Pretend you're Jogi, you've got an important match coming up very soon and you've got to select a starting XI using players that are actually currently available for call-up. Except you're not Jogi, you're you, and you can sure as hell drop Lehmann if you please. ---------------------------ENKE--------------------------- -------------MERTESACKER-----METZELDER---------------- -LAHM--------------------------------------------JANSEN- -------------HITZLSPERGER-----SCHWEINSTEIGER--------- -SCHNEIDER------------------------------------BOROWSKI- ------------------KLOSE----------------------------------- ---------------------------------GOMEZ------------------- So I have a quagmire: I feel weird about putting Klose as a supporting striker because he doesn't have a really outstanding shot (at least not compared to his finishing in front of goal, which we would miss) so his goals might dry up, but neither Gomez nor Kuranyi could really play in the hole to allow Klose to move up as a target man. And I don't want to play him even with Kuranyi or Gomez, because that would leave a huge gap between the midfield and forward line, where Ballack would have played. This wouldn't be a big deal, except that with Ballack gone until 2008 (and who knows when or in what shape he'll actually return), this is a problem that the NT will face in real life too.
Is Kuranyi fit again? I thought he was still out this week for CL against Chelsea? And I would play Poldi with Klose, they seem to work well with one another. Although Klose seems to be able to find the goal no matter who is playing alongside him. Other than that, I like that lineup... it's a shame both Frings and Ballack are out at the same time. Hopefully they will both be fit again and ready to play once the next round of Euro comes up.
Enke Lahm, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Jansen Schneider, Jones, Hitzlsperger (Borowski), Schweinsteiger Klose, Podolski (Gomez) thats just based on the players available and current form. IF Boroski can regain his form then he is the replacement for Ballack but currently i see an advantage for Hitzelsperger. The strikers in such a formation should be Klose and Podolski if both are fit. The advantage of Podolski is that he often plays more as an OM/LM so he is perfect to connect the midfield with the players upfront when we dont have someone like Ballack. Gomez is more a classical finisher though he should also work with Klose.
I would pick Leinad's line-up except I've got Lehmann in goal. Is Schneider fit by the way? I thought he was still injured or at least just back from injury and not in the line-up for the next two games?
AFAIK, Schneider is out, as well as Schweinsteiger and Jones. Borowski is with the team, but it's not sure if he'll be ready in time (he'll have no choice, actually). So given those injuries (and the players that are left), that's what I'd think: Code: Enke Lahm Metzelder Mertesacker Jansen Hilbert Rolfes Hitzlsperger Borowski Gomez Klose
I would agree that that's our best eleven players, but strangely I'd be more comfortable with Podolski instead of Gomez (especally after Poldi's strong showing against Bolton) so that we at least have a link between the slightly staggered midfield and the two target men up front. Playing a flat 4-4-2 will kill us. ------------------------ENKE------------------------- -----------MERTESACKER----METZELDER-------------- -LAHM---------------------------------------JANSEN- ---------------ROLFES-------HITZLSPERGER----------- -HILBERT----------------------------------BOROWSKI- ------------------------------PODOLSKI-------------- --------------------KLOSE---------------------------