PBP: WC 2010 Semi Final - Deutschland gg. Spanien 07.07.2010 [R]

I could give two shits about Spain. Doesn't change the fact that currently, they are a better team and grinding out a result than we are.

Crujiff said Spain is as good as holland 74. Causing a bit of a shitstorm with the dutch fans here...

That's normal. We would do the same thing. I think Germany played a good game against Spain, all things considered - Spain just was the better team.

Not surprised Lahmie is out today, he looked sickly during the Spain game.

"Löw: When we gained possession in the middle of the park, we were giving it away again too quickly. The way Spain knock the ball about, you spend a lot of time chasing after them. We used up a lot of energy doing that, and didn't see enough of the ball. We were also lacking in the kind of courage and self-belief we demonstrated against England and Argentina. Why, I can't really explain as yet."
http://bundesliga.de/en/liga/news/2009/index.php?f=157463.php&fla=1


Skipper Philipp Lahm said: “We lacked courage to attack.”

And keeper Manuel Neuer added: “We lacked confidence. It wasn’t in our game from the first minute and we had too much respect for Spain.”

Striker Miroslav Klose said: “Spain forced us to run after the ball. We should have forced them into mistakes, but we didn’t. They had all the possession and we were running endlessly behind the ball without stopping.

“This defeat is even harder than the Euro 2008 final, but the team is young and have a lot of time ahead to achieve triumphs.”
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football...-2010-Germany-bottled-it-admits-Philipp-Lahm/

"We lacked the courage of our convictions going forward," said Germany captain Philipp Lahm.

"We didn't have enough belief in ourselves," said Germany's Miroslav Klose.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/08/1721630/even-the-germans-lose.html

"We didn't get forward enough and created too few chances," Neuer surmised. "Perhaps we were lacking a bit of courage. In almost every game we scored in the first half, boosting our confidence, but today it was different. Then Spain took matters into their own hands and started creating a string of good chances." (Neuer).
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5773105,00.html

Somehow to say that you lacked courage doesn't seem to me like what a prideful player is very likely to say...

They'd rather say that than admit they were outplayed.

Which a few of them actually had the courage to say directly after the match.

As far as I remember, all these other quotes started the next day.

At least I'm not denying that at all... don't think the players are either.

Someone here posted a really good analysis of Germany's strategy in the game. I think I agree with him. Spain were playing better, but Germany had managed to contain them and could actually have managed to win the game. Which to me is more upsetting than if they would just have been outplayed.

This is pretty much how I am, or was feeling... the team did so well to stifle Spain's game for most of the game and to concede the most rudimentary, "un-Spanish" goal just seems so harsh. In the end, however, I have to concede that Spain did look the better team on the day... what a difference Mueller could have made instead of that worthless heap that is Trochowski.

I know which one you're talking about. I was saying similar things after the match. I was the one telling people who tried to say Germany "didn't show up" that they were crazy.

I've watched it three more times since including once today. Germany was outplayed. No question about it.

They weren't "dominated" as some were trying to say.

I don't know of you think "outplayed" = "dominated", but they are not the same thing.

I still believe had Germany thrown themselves into attack more, Spain would have shredded them.

And I'm just as entitled to my opinion as anyone insisting that had Germany "played more courageously", the outcome might have gone in their favor.

It's not the outcome; it's how you arrive at that outcome that matters

Losing to Spain is not the problem; problem is you have bunch of players with no attitude of fighting back and using others means to win. I watched bunch of players being scared and hesitated to play the better opponent; I didn't see any of them diving or making controversial tackles which is sad but expected when you have a coach who cares so much for his "nice" clothing rather than teach his players some dirty tactics

To me, the differences between the sides were more psychological... Spain seemed like a team ready to get to the final; Germany seemed like a team not sure they could get to the final.

Their doubt was obvious. Spain's was invisible.

Of course; what's wrong with it? Every team that has won a World Cup recently has resorted to that kind of tactic at one point. Brazil in 2002 against in Turkey; Italy against Australia or France in 2006. Guess what? At the end they won the World Cup and that's all that matters. When you play in a tournament like this, you have to do more than just playing attractive football to win. In every professional sport you have to take advantage of other means once in a while to win over your opponent especially if they have a edge over you in terms of quality

I'm not accusing the German team of anything, I applaud their overall performance in getting a third place finish in this World Cup and I understand that third place finish itself is something that some other teams have been trying to do for years and Germany has done it twice in a row

But for me when I watched the game on Wednesday I saw fear in German players. In sports, fear can singlehandedly bring you down and make you lose

Well, Wakashizuma did say "recently", and you say that dirty tactics are a consequence of the modern game... so you seem to agree...?.

No idea about your question. Would like to know as well.

Indeed. part of this was inexperience and the fact that many Spanish players have won so many titles and know what it means.

shouldn’t this thread be closed? every time i see the subject line i get a weird pain

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