The NT Players Performance and Ratings Thread 2011/2012

Defensively speaking, he is right. Au contraire, Kroos can function as an attacking midfielder quite well. He's done it for germany and bayern.

Gomez with a goal against the mighty Stuttgart, Klose with two assists against the even mightier Cesena.

I think with kroos as a central playmaker, and mueller on the wings - everything becomes more team oriented. Mueller never hesitates to pass, he is also more likely to pass than go for the dribble himself. Robben is almost the anti-thesis of this.

Regardless, it was a good goal for gomez to get, and mueller + kroos both had great games.

Mueller to start on the right for germany.

Someone who deserve a mention for his very good and consistent play in the last months is Mike Hanke.

Some guys such as Lasogga or Kiessling have scored as many or more goals than him, but I dont they have played as well.
He works hard for his team, both on attack and defense. He has become more than the pure poacher that he was five years ago.
He is new playing style would fit pretty well with the National Team and his (current) lack of goal-scoring could be compensated from the wings and Oezil (who has a very good goal-scoring record for Germany since June).


Right now with Cacau struggling, I think that Hanke is the third best German player whose main Position is Centre Forward.
I have phrased it like this because I think that as of now Loew should only take two CFs (Klose and Gomez) to Ukraine and have Podolski, Schuerrle, Reus or Mueller as spare should something happen.

That being said Hanke deserves monitoring and mentioning.

Lassoga and Kiessling weren't even considered for making an appearance at the Euro. Keissling has one season of good form, he's a hard working player - but not at that kind of level. Lassoga is only 19, and has to even break double digits. He's way behind the pecking order.

I think in that case, Hanke, who is talented, has virtually no shot.

Hard to disagree with any of this. Gladbach have been playing very well all season long and Hanke has been a factor in that, but in terms of Hanke joining the NT there really is no discussion.

I think Loew has made it clear that he is interested in bringing in Mlapa to the NT, along with players like Leitner n Holtby in that interview back in November?

Without Reus it'll be very hard for them to gain that momentum again. Reus is without a doubt a competitor for a startup, Hermann looks like a very talented fellow, but we'll see how he does without Reus.

And i think they'll have Moritz Goettel promoted to their 1st team next season, a top talent imo

N i think if they're really signing Beister from HSV, he can be a good replacement of Reus

I'm not really sure what's going on with Schurrle. I watched today's match against Barcelona, where he looked like he was out there with an energetic performance, but he rarely factored in any goal-scoring opportunities. I hope he'll have some time on the pitch for the friendly against France, because I'd really like to see how he's gelling with the NT.

Didnt look too good as a central striker, then again - this is barcelona. if ronaldo, ibrahimovic and rooney look mediocre, i dont expect schuerrle to fare any better.

Why couldn't we? This is exactly the level that hits the team even in the group matches. Schürrle has a bad season, no doubts. He's young and new to Leverkusen, so I agree it's not a general lack of skill. But you can't use that as a excuse all year. His current form is not enough for the NT team, not with so much other talent out there.

Dutt played Schuerrle as the only striker up top though, since Derdiyok is injured and Kiessling was benched.

I think he is better as a supporting striker next to Kiessling, playing only Schuerrle up front is definitely a new role for the 21 year old.


Dutt/Leverkusen tried to convert Schuerrle into a left winger earlier this season, before the winter break. But then thats not his position either, he cant be played only on the left flank, he need more space and better at a free role. Schuerrle is not a winger, he can play there but lets dont forget he played his BEST GAMES for Mainz at SS/CF. When he was put up front with Risse/Szalai in a 4-4-2.

The criticism is not fair. He needs to play at a position where he performs his best. But right now, looks like he is being used as a utility man, just like Thomas Mueller does. Mueller doesnt have a position on the pitch since Bayern n Germany do not play a 4-4-2, n he is doing poorly if fans n coahc expect him to be a right winger. He is not, he needs to be played at a free role too.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. He's not doing that well, my only fear is that last season was a one off.

Come on.. We have no space to inherit him just for sympathy. He has to perform if he wants to be on the team.

I'm not really sure I understand this reluctance to criticize players who aren't playing well. Why are so many of you so keen on making excuses for these players? I don't know why it's so hard to just admit that he's not playing well, whatever the reason.

The answer is easy: Most users have their babies, who they follow passionately. They get a bonus whatsoever and the opposite is also true. Players and managers who are diskliked never have a serious chance despite their possibly rise in form/skill.

Leverkusen played like fools against Barcelona, especially in the 1st half. I would like to see Schürrle play in a less foolish team (such as the German one vs France) before I pass my judgement on his current form. Against Barcelona, he looked lively, but most of the passes that he might have wanted to receive ended up roughly 50 meters away from him. He was also up against 6-10 opponents on his own most of the time.

So he can't play at CF, and he can't play as LAM? But he can play in a 4-4-2.

That's nice, but we aren't exactly going to alter the formation of the NT to cater to the needs of Andre Schuerrle. He either fits, or he doesn't. And all season long he has shown that he doesn't, bar a handful of good matches for the NT against lesser sides.

No one seems to consider Schurrle was used as the only striker up top against Barcelona. And lets dont forget Dutt used to play him at LW, then used as a 2nd striker next to Kiessling after winterbreak. He is clearly still adapting.

A new position for him against the best team in the world. Not easy for him

I dount players like Schurrle and Mueller can play at their best in a 4-5-1, to be very honest.

they are not wingers who can penetrate and cross comfortably from deep. They are one-trick-pony: For Schuerrle, u know he'll move to the center from the left flank and shoot with his stronger right foot; and for Thomas Mueller, he is simply not contributing on the right.

Schuerrle at CF may be a solution, but he needs more time there in order to adapt or settle

What else are you supposed to base your conclusion when it comes to someone's performances if not the performances themselves? How is that ignorant?

Yes, obviously club form is not the same as NT form, but if you're a challenger to a position, you can't afford to languish with mediocre performances the same year as a major international competition. If he's supposed to be a legitimate threat to that LW position in the NT, Schurrle's going to prove it on the pitch. No one in his right mind will choose excuses over 15 goals.

Excellent understanding of the game should result in more than two goals and one assist in 26 games.