as i said before, the aussies are very underrated... despite being african champion, tunisia might finish last in the group...
I think it was important for the team to stand out very good offensevely witout Ballack since it shows the team doesnt depend on their single most talented player. NOW,lets remeber this german team has key abscensces of some players. : Lahm,Metzelder,Hamann,Klose. Lahm and Metzelder are key players in any defense system because of their quality.The team will need to fix some problems in that department during this cup, if they manage to do it,they should perform well.Hamann is another great abscence,being the best DM that germany has.I would much prefer seeing Ernst in that role rather than an improvised DM like Frings who just doesnt feel good in that position.He plays really well as a winger. And Miro Klose I believe is better than Kuranyi,just a matter of taste of mine. Nice game from the aussies,they arent as weak as some people think.
Not having read the thread yet, I wish to say that we sucked. In fact, we were embarrassing. And this was the least capable opponent in the group. Ok, I'll read the rest now..
OK, finished the thread. Not much to add really. Sadly, we played to our abilities. Which, of course, are none. Who cares if a few players are out injured, they are just cannon fodder as well. The only two player Germany has are Kahn and Ballack. Podolski is the only other promising prospect. Deisler could delvelop into something if he doesn't injure himself again (if he does, we should never utter his name again as our saviour). The rest are basically interchangable or non-starters with their clubs. Someone aught to kick MV in the balls for saying we are among the favorites--clear proof that this man doesn't understand the first thing about soccer/football.
Lahm: VERY EXCITING prospect, only good LB...I cannot see Hitzi playing LB ever again after this tournament. Metzelder: Best CB in Germany when healthy Klose: does so much more than scores goals, and he's still Germany's best scorer (sorry Poldi, you haven't reached there yet, but you will) Hamann: Would have done better than Frings today, thats all i hvae to say. These guys are more than "interchangable" as you say. On the contrary, 3 of them are quite important at least.
just saw the highlights... damn, great control and finish from mertesecker!!!... and what a strike by podolski under pressure from two defenders... absolutely cracked that one in with hardly any backlift! i cant believe kahn didnt come out for australias 2nd goal, though... cant fault him for the other two, but that wasnt very good judgement by him to stay on his line when aloisi had gotten in past the defenders... telling stat - 3 shots on goal by australia, 3 goals... only one person to blame, really... Rolling Eyes maybe we should get the german womens team goalie to play in goal next match - we could get away with it - she certainly looks like kahn!
my ideal forward line would be benny lauth and podolski!!! but they are too similar, so maybe lauth to come on for kuranyi/klose for additional running and spark if needed!!!
Mertesacker is great, yes. Let's see how he develops. I like him a lot. I don't bother talking about Metzelder because he hasn't played for two years. Hamann is wonderful--or can be. Klose is streaky at best. Lahm; the jury is out on him: He surprised, now let's see if he can deliver.
lol, Lahm has been delivering for two seasons straight. Klose is much better than "streaky", he's an extremely underrated player. Kahn is a freaking disaster.
Germany needs much beter ball control/possession in the middle of the field. Frings was lost there. Schneider was fine but ran out of steam by 65th minute. Deisler really made a difference there. This team needs someone beside Bernd to take 3-4 in the middle of the field or it's all along the sidelines and a 60-change-of-direction cross. Offensively, I am not sure if, despite 4 goals, the forwards and the mids gelled. Basti is better on the right as he is at Bayern. I wasn't sure where Asamoah played after coming on. I thought he'd go to the right but he was more withdrawn/left. On defense, Huth is considered a liability at Chelsea. Nice to trot him out there once but he really should not start. Mourinho plays him as a late-game defender-striker by forcing him to go into the box on set-pieces. That's his best role so far. Friedrich just watched on the 3rd Aussie goal but pinched in well on offense. I still prefer Owo there. I also like Wörns in the middle. He's the best tackler still and reads the game superbly. In any case, I think Jürgen should try a 3-5-2 one of these days since he's got decent central defenders but so-so wing-backs. And give Timo a chance. What exactly is being gained by using Kahn? If you need an emergency back-up in 2,006, he'll always be there anyway.
If we could get a decent central defence we could actually go places...Moore and Popovic both absolutely terrible.
Please remember this IS NOT THE full German team you will see next year!!! Klinsi is still experimenting and getting a good look at some "fringe" players. The World Cup is next year, not next month. Let's let Klinsi do his job. The great thing about this tournament is that in the end, it means absolutely nothing........ Let's remember that.
Simply put, could you imagine a 37 year old Kahn pulling off some of the saves Australia's Schwarzer did last night? Experienced or in-experienced I would rather see a different keeper than Kahn and Lehmann come 2006.
Yes, let's not overjudge the team based on today's game too much...I mean, offense is getting better, defense is still missing key players and is being moved around....so let's just see through this tournie and onwards towards next summer. A few notes on Kahn: He isn't as declining as some people say, I mean...this season he was better than the previous so he did step it up...You can't expect him to put in 2002 like performances every game...It's not like he embarassed himself like the ARgentine GK today and then theres the defense in front of him. But its ok...no need for panic button...at least not until Argentina kicks our asses.... Oh yea, Tunisia is a very good team, they kept the Argentines in check today, they played better in the second half I thought, I think its going to be the Aussies finishing on the bottom. P.S. Ballack had a terrific game....sure it took a while for him to get into the game but he really got into it the second half and ended up scoring and making one.
It's not his age that puts me off, it's his form since 2002. Seemingly, many refuse to see reality when it comes to Kahn. There's a reason kicker rated him as only the 13th best keeper in the Bundesliga this season...... I could deal with Germany taking two of the young guys with Kahn or Lehmann as #3, but I don't see that happening. I really feel you will see Kahn and Lehmann as 1 & 2 for one last time. Oh, not necessarily in that order!
No, GOD NO. Not Wörns. Until Huth gets his head on straight we might have to use him but he should be an absolute LAST RESORT. Metzelder should be played in the middle.
I read somewhere in the past posts that Australia is the weakest of Germany's opponents? Hopefully they're not anyway, I think they will prove to be a tougher test to Argentina than Tunisia was. Certainly I doubt the Tunisians could have played as well as the Aussies last night. If Ballack hadn't converted the penalty, I think the momentum might have begun to swing Aussie's way or just ended 2-2. The play up to that stage was starting to get a bit stale and repetitive. Anyway, I enjoyed the match a lot. I taped it as well so I'll watch it again tonite. It was great. Proud of both teams!
Lahm's first BL season was great. This past season he did not stand out, which doesn't in any way mean he was bad. Plus, he has yet another major injury. I don't think Klose has ever scored against a "big" team for either club or country. On the ball his skills are better than Kuranyi (I cringe when I see Kuranyi in the lineup). Kahn saved Bayern's hide on many occasions this past season, perhaps more so in the second part of that season. That said, I'd love to see Timo, and also hope that Tim Wiese continues his development.
Metzelder COULD be a key player. IF he gets back to his old form, which is still open. Hamann has still a lot to prove after his abysmal Euro. That doesn't go away with one Champions league final. His absence is a plus. He is the most experienced DM, but if he is really the best, then we're in big trouble. Of course, if Frings plays as he did yesterday, even Hamann might be an option... Good game from Australia, I second that.
Which would be? Frings didn't attack but was just standing there and looking before the 3rd one... so do you mean him? Or is this one person to blame named "the whole defense"? Because that's what I would call it. Whatever one thinks of Silke Rottenberg's outward appearance, there is no doubt that she is a commanding presence in goal and an outstanding keeper. BTW, congrats to the German Women's NT for yesterday's 4-1 victory against Finland in the semi-final of the European Championship! Go and get the Cup on Sunday!