Steffiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Points (Road to WWC 2019)[R]

Who said I prefer the 4-2-3-1...? Not liking a rigid, highly individual, often ugly use of the 4-4-2, isn't the same as me saying I prefer the 4-2-3-1.

I just know how the 4-2-3-1 should look when it's being used by a coach who genuinely understands it's weaknesses and strengths.

And it's become pretty clear now, this new poor tactical approach hasn't been optimal scenario for success for the wnt program; as Meinert was the last coach using a 4-2-3-1 correctly, and even she recently decided to randomly abandon that style, accomplishing nothing but a series of very suspect results in return.

So yeah... I don't like the 4-4-2, but I have huge problems with the way coaches have set their teams to play within poor 4-2-3-1 formations too, allowing FB's to run forward mindlessly, never using real CM's, always lacking any concept of the importance a CAM should play.

 

Oh, and I don't know if I'm reading things wrong... but it looks like Ballweg is now the U-17's head coach..., with her first match before taking the team to the WC, being a 3-2 defeat to Finland lol.

HA! This program is completely broken....

 

Apparently Maro is back playing for Lyon so we can probably expect her for the games against Italy and Spain

 

This team needs her creativity and goals, so she should stay in France if she's not going to be used as a FW/CAM.

I've lost interest in seeing her being constantly ineffective as the best player, and team captain.

 

LOHmann made the squad, yesss

 

So it’s all about the WC these days so I believe everyone’s gonna get a shot to prove themselves

 

26 PLAYERS...

 

LOL, you were 100% correct on this, but it also took the one thing I didn't foresee happening to make it happen, which was the soon to be gone national coach adding 4 extra names to his already established core 22 player squad.

I already said Hechler stood a real chance of becoming FB option for the seniors, meaning I wouldn't be shocked to see another impress league performer like Pawollek given some form of senior team recognition prior to the WC squad being announced too.

But with the mid-field and forward options being combined into one group, I hope this mean Marozsan has to spend any more time wasting her attacking abilities in a deep DM role.

 

I guess these days most of the NT coaches who are going to build a team for WWC next year are calling a boatload of players, probably with the intention of reviewing all of the choices available before trimming the roster down to WWC-size.

For instance, much to my surprise, Nadeshiko Japan called a whopping 28 players (!) for the upcoming friendly match vs Norway (including 4 U-20 WWC Champions).

 

@blissett But the German wnt program hasn't really effectively utilized it's past youth success correctly, and has often ignored the league form of various players outside the nations top 1 or 2 clubs, to the direct detriment of the senior teams potential improvement.

So why I may feel somebody like Knaak a pointless and disposable squad member, and I have no idea why Lattwien is in this squad as a CM option ahead Pawollek. I just more confused why Hrubesch is even attempting to build a squad, when he won't actually be taking to the WC finals...

 

Seeing the numbers of players in this squad, it's obvious Marozsan won't play longer than 45 mins.

But knowing Dallmann, Schweer's, Goeßling, Kemme, are all but confirmed to be WC members should they be fit, it's really surprising to see Lattwien retain her place, while a new LB, and a new AM both join the squad.

 

Well, that's indeed a good point.

But, on the other hand, for the very same reason, I can't believe that this round of call-ups hasn't been somehow planned "along" with Voss-Tecklenburg: yes, currently she's still Switzerland's coach (for the last two matches of WWC play-offs), but I guess at least "unofficially" and "tangentially" she must have had a word on this roster. Or guys at DFB aren't doing their job (on second thought, that would be indeed a possibility ).

 

And here's why I'm so skeptical about everything happening lol, as nothing suggests MVT has the technical understanding, or tactical shrewdness, to craft two successful game plans for two very different level senior national teams; oh, and do all this at the exact same time...

 

Does anybody actually believe MVT knows anything about new nominations like Rall, Hechler, Lattwein..? For me, the appointment of MVT is just another puppet choice for Neid and Ballweg to maintain their control of the wnt program.

See, there doesn't appear to be any kind of long term planning to anything concerning the wnt program anymore, with all kinds of behind the scenes politics clearly in full effect, as recent threats of major change, quickly turned into mere promises of greater analysis, and now the eventual return to more of the same.

Honestly, you typically see this kind of nonsense within African football, where coaches cultivate talented squads and qualify nations for the WC finals, only to be replaced just prior to the tournaments start, because a supposedly more qualified choice becomes available lol.

It just looks like incredibly amateurish behavior.

 

I feel like you’re a bit paranoid over Neid and Ballweg’s control over this team I can see where you’re coming from but.... however the fact that this whole thing with MVT is a mess is something I agree about lol

What the hell is Knaak doing in the squad
she managed to like quite poor against the Faroer Islands imo lol, doesn’t deserve anymore call ups...

Woho Babett Peter’s in the squad despite there being far more superior options than her in Germany
Lol

 

Can you blame me for being slightly paranoid about any of this...?

Both women say their finally stepping away from the senior team, only to have an easy pawn/novice like Jones magically become the best option to take over as head coach lol.

And this while Neid creates herself a completely artificial position to stay connected to a role she said she no longer wanted; conveniently laying the path for Ballweg to find her way back into the heart of the senior team coaching staff, when the failed experiment with Jones had finally reached it's inevitable end.

 

I mean, if Jones really was Neid and Ballweg's pawn, I don't believe that she would change the way Germany plays to a 4-4-2 from the 4-2-3-1 Neid used for years... And Neid wouldn't ever use a backline consisting of Blässe - Peter - Henning - Kerschowski despite her flaws

 

hotjam2 seems to make the same error whenever recounting the last few years of Neid's reign, but Germany were already clearly starting to struggle within Neid's final 5 years as coach, and this with her changing the team shape to a horribly rigid 4-4-2.

And I know because they still managed to bludgeon their way to set of Euro and Olympic victories, it's become very easy for people to forget just how bad Neid's version of this team actually looked in her final few years as head coach.

But I'm pretty sure the rather pathetic attacking structures that saw them produce surprise tournament victories, were direct examples of Neid's teams using a 4-4-2 after the retirement of Prinz.

 

.. did you see the truly amazing defending of Krahn - Bartusiak? 2 defenders that made Zimbabwe's attack appear genuinely dangerous at the last Olympic's lol.

I'll give Neid credit for making the most of her cohesively poor teams, finding ways to win tournament's by any means necessary. But many of Jones teams worst traits actually originated with Neid, and only became worse because of Jones inexperience dealing with the massive rebuilding process that had been unfairly passed on to her.

I mean, from their performances it's clear the players knew their team was broken, with Katja Greulich's comments making it pretty clear she became fully aware of the negative situation within the wnt program too. So I don't think I'm being unfair, or paranoid with my speculation.

 

Yes they didn't look unbeatable which I found good for women's football lol as you don't see teams anymore dominate completely like Germany did before. I don't recall Neid playing a 4-4-2 her last years in charge?

I mean if comparing to the men's game neither Portugal or France did look unbeatable and really great when winning the Euro's and WC respectively lol. I just find it really good for women's football that no countries can cruise through games anymore

 

I mean, I don't think Krahn and Bartusiak were terrific defenders but they were solid and disciplined, and yes they looked poor in the first games in the Olympics together but a reason to that was Behringer playing in front of them as a defensive midfielder lol, ironically enough ending up as the topscorer of the tournament

Whether the shadows of Neid continued in the Jones era - I don't know. At the end of the day, I believe Jones had it all on herself lol. If Neid truly controlled Jones, why the hell would Blässe play over Maier in a majority of the games...? Jones sucked period. I mean we're talking about a coach who despite all their flaws still insisted that Peter and Henning were their best partnership going to the Euro's...

 

Germany's #2 ranked wnt somehow making Zimbabwe's attack look good, doesn't really equate to a genuinely more healthy women's game for everybody else.

That's like saying it's a great sign for men's football witnessing France, Belgium, or Brazil, struggling to contain and beat giants like Ethiopia or Tahiti...

Hmmm, you sound a bit like hotjam2 lol, conveniently forgetting how the perpetually #1 FIFA ranked USwnt have continued to deliver lopsided scorelines to various top 30 FIFA ranked opponents...

Even beating Japan during the last WC final with a scoreline that would have been normal if it were 1950 in the men's game. But it's OK for the powerhouse USwnt to do that, because.. their not Germany...?

 

Starting with Germany's WC failure on home soil, we saw Neid using Prinz - Sasic as a really poor front pairing. With the following surprise Euro success with Keßler leading the way, seeing Sasic - Mittag combine for another weak front two pairing.

The next WC failure saw Sasic - Mittag as the main forwards once again. And then we see the Olympic success with Behringer being the tournaments top scorer... with the German attack formed around game to game randomness.

So common theme here is Neid's biggest successes in her final 5 years were thanks to her teams rising to the occasion thanks to the leadership of CM's like Keßler, and Behringer.

Meaning you take those huge individual performance factors away, and your left with something very similar to what everybody witnessed with Jones leading the team, and what did that also see... Bad German tactics, where formations no longer used a dedicated CAM/#10.

 

I feel there's a lot of behind the scenes politics happening here that people won't acknowledge, but I'm not just saying Neid controlled Jones directly as if she were a puppet on strings, or a child emperor taking bad advice from a highly duplicitous mother.

I'm talking about factors where a coaching novice Jones be part of Neid's failed 2016 WC coaching team, thinking it would be some form of healthy fast tracked apprenticeship on how to be a competent international football coach lol.

Or the fact Katja Greulich stepped down only weeks into her wnt coaching role, citing major issues with her potential progression if she stayed within the wnt program, preferring the opportunity to go and manage lowly FF USV Jena.

As Neid somehow managed to manufacture a completely ridiculous role as a senior wnt opponent scout, to obviously retain a close proximity to a wnt program the DFB would later make it known a part of themselves showing various problems they've long wanted to fix prior to recent failures.

 

I mean Hrubesch is 100% percent the DFB's appointment, and seems to be acting with a sense of independence that has little correlation with themes or ideas of the incoming coach; you know, the coach who will actually be leading the team during the WC finals...

And we just saw what happened when Meinert attempted to lead two different youth teams at two different tournament finals. But it's somehow logical that MVT is going to lead Switzerland to a WC finals, and at the same time help craft Germany into a potential WC winner lol.

It smells like the exact same politics that allowed Jones to become head coach.