Match #31 :: The Final :: Sunday 29 June [R]

[Wotan]

Okay, here is the official and only version from Löw. Ballack has a hardened and infalmed calf muscle since Friday and did not take part in training yesterday and today. He is not likely to start tomorrow because there has not been an improvement so far. They medical staff is doing its best but they will decide tomorrow before the match if he can play. It is unlikely, though.
Schweinsteiger or Borowski is are going to replace him. That is all they said at the press conference today.

An no, it is of course not a bluff. Löw has never and probably will never do stuff like that and has always been honest and clear about any injuries and whether a player is going to start or recovering or the like.

Hi Gooner-
A "hardened" & "inflamed" calf muscle can be treated to the point of being functional. The inflammation can be treated with anti-inflammitory drugs like Ibuprofin. or any NSAID med...& Cortisone...& that would immediately cause the "hardening" to let up. IF it is true that he had a "private workout"...that is encouraging! The calf could also be wrapped! He has another 24 hrs to recover. I have faith in the German Sports medical staff!

Never underestimate the German medical staff.....& the courageous German character (Remember Beckenbauer playing the 2nd half of the 1974 final...vs Italy...with his arm in a sling?) Hope i got the year right!

Anyway---I, Wotan...hereby go on record as saying..."Ballack WILL START".....! You heard it here...first! Anyone here in agreement with me?

Regards--Wotan

[Mosco]

Greetings can anyone be nice enough and tell me what time this game will be aired live I have Direct TV I live in Southern California so Pacific time will be nice. Thanks

[Borussia]

GOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL SPAINNNNN

http://euro2008girls.com/pics/spanish-girl-01.jpg


http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/ln8y16w7/sarah_brandner.jpg

TOOOOOOR GERMANY

;)


http://www.bild.de/BILD/sport/fussball/EM-2008/2008/06/28/rot-besiegen-wir/der-beweis,geo=4978296.html

So let's hope that Spain won't wear the yellow tops. :-)

[Borussia]

To much bla bla bla bla here.... lets start the match...


Yep. Unfortunately, @ Alberto is ruining the thread with his "off topic" bla bla...:mad:



If he won't be able to play Ballack should REALLY think about getting rid of that #13, I mean seriously...

Agree! :mad: ;)


He had a special indoor training session without any press noticing.

I heard that Villa had joined this special training. :-)

All joking aside, it would be really a shame if the 2 best players of both teams won't be able to play in the final.

[gold.field]

That's your opinion. 1990 was one of the poorest World Cups on record save for Cameroon's play. It was full of negative, defensive football. Having watched all of those matches live it is my opinion that Argentina and Italy were the most skillful sides. You are aware that Italy beat England in the third place game?

I could argue the same point with respect to Paulo Rossi in 1982. Was nowhere to be seen until the game against Brasil in the second round of group play and then disappeared following the world cup.

You failed to mention that one of the few teams who actually played attacking football in 1990 was Germany. And naming Argentina - a team that bunkered their way into the final - as one of the skillful teams in 1990 leads me to believe that you couldn't have been following that cup very closely despite "having watched all of those matches live". You know they barely made it out of their group, shot 5 goals the whole tournament and tried their hardest to make the final the first 0:0 in WC history? You may also reconsider picking a third place game as a point of reference in the future. It's basicly a glorified friendly - especially if teams of that calibre are involved.

[Borussia]

after I heard Löw talking about Ballack's injury, I'm VERY sure that he won't play.


... unless our docs are miracle healers. ;)



And that is indeed a huge blow for Germany


Well, I'm not so sure after Ballack's "performance" against Turkey...



whose chances are minimal now.


Like in the WC 2002 final against Brasil, when we were totally outplayed. ;)


hereby go on record as saying..."Ballack WILL START".....! You heard it here...first! Anyone here in agreement with me?


Maybe he'll start (just in order to avoid a personal trauma after the missed 2002 WC final) ... but I wouldn't be surprised to see him getting replaced after a few minutes then.

[cuyseco]

Tomorrow will be the same score :D

y3d85mDD8w4

[Lahmfan]

Originally Posted by HerrRupert
http://www.bild.de/BILD/sport/fussba...o=4978296.html

are they saying we have a good luck with teams wearing red? LOL didnt notice that, but its true..
Poland ==> Red = win
Croatia ==> Blue = lose
Austria ==> Red = win
Portugal ==> Red = win
Turkey ==> Red = win
Spain ==> Red = ?? lol this is too funny

[JeremyEritrea]

http://www.bild.de/BILD/sport/fussball/EM-2008/2008/06/29/schlag-spanien/in-der-luft-neu.html

[Wotan]

LATEST ON BALLACK!

This comes from the web site if Deutscher Fussball Bund.

I'll paraphrase from the latest Press conference tonite:

Low said he has not given up that Ballack may play.:)

Ballack himself, said he was "OPTIMISTIC" that he'd be able to start & play.

Me thinks after reading all of the info.......& the "private training session" that Ballack had......that his injury MAY....be less serious than the media has led us to believe!
if Ballack himself says he is "optimistic", who knows how he feels better than him?:confused:

I guarantee that when the German Nation Anthem is playing...Michael Ballack will be standing in the starting line up.

I'd like to know if anyone (except of course, the "pessimistic" Germans) concurs with me that this injury may be a lot less serious than first assumed & Ballack's absence from the training field...fueled all kinds of speculation!

Nun Volk steh auf und Sturm brich los!" (did i spell that right? I'm just an Italian/American guy w a "passion for Germans".....especially their women!);)

Wotan....the "ERGREIFER".....

[Cris 09]

Pretty sure Ballack will play, but Loew needs a "plan B" in case he needs to come off at the 60 minute mark or so!


LATEST ON BALLACK!

This comes from the web site if Deutscher Fussball Bund.

I'll paraphrase from the latest Press conference tonite:

Low said he has not given up that Ballack may play.:)

Ballack himself, said he was "OPTIMISTIC" that he'd be able to start & play.

Me thinks after reading all of the info.......& the "private training session" that Ballack had......that his injury MAY....be less serious than the media has led us to believe!
if Ballack himself says he is "optimistic", who knows how he feels better than him?:confused:

I guarantee that when the German Nation Anthem is playing...Michael Ballack will be standing in the starting line up.

I'd like to know if anyone (except of course, the "pessimistic" Germans) concurs with me that this injury may be a lot less serious than first assumed & Ballack's absence from the training field...fueled all kinds of speculation!

Nun Volk steh auf und Sturm brich los!" (did i spell that right? I'm just an Italian/American guy w a "passion for Germans".....especially their women!);)

Wotan....the "ERGREIFER".....

[smithfan]

umm....is there actually a reliable source for a "private training session"?

[Mosco]

LATEST ON BALLACK!

This comes from the web site if Deutscher Fussball Bund.

I'll paraphrase from the latest Press conference tonite:

Low said he has not given up that Ballack may play.:)

Ballack himself, said he was "OPTIMISTIC" that he'd be able to start & play.

Me thinks after reading all of the info.......& the "private training session" that Ballack had......that his injury MAY....be less serious than the media has led us to believe!
if Ballack himself says he is "optimistic", who knows how he feels better than him?:confused:

I guarantee that when the German Nation Anthem is playing...Michael Ballack will be standing in the starting line up.

I'd like to know if anyone (except of course, the "pessimistic" Germans) concurs with me that this injury may be a lot less serious than first assumed & Ballack's absence from the training field...fueled all kinds of speculation!

Nun Volk steh auf und Sturm brich los!" (did i spell that right? I'm just an Italian/American guy w a "passion for Germans".....especially their women!);)

Wotan....the "ERGREIFER".....



Trust me the Spanish will not be thrown off by maybe Ballack will play it won't matter anyway

[Caesar]

The actual quote from Loew was not very positive at all. He basically just said that Ballack was holding out hope, despite the probability being very high that he won't play. There has been no improvement in his condition and they still do not know the cause. No fresh news.

At this point I would be very surprised to see him take the field.

[smithfan]

The actual quote from Loew was not very positive at all. He basically just said that Ballack was holding out hope, despite the probability being very high that he won't play. There has been no improvement in his condition and they still do not know the cause. No fresh news.

At this point I would be very surprised to see him take the field.

Exactly. I saw his statement live on TV, it doesn't look positive.

[Alberto]

No I have followed every tournament live since 1986 game by game. I can remember 1990 every moments because we had an amature reporting team at school. We analysed every match of 1990 and publiched it at school board.



well actually you are the troll here. I was old enough to watch 1990 live. You are probably older than me, but it doesn't make you a football expert. Simply you don't have football in your culture. I think, you prefer Football or better call it for you, soccer, to be a game like Basketball with more goals, or something with fancy movements like water dance.


Any way, we have been in 13 finals and won 6 of them sofar. Actually I don't care that you like to reduce any tornament in which Germany achieved something to poor, boring or whatever. Let' come back to the topic.

Funny post, you assume because I am American I have no football culture in my country. You forget America is a land of immigrants. Perhaps you failed to take into consideration that I was born in another country?

Last I looked this wasn't the German boards. It is the UEFA 2008 knock out phase forum . I hardly consider it trolling when I cite examples and qualify that Germany have not played this way in the previous World Cup. I merely make an observation which is quite true, that Germany in the past have resorted to hard challenges against more skillful opponents to gain a result.

I found it interesting that you or another German poster dismissed the quality of those tournaments that Germany did not win.

[Alberto]

absolutely idiotic statement. just because you two have different opinions you shouldn't dismiss his' by claiming superiority cause of your nationality.


I am standing by my earlier opinion that he is a young man. A more mature person would not resort to these types of comments to try and discredit a different opinion.

[Alberto]

You failed to mention that one of the few teams who actually played attacking football in 1990 was Germany. And naming Argentina - a team that bunkered their way into the final - as one of the skillful teams in 1990 leads me to believe that you couldn't have been following that cup very closely despite "having watched all of those matches live". You know they barely made it out of their group, shot 5 goals the whole tournament and tried their hardest to make the final the first 0:0 in WC history? You may also reconsider picking a third place game as a point of reference in the future. It's basicly a glorified friendly - especially if teams of that calibre are involved.

The third place game meant something back in the day. It was not the glorified friendly it has become today.

If you read my post carefully, I stated that 1990 was the world cup with the most negative football. As to West Germany, they scored 9 of those goals in two games against Yugoslavia and that world power the United Arab Emirates.

Back in 1990, if the match remained tied, after the two extra periods, there would be a replay the following Monday. Argentina did not have Caniggia for the final. They were playing for the tie and a replay on Monday. It would have been a much more interesting match than the bore fest the final was. West Germany, could also not score and produced little positive football. They were with all sincerity gifted the penalty by Edgardo Codesal of Mexico.

[Caesar]

I actually thought that (aside from Cameroon) West Germany was the only team that played good football at Italia 1990. They went defensive like everyone else after the group stage, but they at least played some nice stuff early on (which is more than can be said for anyone else).

Argentina were abysmal. Italy rode Toto Schillaci's boot to the semis, and showed little else. All in all a tournament I wish I'd never wasted my time watching.

[Alberto]

I actually thought that (aside from Cameroon) West Germany was the only team that played good football at Italia 1990. They went defensive like everyone else after the group stage, but they at least played some nice stuff early on (which is more than can be said for anyone else).

Argentina were abysmal. Italy rode Toto Schillaci's boot to the semis, and showed little else. All in all a tournament I wish I'd never wasted my time watching.


As you said it was only in the group stage did Germany attack. In the knockout phase all those teams were pathetic. All negative football. Don't concede the goal. Play for penalties. Too bad Cameroon did not go through against England I was rooting for them. They still have my all time favorite play in the World Cup, Rene Iguita being stripped of the ball at midfield by Roger Millia and the subsequent goal. Great stuff. Play with fire you will be burned.