendance for that special moment.

Irreverence had probably seeped into the mind of any avid fan of the sport as this final developed. The game was flat, rather boring for the most part. Occasionally Argentina would carve out an opportunity but could not add a finishing touch. Gonzalo Higuaín was guilty of a bad one-on-one miss in the first half. Indeed, Higuaín (or Ó hUiginn, poet of Connacht) was at the heart of another controversial incident that probably went over the heads of many spectators as the game veered towards inevitable full-time stalemate and subsequent extra time. Chasing a loose ball in the second half, the Napoli striker was baring down on goal until German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer leapt out of the air. His knee rising like that of a Muay Thai fighter, Neuer nearly took Higuaín's head off as he snatched the ball from his opponent's path. The incident was nearly very ugly, reminiscent of Harald Schumacher's assault of Patrick Battiston in 1982. Somehow, Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli awarded the decision against the Argentine. That moment was decisive in the course of the game as the correct call would have resulted in a penalty for Argentina and a red card for Neuer.

Manuel Neuer's reckless knee smash of Gonzalo Higuaín, remarkably, went completely unpunished
 

With the game spiralling towards penalties, Germany's extra rest day and the fresh legs of Götze proved to be decisive. Another substitute, André Schürrle, was able to skip past the exhausted duo of Javier Mascherano and Pablo Zabaleta down the left flank where he crossed in. Götze controlled well with his chest and knocked it past the on-rushing Sergio Romero who had left most of his goal open. Beer steins were lifted all over Germany as the country, in its unified form, won its first World Cup.

Argentina were crushed and could not even threaten in the few minutes thereafter. It must have been an especially frustrating night for Lionel Messi. He did not have his best game and missed a pretty decent chance in the second half of normal time. To makes matters worse, he was awarded the Golden Ball award for best player at the World Cup though he himself will feel embarrassed to receive such a prize. Realistically, it has not been Messi's World Cup since the group stage. Someone like Colombia's James Rodríguez, who performed brilliantly in each of his matches, would have been far more worthy. Even Diego Maradona felt Messi was unworthy sensing that the award had a corporate angle behind it.

Anyway, it is done. Germany have their prize and the rest of the world just want to move on and forget about this. In Europe, the Germans do not have many fans outside of their own country. Only an English victory would have been more offensive. However inclined, one must admit that Germany are a good team in an international football scene without many others. They can build on this and stroll into Euro 2016 as favourites, a pedestal they have not enjoyed since the 1990s.

GOMEZ SNUBBED BY LOW FOR GERMANY'S PROVISIONAL WORLD CUP SQUAD

D. Ray Morton, 8th May 2014.

Once Germany's first-choice striker, injuries and a move to Serie A have resulted in losing his place

Germany manager Joachim Low named his 30-man provisional World Cup squad today with the notable exclusion of Fiorentina target man Mario Gomez. The selection of thirty will be reduced to twenty-three for the final tournament. Here are the thirty players who will be considered for the final squad:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussian Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover)

Zieler has made the squad on merit, not on reputation or high profile transfer speculation

Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund).

Hummels can be a vital at the World Cup but must prove his development has not stalled

Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Schalke), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Andre Hahn (Augsburg), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Max Meyer (Schalke), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Andre Schurrle (Chelsea).

Ozil has had an up-and-down season at Arsenal and will need to rediscover his top form if Germany are to excel

Strikers: Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal).

Here at SoccerStash, we have discussed why we don't feel Germany will win the World Cup before; a combination of big game anxiety, squad deficiencies and lack of a top striker and leaving Mario Gomez out only compounds this notion further. Of the entire thirty men listed, only veteran Miroslav Klose can be identified as a proper, out-and-out front man.

Looking at it from top to bottom, the goalkeeper selection makes sense. Marc Andre Ter-Stegen, who has been heavily linked to a move to Barcelona throughout the season, will feel disappointed not to be amongst the three chosen. Perhaps his form doesn't warrant a place and maybe the Camp Nou outfit will approach a more accomplished keeper despite his supposed comfort on the ball and his ability to play as a "keeper sweeper" in the same vein as the out-going Victor Valdes.

The error last summer that waved a red flag over Ter Stegen's credentials as an international-class goalkeeper

Sami Khedira is a surprise inclusion in that his season and World Cup looked dead and buried after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament earlier on in the season. When fit, Khedira is a reliable midfield destroyer, a vital player who sits as the rest of the midfield bombs forward with quick counter attacks. His place in the thirty might only mean an assessment of his condition and he may not necessarily make the final squad.

Khedira blowing out his knee last year but could yet recover in time for Brazil

Several inexperienced players at international level are included: Erik Durm, Shkodran Mustafi, Matthias Ginter, Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer. They have been included in the provisional panel in order to get a feel for the national team, priming them for the EURO 2016 qualification process more than likely.

But with Gomez out and Klose as the only true No. 9, how will Germany approach this World Cup tactically? Do they intend to start the 35 year-old (who'll be 36 on June 9th) and play him throughout the tournament or perhaps they'll experiment by fielding an attacking midfield or a winger in the oh-so-hip "false 9" role? Bayern Munich dabbled with the idea of using Mario Gotze like that earlier in the season but Pep Guardiola decided to abandon the experiment when he figured Gotze's finishing was not up to the same standard as the ultimate false 9, Lionel Messi.

Gotze, a fine No. 10 but as a "false 9", Messi he is not

Low's selection has the element of surprise about it. Either that or confusion. Does he knows his best team and how will their group opponents, Portugal, Ghana and the United States fare against them? World Cup Group G should be very interesting.

EXPECT FAVOURITES TO PREVAIL IN TONIGHT'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DOUBLE HEADER

EXPECT FAVOURITES TO PREVAIL IN TONIGHT'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DOUBLE HEADER

D. Ray Morton, April 1st 2014.

The smart money this evening would be to back Barcelona and Bayern Munich as they face down Atlético Madrid and Manchester United respectively in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final ties. Barca play at home and will be thrilled at the sight of the visitors' star striker Diego Costa hobbling off at the weekend with a reported groin injury. As of now, there's only a 50/50 chance that he'll play and without him, Diego Simeone's team are not nearly as dangerous. The Argentine manager describes Costa as being as important to his side as Lionel Messi is to los culés. Indeed, Messi is back to his best. His form this calendar year has been astonishing after shaking off hamstring problems that interrupted his form throughout most of 2013. Gerardo Martino is likely to pair him alongside Neymar up front again with Cesc Fabregas operating in behind them. If anything, Barca's trademark 4-3-3 has been abandoned in recent weeks. Martino has preferred to stack the midfield in order to dominate possession, something which they hadn't focused on during the first half of the season.

Fabregas plays at the tip of the diamond in behind Messi and Neymar

Their shape now resembles something of a diamond 4-4-2. The high defensive line remains, which could be tested now that Victor Valdés is out for the season leaving José Manuel Pinto in goal, and Sergi Busquets continues his anchor man role. Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Fabregas occupy the midfield positions leaving Messi and Neymar ahead to do as they please up front. Pedro and Alexis Sánchez have been left out for some of their recent big games though many fans of the Catalan club believe that one of the two ought to oust the young Brazilian from the starting line-up. Opinion is divided on how effective Neymar has been although the 22 year-old has been steadily racking up assists, winning penalties and chipping in a steady amount of goals this season.

Neymar's season stats from WhoScored.com

In the other fixture, David Moyes' Manchester United may very well be staring down the abyss. Defeat at home to Bayern Munich would end any realistic hope of advancing to the next round and would render the rest of United's season meaningless considering their poor league position well outside the top four. This is Moyes' last hope. He's likely to gamble on Ryan Giggs in the centre again, something which worked a charm against the considerably weaker Olympiakos but with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos (supposed United target) and Mario Götze all set to start for the visitors, it could be a tough night for the aging legs of the 40 year-old Welshman. Bayern's midfield trio work the ball beautifully and Philip Lahm can just as easily slot in should he be required there.

Whatever about Giggs, the key concern for United fans should be how deputy left-back Alexander
Büttner deals with the mazy dribbling skills of flying Dutchman, Arjen Robben. Robben has been fantastic under Pep Guardiola this season, building on last season's late burst of form and really improving as an all-round team player. He is still, of course, very one-footed and a good defence can make him look predictable cutting in from the right but United's defence has been very shaky this season, especially at home. Whether Büttner can cope will go a long way towards decided this first leg. I would predict Guardiola's side to approach the game more cautiously than the thrashing many people expect to be dealt out. The Spanish manager's record away from home against English opposition in the Champions League isn't actually all that formidable.

So some hope for United but what's important tonight is not so much the result but the performance. Pride needs to be restored at Old Trafford and picking up wins against the likes of Aston Villa and West Ham isn't enough to get people back on Moyes' side. With rumours that the club are willing to give the Scot a £200m war chest to spend in the summer, they have to send out some kind of a signal tonight. Realists don't expect to progress but they can at least exit this one particular tournament with their heads held relatively high provided don't perform footballing self-defecation.

MESUT "BOÖZIL" AND THE MEN WHO STARE AT GÖTZE

MESUT BOÖZIL AND THE MEN WHO STARE AT GÖTZE

D. Ray Morton, 7th March 2014.

During Germany's victorious 1-0 friendly win against Chile on Tuesday night, Mesut Özil received a chorus of boos from the his own fans despite setting up a goal for the man who might very well steal his place in their World Cup starting XI, Mario Götze. Chile had several dominant spells throughout and many people labelled it as a lucky victory for the Germans. Coach Joachim Löw is left with a real dilemma when it comes to team selection come next summer. He and assistant manager, Hans-Dieter Flick, have a lot of observing to do between then and now. The German squad seems to be overloaded with talented players for the attacking midfield positions and in regards to that central slot, Özil and Götze could find themselves in direct competition.

 

The conundrum is as such: which exact formation to play and which personnel to use? Here are some possibilities...

1. Stick with the plan and field Özil in his natural position. 

Since Jogi Löw took charge of Germany in time for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he has used the Arsenal playmaker as his main No. 10 usually played behind a conventional centre forward like Miroslav Klose or Mario Gomez. In a 4-2-3-1 system, with wide players offering additional support, this incarnation of Germany can be fluid and devastating. In the last two tournaments with Löw at the helm, his side have swept away weaker, disorganised teams only to be stopped by a highly technical side in Spain during the last World Cup and a highly tactical side in Italy during the Euros of two years ago. The system could have its limitations in that Özil tires, this season more than ever considering the amount of games he's had to play as Arsenal's key player. For this to work, Götze would have to be rotated in, something which the young Bayern Munich star may not be too pleased with as he blossoms into one of the world's best playmakers in his own right.

2. Play both but with Götze either wide or as a "false 9".  

This is certainly something that Löw must consider seeing as he might have to incorporate both into his starting line-up. Özil would remain in an advanced central midfield position and Götze would have to settle for one of the wide roles or play as a false 9. Pep Guardiola has experimented with Götze in that role at Bayern this season but one wonders whether this can be effective at World Cup level as opposed to when steamrollering meek opposition in the Bundesliga. Özil probably plays too high up the pitch to be used in a false 9-accommodating formation. The best false 9 role in world football, demonstrated by Lionel Messi at Barcelona, requires his midfielders to sit that little bit deeper, dictating the pace in the middle allowing him to drop deep and search for space. Götze is not as good a finisher as Messi and having him in that role with Özil on the pitch could lead to confusion as they could well find themselves getting in each others' way.

3. Drop Özil entirely and play Götze as either the No. 10 or false 9.

Özil's form has dipped significantly over the past few months and Löw must genuinely consider dropping him if he can't rediscover the performances that had made the 25 year-old an early candidate for Premier League player of the season. Özil was taking the league by storm back in September but now he appears isolated and exhausted and one would question whether he can get back to his best in time for Brazil. Götze could very well flourish as Germany's first choice playmaker and giving him the starting berth from the beginning would be a huge vote of confidence. Löw must ask himself, when it comes to the showdown, and Germany face proper, tough opposition in the latter stages - do you want the largely indefatigable Götze or the somewhat languid genius of the ex-Real Madrid star? Decisions ahead.