German National Team News & Discussion Thread - EURO 2012 & Beyond [R]

He does enjoy counter attacking football, but I hope you are not saying he's more of a winger than a striker because he simply isn't IMO, and this season has shown that.

The only way Podolski doesn't start for Arsenal is if Wenger employs a strict 4-2-3-1 and employs Podolski only as CF, then he will only start the occasional FA cup game (until Persie is injured).

 

I'd say he's a cross. A wing-forward. Ideal for broad counter attacking 4-2-3-1 formations. Only issue is he doesn't cut in as often because of his reliance on his left-foot.

Wenger will play him in both positions I reckon. At this stage only van Persie is a better choice in that role. None of their other strikers are remarkable by any means.

 

Exactly, no - he's not a winger like nani or ribery - he's someone who combines both of those attributes.

 

Lahm played on the right side again. Pretty decent game. He might stay there till end of the season . Should loew also then move him back to the right?
What would be best for nt lahm on the left or the right.

Or who is better howedes/boateng on the right or schmelzer/aogo on the left.

 

Considering neither Hoewedes nor Boateng are RB's I would have to say Lahm would be best at RB with Schmelzer LB.

 

Boateng and Lahm can switch like they did in South africa

 

It doesn't really matter for Löw, Lahm is experienced enough on both sides and thus it won't affect him at all.
Löw also doesn't care wether or not Kroos plays as CM or Podolski as LA at club level so why should he care about Lahm who is a proven player on both positions.

 

Boateng is a different story because he isn't a finished RB and thus every game there would help the NT but it's simply different for Lahm.
And do you honestly think that Heynckes cares about the NT when he makes his formation?
I stand by my comment, Lahm's position in the club doesn't matter at this point in his career. Lahm will play for the NT on the side which lacks a decent FB more and this is currently the LB position while there are at least defensivly solid solutions available as RB.

 

Yes, for an experienced international captain like Lahm, it really does not matter where he is deployed. Lahm is class on both sides. For a guy adjusting to a position like Boateng, current position matters.

 

Loew will play Lahm on whichever side Bayern does. If he plays the rest of the season at RB, then he will surely be in that spot at the EM. It can only help the NT to have Lahm in his best position.

 

The goals came from that side, but I wouldn't take this single match as any indication of the quality of the team with Lahm on the right. Players like Aogo are simply not good enough and that is the problem.

 

Not if Boateng plays there.

 

NT team A vs Team B
Which one wins???

----------------Neuer----------------
Boateng-Hummels--Bads--Lahm
-----Khedira-------Schweinie-------
MUller--------Oezil------------Poldi
---------------Klose-----------------

-----------Gomez-----------------------
----------------------Reus-------------
Schurrle-----------------------Goetze
----------------Kroos--Bender-------
Schmelzer--Merte-----Traesch?--Hoewedes
-----------------Wiese-----------------------

I wouldn't mind seeing a full 60 minutes of this in training.

 

It is clear that Aogo is need someone to cover for lahm.

 

Close call, but I'd go with Team A.
I would replace Traesch with Friedrich/Huth.

 

Howedes CB for Team B and Jantsche as RB

 

A-team by a landslide.

 

Today Gomez made a real argument for starting ahead of Klose. That guy just doesn't let up, spectacular.

Kroos too was again, defensively sound and his intelligence is miles ahead of Khedira or Bender. A real winner this one is, fantastic. He's only 22!

 

I must say Gomez always looks so clumsy when he misses, but when he strikes the goal(Although also sometimes looking clumsy) his skill amazes me .

 

He really understand the art of scoring. You don't need to be super technical to do it, just appreciate the rigor and persistence needed. I don't see how Klose can hold up with him doing so well even if Klose does fit better with the philosophy of the team.

 

To throw in another two Pfennigs into the Klose v Gomez discussion, the latter illustrated yesterday why he is so effective for Bayern and hit-and-miss for the NT.

Bayern yesterday bombarded Basel down the flanks - Robben on the right, Ribéry on the left. With two skillful wingers at the top of their game, opposition defences are torn apart and turned inside out - perfect for the poacher CF who has the skill and awareness (which Gomez has in abundance) to be in the right place to execute the finish. True, his fourth goal was a cracker worthy of a Messi or Ronaldo, but the three others were largely created by the style of play and the fantastic supply chain.

The NT on the other hand tend to play down the centre of the field, with things focussed on playmaker Mesut Özil. Here the CF plays more of a team role, which often requires good close control and one-twos played through the centre of the park. Here Klose comes into his own: he is better on the ball than Gomez and, as had been noted many times on this board, has an almost telepathic relationship with Özil. With the exception of the odd foray by Thomas Müller or perhaps Philipp Lahm, there is no real emphasis on outflanking and getting behind opposition defences; Podolski is a ball-hogger, and while is Schürrle is slightly less selfish he has come nowhere near being as good as supplier as someone like Ribéry.

While Gomez is able to be "in the right place, at the right time" for Bayern on a regular basis, he is forced to play a different way for the NT - and given that his first close control and link play is not as good as Klose's and he tends to stumble a lot, he can look pretty awful at times.

So long as the NT continue to direct things down the middle, Klose will always be the best bet and Gomez will never be as effective as he is at club level. If however Jogi were suddenly able to find a pair of wingers as good as "Robbery", I can see Gomez matching his Gerd Mülleresque strike rate at club level for the NT.

I am a Klose fan, but in defence of Gomez I do believe that even Gerd Müller - perhaps the greatest-ever poacher with superb awareness in the box - would have had trouble gelling with the current NT style.