News: The All Encompassing Borussia Dortmund World Cup Thread. Everyone is welcome here.

Whose gonna play that Left Back position?

Lahm as the six or RB?

Hummels and Reus should be playing, although CB pairing could still be Boa and Mertersacker.

How many cuts will there be? 7? Predictions on who would have been cut.

Draxler, Mustafi, Jansen, Ginter, Hahn would be my first five but I have trouble picking the next two. Haven't been paying attention to any Scheisse player so I can't comment on them without bias

 

Neuer
Lahm boateng Hummels KG
Bastian
Gotze ozil Kroos Reus
Muller


Seacrest out...

 

Add Meyer and Gorezka to the list and that would be seven. I would also consider kicking Howedes out, and keeping Ginter instead. Use Ginter as an emergency substitute in case two of our three regular CB's get injured during the tournament, same for DM scenario.

 

Can we please not have the Dortmund players playing? We need them to stay fresh for gegen pressing all year next year. Besides I am not a die Mannschaft fan so watching them choke in the continental of int'l stage is....well fun.

 

The world cup is another level of football. Representing Germany on this stage is the greatest honour. If I was a player chosen, I'd make my decision to go instantly.

 

Yes, a lower level. But it's a marketing success. The commercial exposure is phenomenal. It's a festival for the bandwagon fans and they flock in droves.

 

would love to see how belgium does, their squad looks quite nice on paper

 

Screw international footy its boring.

 

Int'l football is boring. If not for the ridiculous amount of money spent on marketing, not many players would be riled up to play their hearts out, nor would we want to watch it.

You're talking about comparing a team that has been strategically built and trained together everyday on the minute tactical details vs. a bunch of players whose common thread is a language and have been thrown together and train a couple of days every 3 months or so. I'll subscribe to BuLi TV, buy Dortmund merchandise and perhaps even get tickets to watch them play because I love my club and club football. But I'd just as sooner kick Sepp Blatter in the head repeatedly for a month than partake in this hedonistic quadrennial festival.

 

I find this very interesting because my exposure to football was via int'l matches rather than club. But the gap is quite obvious. I am jaded by int'l football. FIFA's impact on the countries and the workers who are made to suffer are deplorable. I find the "world cup fans" to be worse than plastic fans. Somebody who knows a name beyond Neymar, Kaka and Ronaldinho become football pundits for the summer and hold water cooler discussions around the next fixture list predictions. I love talking football but these tools have no clue. Since I have to deal with them everyday you can understand how annoying it gets.

Outside of this, you are right about the sense of scale and how it "feels" grander and your player is your players forever. But hey different strokes for different folks. I like the idea of being able to build a team. I couldn't care less who wins the world cup. The only way I find it worthy of my time is to see how it impacts Dortmund for next season.

 

So Jansen was omitted from Germany's preliminary squad, along with Goretzka, Meyer, and Hahn. Christoph Kramer has been included.

Jansen was one player I was worried to have in the squad as it may have prevented Durm from going to the WC. Looks like Durm is safe now, being the only left-back replacement for Schmelzer. Looks like all six of our guys will be on the plane to Brazil then

 

I hope not. It hasn't worked at any point for Germany or Bayern. I still think we see lahm and schweini as a double 6. Loew isn't going to spring any major formation surprises on us.

With all of the injuries to our CMs Loew has no choice other than move Lahm to midfield.

 

Just like his hand was forced in 2010 with Ballack's injury.

 

4-3-3 with Lahm deep @ CM. Durm and Schmelzer @ FBs. Reus @ LW, Goetza @ RW, and Mueller @ CF

 

............... Neuer...................
..KG....Merte....Hummels....Durm
........ Lahm.....Khedira
......Mueller....Goetze.....Reus
................Klose....................



big shame that Gundogan can't be there. He's their best MC

 

^ ^^^

Or replace Klose with mueller and have Draxler at RW (he plays right yes?).
Imagine draxler, kotze and reus attacking mf. That's a lot of technique!