My team for this game is : Enke Lahm Mertesacker Tasci Westermann Trochowski Ballack Schweinsteiger Marin Klose Helmes I hope Oezil and Hummels get called up and Castro if he's fit.
Re: Germany v/s Russia, 11th October 2008 at the greatest stadium in the..... No DM?? I'd start Jones as DM with Ballack partnering him and Schweini + Trochowski. Put Marin as a substitute later on. I would start Castro RB and Adler as a GK but could be risky to try him out in such an important match. Mert with Tasci/Wes. I'd give Helmes a start with Klose/Poldi partnering him.
Re: Germany v/s Russia, 11th October 2008 at the greatest stadium in the..... No DM so that means schweinsteiger has to use his defensive skills as much as ballack and we unleash marin on them. There is also frings in the picture as well as jones, hitzlsperger and rolfes I guess so some combination of that. I don't want to see hitzlsperger and rolfes in the middle as a pair, that's all. Next game for Adler. This one Enke.
Re: Germany v/s Russia, 11th October 2008 at the greatest stadium in the..... Losing that match in WC 2006 still hurts, the first and only defeat of the national team in Dortmund. We have to make the Westfalenstadion the impregnable fortress that it was for so long again, we have to win this crucial match.
Re: Germany v/s Russia, 11th October 2008 at the greatest stadium in the..... boo to the thread title change!
Why was this poster's thread title changed?? No racism or derogatory comments. Does not make sense. DF? What gives?
It is still uncalled for. I don't find that funny. Has nothing to do with the stadium but the simple fact that you chose to open up a thread, picked a title and for no reason it was changed. Smells of a Chavez like regime to me. I've been to Venezuela - its not nice in that respect!
Özils, Hummels (who is injured anyways) and Castro wont be called up cause of the important u21 EC playoff match against france. They are needed there. Line-up i'd like to see: -------Podolski---Helmes-------- -------------------------------- -Trochowski------Schweinsteiger- -------Ballack---Rolfes----------- -------------------------------- --Lahm-------------A. Friedrich- ----Mertesacker-Westermann--- ------------Adler/Enke---------- More likely is ofc that Klose will play instead of Helmes. Rolfes is imo clearly the better DM compared to Hitzslpeger and he plays again a strong season so far. Imo Frings and Jones should also be ahead of him (Hitzlsperger is at the risk of losing his place in the squad). In the defence i see Westermann ahead of Tasci. Westermann is just in a great shape and seems to fit to Mertesacker. Picked A. Friedrich as RB cause i think he is defensivly our most reliable option and knows his team m8s well. You could also switch Westermann and A. Friedrich.
I hope to see anyone but Westermann at CB. Whatever he's achieved recently, he hasn't played CB regularly for quite a while and it would be insane to risk a repeat of the Finland debacle in this crucial match. On the other hand...it does depend on what he can show Löw during training before the big match. It's not like we have a great alternative. PS: I also very much think an enthusiastic reference to the Westfalenstadion is perfectly warranted in the thread title.
Subotic should be just -in-time to get his German passport. And if that happens, Loew will take him without any question I don't mind us dropping Metzelder and Fritz this time. Their "expereince" is overrated.
Russia will probably go with, -----Akinfeev---- Anyukov-Ignashevitch-Kolodin-Zhirkov ----------Semak----------- Torbinskiy-Semshov-Zyryanov ----------Arshavin----- ------Pavlyuchenko Germany with the stronger back-line but our midfield is much more tidy and skillful. Should be a great match. I think Germany wins in Dortmund and we win in Moscow.
Loew would be insane to not start, or at least give major minutes to Helmes in this match. We could really use him, and I have a suspicion that he would play very effectively lined up with Klose.
With Trochowski, Schweini, Marin and if Ozil/Schlaudraff manage to be called up.........we aren't too much worse than the Russians in terms of skill. Call me silly but i think Schlaudraff deserves a place back in the NT too. consider our forwards are basically all of the same type(i.e. clinical finisher), Schlaudraff can provide something rather different on the frontline. He has been doing great recently as well. With forwards like Klose, Kuranyi, Helmes n Gomez, it shouldn't be a bad idea to add one creative, technically gifted supporting forward just like Schlaudraff. I see that works becoz Hunt who is a similar type to Schlaudraff actually worked very very well with a good finisher like Klose back in his Werder Bremen days; and now the combination of Kiessling and Helmes works well in Leverkusen too. I see Schaludraff and Helmes as a very interesting pair, but i very much doubt if this is gonna happen. The idea is to have a top class finsiher(e.g. Klose and Gomez if in form, Helmes maybe) and partnering him with a supporting forward who can hold up the ball, creating speces by making runs, and able to do the supporting role good enough. Poldi is actually doing this role in the NT. But i see Schlaudraff is more suited in this role as he possesses better pace and skill. Subotic, has he got his German passport yet?
Actually I'm not sure how much more skilful and tidy russia's midfield is. This isn't germany's euro2008 midfield anymore. Well, unless loew makes it.
Kirsten, klose belongs much more to the schlaudraff category than gomez/kuranyi/toni. See why he struggles with bayern's direct play?
Agreed. I feel that Klose is more similar to Kiessling than he is to Gomez/kuranyi/toni. Klose is significantly better at finishing of course. I really want to see what a Klose/Helmes combo would look like.
I expect a very straightforward player selection and line up for this match. Loew won't risk or experiment since this is a game at home against the toughest opponent in the group, winning this will already give us an advantage in qualification. If Frings is fit I expect him to start alongside Ballack with Trochowski and Schweinsteiger ahead of them and Klose with Podolski up front. As for the backline, Lahm, Mertesacker, Friedrich and Westermann will probably be the starting line up. I think I would prefer Friedrich as CB and Westermann on the right but who knows if Loew will go for that. And Enke will be in goal.
Yeah, you've nailed it. Loew will go for the safe lineup. I actually forgot friedrich was fit so he's in my team hopefully at CB.
Maybe we can bring in Ozil and Subotic, put them on the bench and IF we're leading by a certain margin, they can play and get capped. back to the supporting forward topic, regarding the combo of Klose and Podolski........i see Poldi is doing more of the supporting role than Klose in the NT. He is often the one who make runs and creating spaces for better finishers such as Klose and Ballack. These days, Klose just doesn't want to shoot for f sake. so the sotry may be different now but i still think Miro is lacking a little bit of something that makes him a top class supporting forward. I still think his finishing ability should not be wasted. Poldi is actually the perfect man to partner Miro in the NT consider the options we have atm. Schaludraff, Hunt and Dejagah for example are more mobile on the pitch, are more technically gifted and their pace/ball control may give their opponents tougher time to mark them. During their games, u can see them everwhere on the pitch: on the right, in the middle, on the left and inside the penalty box. They tend to use their mobility n stamina to makes runs and creating space. Klose isn't this type of player imo, and as he is getting older, he isn't that mobile on the pitch and has the stamina as those younger talents. Poldi+Klose is good enough for me i guess. and i think Friedrich desrves more credits. lets leave out Metzelder and Fritz for one match and bring in Subotic and A.fredirch, tat wll be good as well. The rising force from Tasci and Subotic turns out eliminating Metzelder's chance in the NT, unless he plays regular football in Madrid. But i doubt that will happen. Metze hasn't played for R.Madrid for a while. and his situation is definitely worrying.