Can Anyone Throw a Spanner in the Works of the Well Oiled Machine?

Sophie Kraus

As the quickest Euro qualifier and semi-finalist of the 2006 World Cup, it doesn’t come as a great surprise that the German Nationalmannschaft is once again considered one of the top favourites for the Euro title. After a flying qualifying round in Group D, Germany was the first team to successfully make it to the Euro finals and finished the first stage of the European championships with only one defeat against the Czech group winners and an amazing goal difference of plus 28.

With opponents like Wales, San Marino, Ireland, Slovakia and Cyprus, Germany’s draw was arguably one of the easy ones, and qualifying was all the more expected as Jürgen Klinsmann had set a high standard after reaching the 2006 World Cup semi-finals on home soil with a team that had not even managed to get through the group stages in Euro 2000 or 2004.

Despite these recent blunders, the overall German record however, is of course something that cannot be dismissed too easily: Since 1972, the Mannschaft has appeared in nine European Championship finals, in three of which it emerged victorious (last one in 1996); additionally the Germans boast 16 appearances in the World Cup finals and were crowned World Champions three times.

Squad

The announcement of the German squad brought many a surprise: In addition to international players such as Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal) or Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid), coach Joachim Löw shocked the pundits by appointing inexperienced players such as Robert Enke (Hannover 96) as keeper no. 2 and the midfielder Marko Marin from Borussia Mönchengladbach, a club which had only just been promoted to the 1. Bundesliga. Although Marin was later cut from the provisional squad, the 2. Bundesliga will still be represented by Oliver Neuville.

Goalkeepers:

Despite playing in one of the leading footballing countries, Jens Lehmann’s season at Arsenal was disappointing to say the least: Germany’s number one goalkeeper did not make it into the starting team and spent most of his time on the substitutes’ bench of the London club - despite a splendid record of 620 mins without conceding a single goal as the German keeper. With over 50 caps Lehmann is surely one of the more experienced players in the German squad; his lack of practice and reduced self-esteem however, could jeopardise Germany’s performance in the European Championships.

With Robert Enke (Hanover 96) and Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen) as Lehmann’s substitutes, "Jogi" Löw had more than one surprise in store as he decided to leave Valencia’s Timo Hildebrandt at home and opted for two fairly inexperienced goalkeepers who have so far only proved their expertise in one national game and Germany’s junior teams respectively. Despite shining in seven caps and a successful career at one of the biggest Spanish clubs, Hildebrandt’s days in the German squad already seem to be numbered as the 28 year-old is forced to give way to two brand new talents, who impressed through their consistent performances in the Bundesliga.

Defence:

With 39 caps behind him (including the World Cup final against Brazil), Christoph Metzelder is regarded as one of the most experienced defenders in the German squad. After his move to Real Madrid, the 27 year-old suffered a severe foot injury and was confined to the bench for most of the season. Although a strong leading figure in the German team, we will have to see whether Metzelder will be fit enough to make a real impact at Euro 2008.

Per Mertesacker’s season at Werder Bremen is certainly not something the defender would like to remember: Due to an injury, Mertesacker was also forced to spend most of the first half of the season on the sidelines and only made his comeback during the second half. The defender is considered an integral part of the squad and played a key role during the German World Cup campaign in 2006.

Phillip Lahm and Marcell Jansen are two of the many players Bayern Munich will be sending to the Euros.

Lahm impresses through his abilities with either foot, but will most certainly be positioned on the right side during the tournament.

Marcell on the other hand, is considered the only true left-footed player in the German squad and is likely to play an integral part on this side of the defence. As many of his colleagues, the Münchner got injured during the first part of the season, but was able to increase his form through participation in more matches later on.

Other defenders: Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC Berlin), Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen) and Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04).

Midfield:

The 31 year-old Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack is said to be "in the form of his life". The player who scored 35 goals in 79 national appearances is considered the only world class player in the current German squad; nicknamed the "eternal runner-up", Germany’s captain is under a lot of pressure to lead his team to victory and expectations are high for him to perform well.

Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger has to prove that he is worthy of a permanent position in the squad. Despite a great performance in the 2006 World Cup, the midfielder has been severely criticised by his current club. With over 50 caps and 13 goals however, the 23 year-old has the potential to make a similar impact in this competition.

With over 70 caps and 10 goals behind him, Torsten Frings acts as Germany’s midfield engine and played an important part in the 2002 World Cup Final. Two knee operations however have severely affected his physical form and self-esteem, and might compromise his performance in Euro 2008.

Other midfielders: Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV) David Odonkor (Betis Sevilla) and Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen).   

Strikers:

Despite a mediocre season at Bayern Munich and only one goal in the second half of the season, Miroslav Klose is regarded as the best and most dangerous striker in the German squad.  The 29 year-old, Polish-born striker is known for his aerial ability and scored 39 goals in 75 caps.

Due to his stable performance in the Bundesliga and national team, Lukas Podolski has also joined the German ranks. The young striker impressed at Bayern  - particularly in games when Klose was missing – and has hit the net 25 times in nearly 50 caps.

As Germany’s footballer of the year, Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart) is clearly one of the young, new talents that have been brought into the competition. With 6 goals in only 9 caps, the 22 year-old striker of German-Spanish origin is definitely one of the more prolific players and might make a real impact in this year’s competition.

Other strikers: Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04) and Oliver Neuville (Borussia Mönchengladbach).

Coach

Despite his wide-ranging management experience in Austria, Turkey and Germany, Joachim ‘Jogi’ Löw’s appointment as the assistant coach of the German squad was a surprise for many. Together with Jürgen Klinsmann, Löw introduced a new tactical philosophy for the disillusioned team that had experienced a devastating tournament in Portugal 2004: The World Cup on German soil brought what many Germans still call 2006’s ‘Sommermärchen’ (summer’s fairy tale) – an amazing performance no-one had believed possible at the beginning of the tournament and a newly found national pride and self-esteem.

After Klinsmann’s resignation, Löw’s succession to the German throne was inevitable. The 48 year-old continued with the tactics and strategy he and Klinsmann had devised and successfully qualified with his squad as the very first team for Euro 2008. As before, Löw is likely to employ a 4-4-2 formation in the European Championships, which will show off the German midfield and defence’s well-known efficiency.

Like a true German, Löw’s target is high: the continuation of Germany’s Sommermärchen, with the ultimate goal of reaching the final on the 29th June in Austria’s capital, Vienna.

Group Stage

Although dubbed a dream draw, Group B might not be as easy as some think.

Since their sudden appearance in the 1998 World Cup, in which they finished 3rd, Croatia have impressed through strong, consistent play.  The Croats qualified easily, beating group favourites England home and away and ending up as the group winner with only one defeat (against Macedonia) and a five-point lead over runners-up Russia.

With opponents like Portugal and Serbia, Poland did well to secure a place in the Euro finals. The Polish team amazed many by finishing first with a one-point lead over Portugal and proved through consistent and strong performances (which included a victory and draw against the Portuguese team) that they were worthy of a place in the European tournament. Although a definite outsider, the Poles are hard to defeat and Germany should therefore in no way underestimate their Eastern neighbours.

As one of the hosts, Austria has the advantage of playing on home soil and hopes to make a small impact in their first ever appearance in the European Championships. The bookmakers’ odds however do not lie and with a highest price of 100/1, Austria are clearly the outsiders. You never know though - with their fans at their back, Austrian football might surprise us all. In their warm-up match against Germany on 6th June, Josef Hitzlsberger’s squad certainly impressed with their aggressive play and only conceded their first of three goals in the 53rd minute.

 

View from the Country

The German fans are confident to say the least: According to a survey of the FAZ newspaper, nearly one in two (47.2%) believe that their team will reach the final. The readers of sport magazine Kicker predict an equally amazing campaign, with 56.3% being convinced that the national squad will get to the very last round.

But the enthusiasm doesn’t stop there: Coach and players want to see a continuation of the unexpected dream that started under Klinsmann and aim to get right to the top. With the whole country behind them and even Chancellor Angela Merkel backing them openly, there is no reason why the German Sommermärchen cannot go into a second round.

Personal Verdict

With the country’s unbelievable self-confidence and millions of fans right on the doorstep, Germany certainly have all the prerequisites to perform well. A number of strong and gifted players as well as some new talented youngsters form the basis of an organised and efficient team that is led by a well-established and respected coach, determined to repeat Germany’s achievement of 2006.

I am certain that Germany will do well this year: Although Croatia are definitely not a footballing nation that we should underestimate, the German Mannschaft should easily make it through the group phase and get right through to the semi-final.

Many of the big players have suffered from recent injuries, however, and were unable to fulfil their potential in the last season. Jens Lehmann’s performance in the latest friendly matches is also evidence that the keeper has clearly missed out on a lot of practice this year. With two goalie substitutes who are inexperienced in international level, this key position might damage Germany’s campaign at some point.

On a positive note however, I am sure that Germany will do their nation proud.

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