Ibrahimovic will test our mettle for sure. And make no mistake, Swedens defenders are tough dudes, Melberg is old but he's no slouch.
Mellberg retired. Sweden shouldn't be too big of a problem IMO. Same lineup expected, just Lahm returning for Boateng. Interesting to see how they deal with Ibra individually, thats about it.
Will hummels be back? or will it be lahm boetang badstuber schmelzer i am thinking just for precaution, theyll sit out khedira; so expect this: Piggy kroos muller ozil reus klose/poldi I wish they would start putting reus up top and have schurrle/gotze take the left side. Gotze is not available right now, so just schurrle this game.
No Hummels, he's not with the team. Expect this ----------------------Neuer--------------------- Lahm------Mertesacker--Badstuber---Schmelzer -----------Khedira/Kroos--Schweinsteiger------- Müller/Reus--------Özil----------Reus/Podolski-- ----------------------Klose---------------------------
Götze is supposed to be available for this game, Dhajj. He was only left out of the Ireland game as a precaution after having slight problems, not because an actual injury.
Reus will start, no way is he not starting. Either Podolski or Mueller will be left out. Hope Klose starts again.
Question, can Goetze play on the right or Reus on the left? I'm thinking both Muller and Podolski should warm the bench.
Why oh why not this: Muller Ozil gotze Reus Can you imagine techical powerhouse this front 4 would bring. Schurrle as super sub for muller 60+
Love it - at least to try! The one limiting issue with this, is it somewhat takes away Reus's greatest weapon.... his speed and technical ability on the flank.
We're going to go with Lahm-Merte-Bads-Schmelzer Khedira(if fit)-Schweini Mueller-Mesut-Marco Miro With Goetze coming on for Mueller in the second half, Kroos doing the same for Khedira, and Poldi or Schuerle coming on for Klose.
That's why I suggested we try reus as a makeshift striker. We really don't have a choice here and Gomez (as great as he is, not suited for NT style) and poldi (one dimensional very limited technically) Loew needs to make that step until we find a real talented striker in the future (2-4 years time maybe) Spain played without a striker for crying out loud, I am not saying we copy Spain cuz we can't. But using reus upfront will not be the end of the world either. Loew needs to do something and quick...
I get your point but don't share your sense of urgency to a certain extent. If you think about it, had Loew not f ucked up his tactics against Italy things could have turned out quite differently. There my overall sentiment is that what we have works, it just needs some fine tuning but whole lot more of an attitude adjustment when it comes to playing semis and finals. I'm starting to buy the argument about this second runner up syndrome, its just not coincidence that we've had soooo many 2nd place finishes in so many different competitions. The thing about this is that by extension if you subscribe to this argument it obvious the problems lie squarely at the feet of the Bayern players. They are suppose to be the natural leaders both tactically and emotionally but I'm sorry to say they have not been getting it done when it matters most. Sorry, started straying off topic.
Loew really damaged us immensely with that blunder against Italy. On paper we should have beaten them. I am still baffled as to how someone changes the entire team setup and formations just to nullify one man....(Pirlo).. This game still haunts me. Also piggy really was playing at 50% and really should not have played after the group phase at least... Kroos was there in better form and health at that time. Lots of should've and could've.... I hope next tournament we have injury free team and loew that's learned his mistakes...
A little introduction before I begin. I have been reading this forum for a few years now. I try not to get involve but as a fan, i can't help it anymore. I have read a lot great stuffs and some not-so-great on this forum but that is what makes this forum so exciting!!!! For Muller's comment, I agree with you. Muller needs to be replaced by Gotze. The sooner Low realizes it the better. People talk about Muller's movements which are great but not enough. We can't keep living Muller's past which, Low to me, seems to. We need more than what Muller is offering on the wing right now. Not a personal attack on him but just talking from what I have seen from so far. He had a great WC 2010 but lost his form. Muller is kind of player who relies on his teamates a lot to be effective. Sometimes this can be a burden. We need someone who can rely on others but can also get it done by himself when it is needed. Muller most of the time can't drible past a defender. For playing on the wing, being technically good is very important. Sometimes, you just need to get past the defender to deliver the final pass or to get into the box. That is why I think Gotze is the better option. Gotze starting on the wing will do us more good than bad. One thing I have noticed about Gotze is that he always manages to get behind the opposite defense not matter what the opposition Ex: vs Marseille CL, vs Brazil frendly, vs Man City lately and few more. He had plenty of goal opportunities in the games that I have mentioned. He just need to work on his finishing and he can offer almost what reus can offer on the left. Oh! I forgot, some people will talk about tracking back or helping the defense. Gotze tracks back and helps the defense as well. If it will be asked of him to do it more, I think he can do it. In conclusion, Gotze, Reus on the wings will make our attack more efficient as it will bring more variety and unpredictability to our attack. Sorry for writing so long.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/15/germ...s-for-schmelzer-criticism?source=breakingnews Loew apologizes for Schmelzer comments made earlier: ""Schmelzer did not have a good game [against Austria]. Many of the alternatives are not ready, we have to keep working with Schmelzer for the next two, three, four or five months,” Low said to reporters."
Podolski and Reus have spent enough time at CF in the last 2-3 seasons and are both realistic possibilities to perform well in this role two years from now (unlike Klose).