German National Team News & Discussion Thread - Post WC 2010

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

I want to post, how can u stop me?

Two main problems to address:


1) I am not sure about Klose's decision, but it just a matter of time of when he is stepping down.

Who can be his successor and start at CF for the NT? logical candidates will be Kiessling, Gomez, Helmes, Podolski, Cacau, Thomas Muller and Kuranyi but everyone no one seems to be a good solution. I like Mueller but he needs to gain some muscle before he can play there, he isnt an aerial threat either.

Can younger forwards like Mlapa, Sukuta-Pasu, Schurrle and Lennart Thy step up?


2) Who will be our no.1 keeper? Neuer or Adler?

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

Lol. That was funny. Helps me get over the loss ( a very little, though). Wish I could rep you.

I think this whole captaincy thing is a non issue. It doesn't really matter who the captain is. I don't want the captain to change. Lahm is respected as a captain. Ballack would be 'feared' as a captain. The difference is subtle, Lahm is like the agony aunt captain whom they can all take their problems too and who would understand them. Ballack is the equivalent of a school head master.

On Ballack coming back to the team:
The negatives:
1) Loew will not be as 'free' to dictate strategy. Ballack will have his say. And I don't think that having two minds run the show is a good thing on the long run.
2) Where will Ballack play? As a DM, I think right now, both Khedira and Schweinsteiger are better. They don't tire as easily. As a CAM, Oezil is currently better and has more to offer than what Ballack does.
3) Ballack will slow down counters.
4) As of late, i.e the last few seasons, Ballack has been quite irritable. Picks up cards easily, gives away free kicks etc.
5) Ballack has an inflated self image. Its probably a residue of his 4 years at Chelsea. That is not going to bode well for the harmony within the current team.

The positives:
1) Ballack obviously brings in a world of experience.
2) Ballack is a must have at free kicks/ corner kicks. His aerial ability is second to none. There was a corner in the 1st half yesterday, which Casillas parried over Schweini and Friedrich. Had Ballack been there, I would say it was a 50/50 chance for a goal.
3) He is very good at penalties.

Considering everything, Ballack knows best if he's upto the task or if it is beyond his current capabilities. In the end he should retire with pride ( and he has a lot to be proud about in his career) rather be unceremoniously dumped a la Frings.

Fine tune. This tournament was more like a Work in Progress as far as I am concerned. The final product maybe a few months/years down the line. He should fine tune the LB position and find a new striker. That's all.

NO. NONE WHATSOEVER

Modeling might suit him better.

Hummels, Howedes, Bender bros, Traesch and Adler are all in the running, imo.

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

Hahahaha, he mentioned Mlapa in a post about Post WC tactics.

He's just taking the piss, he has to.

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

I want some of what u've been smoking

now post again bitch

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

over the nxt years it could like this
neuer

lahm friedrich/merte badstuber contento
rolfes/ballack/khedira schwein
mueller oez kroos/podolski
cacau/gomez/klose

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

Helmes is a very capable striker i guess. He is very allrounded, a great finisher n has the killer instinct n composure that very few strikers within the national pool have

He is actually a perfect candidate at CF in a 4-2-3-1 formation, consider how he plays.

One big problem is, he actually recovered in Feb but he still looked very rusty when the season ended in May. We have no idea what his condition currently is. Big question mark there.

Some of Mueller's strenghts such as composure, hustle, ball control, off-the-ball and positioning are important attributes for a striker. He has the potential apparently, just that he needs to gain some lb. As a matter of fact, if he manages to do so, he'll probably perform better n more consistently.

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

This is a position we won't really know until about a year or even 6 months before the Euro I feel. A few players need to be tested, we also need to see how players do throughout the season. The most likely scenario seems to be Muller at the moment, but we'll see.

Man, I really wish for a Robben-type player in this team. The closest thing to him is Marin, and we all know this kid has a very long way to go to get the level needed to start for the team, that is if he ever will.

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

The retirement of Klose will be a huge blow to this team when it happens. The biggest question mark is how do we replace him.

Klose brings so many things to the table that no other striker in Germany can do at this time. His finishing, link up play, tracking back, work rate and most importantly the way he moves off the ball.

Klose's off ball runs open up huge spaces for players like Podolski and Mueller to run into, without Klose the NT attack will find it extremely difficult to break down opposing teams.

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

-I think Ballack should retire from the NT. He is already 33, his best days are behind him and besides his personality he doesn't have to offer something else anymore. His experience could be a factor as well, but it's fair to assume that this tournament has helped the youngsters in the team for that matter. Matthaus also agrees with me, so I guess that's right

-Whoever the manager is, only minor alterations should occur. The obvious problem is replacing Klose -I believe he should retire as well after the 3rd place match- and on a secondary note Friedrich, who despite his constant bashing has been consistent with the NT, and probably the best defender of the team in this tournament. Gomez should not be considered for the NT again, unless he has extraordinary seasons with his club. The door on Kuranyi appears to be closed, so I guess the obvious choice would be Kiessling. Cacau is not effective as a lone cf, and the same goes for Muller. Helmes might also be considered, but first of all he needs to regain his form. Regarding the cb position, Boateng should move from left to centre, and Westerman (?) should go to the left. Other than that, the only questionable position is Podolski's, who has not had a consistently good 90 minute match and I think Jansen would be better in that role.

Other than that, the current starters looked good, Trochowski and Marin failed to impress, Kroos was ok and Jansen was good. Kiessling didn't get any playing time and I can't understand why he was nominated, Gomez was awfull once again, Cacau was ok, Badsturber suffered as a lb but Boateng was quite good on the matches he played. Neuer was good enough as well.

For the Euros, 7-8 of the 11 starting spots will probably remain the same. Players like Howedes, Hummels, Bender, Helmes and Beck should also be considered, but I don't think they have any realsitic shot at the starting 11 -at least not at the moment, perhaps with the exeption of the cb position, where Mertesacker didn't have the best of tournaments. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

Fight your way back into the team if you think you deserve it Michael.

Fine tune.

No, unless it's Van Gaal or Klinsmann again.

I think he could get a job as assistant to David Copperfield or something...

Besides the obvious in the squad and the obvious outside the squad....well...I got nothin'.

You mean more like Spain?

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

After this world cup...


We kick ass in the euro qualification, win every game... Then we go in Poland, beat everyteam and lose 1:0 in the final...


We need a coach with winning mentality, i am not Jogi hater, but obviosly he can't take us to a title...

If Klose retires, there come the big problems, no one can replace him properly.

Also i am against Ballack return.

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

What about Adler? Does he get his job back? Neuer looked fantastic and had no mistakes.

Gomez should do a Kuranyi and piss off Loew or something. The boy needs to go away fast and make way for Kiessling.

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

I think there has been a lot of Ballack bashing lately. He is not my favorite player and his best days are behind him but I still think he can offer something. Even not as a starter he can still be a good sub. As others have mentioned, his shooting and passing is excellent and he still has his moments of brilliance. If he can get back to a good form I think it will be beneficial to have him still in the team. However if his ego stops him from being on the bench and he doesnt put the benefits of team ahead of his own then yes he should not be nominated

I think Neuer had a great tournament and he will continue to be the number one keeper. It will hard for Adler to regain his place but I think the less pressure will allow Adler to get back to his good form again. Of the two Adler is a more passive personality but still an excellent keeper

I hope Loew starts to work on Plan Bs. I'm pretty sure he has done in the past but it has failed to work yet

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

Should Ballack retain his captaincy and return to the squad?
Ballack did a great service to Germany and we should respect him for that. That said, I think it's time for him to gracefully retire, or at least return to the squad humbly. I'm pretty sure even he realized that this is the team of the future, and he cannot disrupt that.

Should the manager rebuild this side or just fine tune it?
Definitely not rebuild it. This is a great German squad. All it needs is fine tuning, proper substitutes, and more of a killer instinct from the players!
Should there be a change in management?
Even though Low makes mistakes, overall he is fantastic. He's more of a safe choice than new managers who are more of a risk. Keep Low, hopefully he can learn his mistakes from this WC.
Should Gomez quit football and become a Nun?
As I stated earlier, Germany needs proper replacements/substitutes. We shouldn't have to rely on Gomez, or for that matter even bring him to competitions. The number 1 priority that should be on Germany's list is a future world class striker, someone like Klose. We have Mueller yes, but he's more of a support striker.

Manuel Neuer? Yay or nay?
He did a great job as well. Now with Adler back, it's all down to the coach and the training sessions.

 

Re: Post WC, what happens now?

Ballack shouldnt retain the captaincy, He can only return to the team if he is willing to be a sub Which I doubt he would but lets see how his club form for Leverkusen would be like.

No use rebuilding every 2 yrs we have the frame work finetuning is all that is needed.

Nope why should we? Even Capello and Maradona still retained their seat.

The only way Gomez can be useful is to do an age change with Klose. Gomez become 32 , Klose becomes 25 and Gomez would be remembered for his selfless service rendered to the German nation. Or we can send him back to his fatherland so he can play for his dream club Barcelona , ;D .

Everyone in this squad except Klose and Trochowski. Friedrich should be observed to see how his form in Wolfsburg is, Bender, Howedes and Hummels should be ushered in gradually,

Marin should be monitored closely, He should learn to look up while embarking on his dribble. If this guy can develop a footballing brain, He has some unique skills which no one else have in the team which would be beneficial to the team as he can bring a new dimension to our attack.

All our players should hit the gym.

The next tournament we have to go and win. The whole world has seen us coming so no hiding place for us

 

Re: German National Team Discussion Thread - Post WC 2010

 

Re: German National Team Discussion Thread - Post WC 2010

Trochowski getting another chance? No way

 

Re: German National Team Discussion Thread - Post WC 2010

The biggest tactical is the replacement of Klose. Much of Germany's game is built around him, around a central striker with great movement, great aerial ability and football intelligence. At this point we don't have anyone who realistically looks like he can be that player. In the next two years, I hope someone will rise to the occasion and be able to play it.

Secondly, the rebuilding of our defense. We need better ball players back there and someone who will finally allow Lahm to play his natural role and not constantly have to cover. Moreover we need to establish a starting LB.

Finally, getting a deeper quality squad. This means getting rid of fringe players like Trochowski and Aogo for instance who just don't look the part at this level.

One more question remaining and this is sort of an odd one. Of course it regards Podolski. He can be so much more than he is if he can just get his act together and have the will to fight. His tracking back needs to improve and he can't just run in a straight line. There are so many things about his game he needs to improve which he should have refined already. If you compare him to Schweinsteiger, the latter is eons above him because he worked hard and got better because of it. Podolski on the other hands remains a big negative against quality opposition. The match yesterday against Spain was arguably his worst ever for the national team and I hope that's something that will be addressed.

 

Re: German National Team Discussion Thread - Post WC 2010

I wouldn't count it out. Loew is very loyal to his players. There is a reason he trusted him this much during this tournament.

 

Re: German National Team Discussion Thread - Post WC 2010

As i've said, some of Mueller's strenghts such as composure, hustle, ball control, off-the-ball and positioning are important attributes for a striker. He has the potential t obecoem a good striker apparently, just that he needs to gain some muscle/weight. As a matter of fact, if he manages to do so, he'll probably perform better n more consistently.


Thomas Mueller shouldn't be played at RW in the long run. He can't cross at all. With players like Marco Reus, Marko Marin and Grosskreutz emerging, he shouldn't be used as a RW for the NT anyway.

I think Helmes can be a short term solution, if he is in good form again. And for young players, you never know whats gonna happen. Schieber is loaned at Nuernberg while Sukuta-Pasu will be staying in St.Pauli for another season, this will be great for their development imo

 

Re: German National Team Discussion Thread - Post WC 2010

Mueller works so well because he enjoys operating outside the box and especially from out wide. It would be hindering his progression by making him play Klose's position.

I think where he plays now is ideal for him to grow. Also your suggestion of crosses doesn't figure since Germany really don't play with much crossing, and that mainly comes from Oezil and the overlapping fullbacks. Mueller does best when he plays passes on the ground across the box.

 

Re: German National Team Discussion Thread - Post WC 2010

He is clearly better inside or slightly outside the penalty box. He is a better "executer" than an organizer IMO, if we do play a 4-4-2, he is a better choice than Poldi and Cacau as the second striker.

Furthermore, Mueller won't be a starting RW for Bayern since Robben will be starting there for sure. Mueller, like last season, will be playing at Forward beside Olic or whoever the targetman is. Personally, I do prefer players playing at the same position for both the club and NT. That's why I've always wanted Lahm to be a rb for the NT

Klose isn't really a box-to-box targetman either. In the NT system, he uses his mobility to create space as well. I think Mueller's mobility, composure, ball control, positioning n off-the-ball movement will make him a very similar type to Klose. in fact, I think " towering targetmen" are rather like an obsolete term , especially in a 4-5-1 formaion. Villa, Van Persie, Klose, Forlan, Tevez, Higuain and Robinho are some good examples.

And there is one thing Thomas Mueller is even better than Klose, thats his killer instict - always appears in the right place at the right time.