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MaNuMaNiAc
06-09-2006, 06:10 PM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/mark_bechtel/06/09/germany.notgreat/index.html


A questionable back line could doom the home team


MUNICH -- The World Cup got started -- really got started -- around 4:15 p.m. local time, an hour and 45 minutes before the kickoff of the first match, Germany's 4-2 win over Costa Rica. Munich's World Cup Stadium was about one-third full, with a solid block of Ticos fans forming a red sea in the far corner. As the German team wandered onto the pitch, strains that are quite familiar to football fans began to blare from the P.A. system -- and with them, the crowd came to life.

It was the beginning of Three Lions, the maddeningly catchy song that served as the anthem of England's Euro '96 campaign. If you've been in a bar where they show soccer, you've heard it: "It's coming home, it's coming home, it's coming.... FOOTBALL'S COMING HOME." It was a cheeky move. For starters, England's hopes in Euro '96 were dashed in a penalty-kick loss to Germany. (In fact, the song was reworked for the 1998 World Cup, with updated lyrics to reflect England's latest big tournament bow-out.) "Taking the piss," I believe the British would call that.

More significantly, the Brits claim to have invented the modern game -- hence, their singing "football's coming home" ostensibly had some sort of basis in history. By saying that football's home is actually the Rhineland, the hosts were making the rather bold claim that they've seized ownership of the game, that they're a better provider for it. It was kind of like sidling up to a lady in a bar, taking a look at her man and saying, "Lose the schlub and come home with me, hon. I'll treat you right." (Not that I'd know anything about that.)

But before we dismiss the Germans as louts in pubs looking to steal our women, let's give them a chance. Maybe there's something to this "Home of das fussball" claim. Putting on a great tournament would be a good first step toward proving it, and they seem to be on their way to doing just that. Their fans have been loud, proud and well-behaved. (Anytime the P.A. announcer says a German player's last name, the crowd roars it with him, about 30 times louder than the bleacher creatures at Yankee Stadium are when they chant the Bronx Bombers' starters' names. And they've got names like Schweinsteiger to deal with over here. Not easy on the vocal cords.) Locals are going out of their way to take the "A Time to Make Friends" motto to heart, and with the exception of the occasional one-hour detour on the media shuttle, things have been as smooth as can be expected.

More importantly, to stake a claim as the sport's true home, the Germans are going to have to play well and if not win the Cup, come close. And to that we say, not so fast. Of course, Friday's game wasn't a bad result: four goals without their best player, injured midfield maestro Michael Ballack. A pair of 21-year-olds, striker Lukas Podolski and winger Bastian Schweinsteiger, were fantastic in their Cup debuts. Both had terrific workrates and were very dangerous. Ol' Handball himself, Torsten Frings, saw to it that the Germans controlled the middle without Ballack. And the littlest man on the pitch, left back Philipp Lahm, was the most sublime. He scored the game's first goal with a perfectly placed screamer, set up the third with a cross and generally wreaked all sorts of havoc on the left side.

But the fact that the Germans can attack with flair is no secret. Neither is this: Their defense is terrible. It wasn't always noticeable, since Costa Rica rarely had the ball (Germany had it for 63 percent of the first half). But given a couple half-chances, the Ticos made the Germans pay. Right back Arne Friedrich committed two blunders, allowing Paolo Wanchope to get behind him on both Costa Rican goals (in all fairness, Wanchope looked to be offside on both occasions). It could have been worse: Danny Fonseca had a free header off a corner in the second half but somehow sent it way wide. He had another chance off a free kick minutes later but sent that wide as well. (Not a good day for Fonseca: two missed chances, a booking, and he fell down, allowing Lahm to unleash his rocket.) And Wanchope was caught just offside a couple of times. One got the sense it was bad timing on the part of the Costa Ricans rather than intelligent defending by the Germans.

Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann can't feel good about Wanchope's goals. The lanky Tico doesn't exactly have blazing speed, but he is cagey. He's a born goal-scorer and Germany couldn't handle him. If Wanchope had gotten any consistent service from the midfield, he could have bagged a couple more. And it's not just that the German D is prone to catastrophic failure. Central defender Per Mertesacker looked incredibly uncomfortable on the ball, and his partner, Christoph Metzelder, didn't inspire much confidence either. Only Lahm, who seemed buoyed by his goal, looked steady. (Hey, if you scored a goal as sweet as his, you'd be feeling pretty assured too.)

Germany has the weapons to score on anyone, that much was made clear. But if it give up two goals to a mediocre Costa Rican team, there's no telling what flaws a decent team will expose. With their offense, their easy draw and their home field advantage, the Germans are a lock to get out of Group A. But come the round of 16, it looks like they'll be going home -- and football likely won't be going with them.

velik_m
06-10-2006, 02:19 AM
like i said: germany sucks.

None of the D last night was any good, Ecuador got away because Poland wasn't attacking much.

alamo50
06-10-2006, 04:13 AM
Both games surprised me very much.
Looking forward to tonight's game of Argentina vs. Ivory Coast.

TDMVPDPOY
06-10-2006, 04:24 AM
they got young defenders imo, and this team is pretty young, probaly lack of experience.

wattabout that lucky goal from midfield, caught everyone by suprise.

Texas_Ranger
06-10-2006, 05:55 AM
they got young defenders imo, and this team is pretty young, probaly lack of experience.

wattabout that lucky goal from midfield, caught everyone by suprise.

agree

themvp
06-10-2006, 06:47 AM
wattabout that lucky goal from midfield, caught everyone by suprise.


Frings´ goal? Lucky? Well, i wouldn´t say that was a lucky goal, that was one real goal. They striked a lot from distance, because CR´ goalkeeper was unreliable (?).

hendrix
06-10-2006, 09:30 AM
In Football, I like the team that take risks. England has won only 1 WC, but it's a fun team to watch hehehe.. Germany is playing a little more "jogo bonito" (Brazil's traditional motto reflecting its virtue with the ball, but at the same time its indifference to defensive tactics).

TDMVPDPOY
06-10-2006, 10:31 AM
Frings´ goal? Lucky? Well, i wouldn´t say that was a lucky goal, that was one real goal. They striked a lot from distance, because CR´ goalkeeper was unreliable (?).

that goal was cleary a lucky goal, i mean he did ment it on purpose to strike it, but whether it goes in or not is another thing. Hell the goalie was at the position to catch the ball, just that it caught him off gaurd and the ball was headin that direction at a low attitude. seriously if you were a goalie would you expect anyone go for goal at that distance? i was expectin him to pass iit to get closer for a shot.

u remember that goal from ronaldinho from last WC against england? that was all luck the ball went over seamens head.

themvp
06-10-2006, 10:38 AM
seriously if you were a goalie would you expect anyone go for goal at that distance? i was expectin him to pass iit to get closer for a shot.

u remember that goal from ronaldinho from last WC against england? that was all luck the ball went over seamens head.


Germany was shoting a lot from distance yesterday, so maybe goalie could expect that, but that was a moment and powerful and accurate shot.

Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C1fNq_s9mY&search=ronaldinho%20seaman) is Ronaldinho´s goal. :)

MaNuMaNiAc
06-10-2006, 11:52 AM
that goal was cleary a lucky goal, i mean he did ment it on purpose to strike it, but whether it goes in or not is another thing. Hell the goalie was at the position to catch the ball, just that it caught him off gaurd and the ball was headin that direction at a low attitude. seriously if you were a goalie would you expect anyone go for goal at that distance? i was expectin him to pass iit to get closer for a shot.

u remember that goal from ronaldinho from last WC against england? that was all luck the ball went over seamens head.
seriously how the hell can you say Ronaldhinio's goal in 2002 against England was luck??? that's bullshit! I've seen him do shit like that on purpose dozens of times. If you think is luck, you clearly don't know how Ronaldhinio plays. http://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smirolleyes.gif

TDMVPDPOY
06-10-2006, 12:09 PM
from that far nearly at the half field line, and seamen 3metres off his line? and runnin back to try n catch the ball when it was swirlin? clearly luck. had he missed it or seaman caught it, you guys would probaly say it was just a test shot

MaNuMaNiAc
06-10-2006, 12:11 PM
from that far nearly at the half field line, and seamen 3metres off his line? and runnin back to try n catch the ball when it was swirlin? clearly luck. had he missed it or seaman caught it, you guys would probaly say it was just a test shot
it wasn't clearly luck. It was a well executed free kick that ended up where he meant to put it. Now if the goalkeeper was better positioned he might have been able to stop it, but that is still nothing to do with luck, that was Seamen's mistake.

Texas_Ranger
06-10-2006, 12:17 PM
That was not a lucky goal, Germany shot a lot from distance, so that goal was no surprise.

rascal
06-11-2006, 08:42 PM
Germany will go far likely to the final four. Their defense is good enough and they are at home. They have one of the best offenses. They have a power game, can score from long distances with power strikes better than most teams.