Well some observations looking up to Euro 12.. Schmelzer - Good game for the most part, has potential to be a starter if he keeps improving Hummels - good game, can be a starter if Loew let go of his favorites Holtby - meh game, but shows potential for depth Marin - Good game today, at times sloppy and lost the ball but better than usual Trasch- good depth option, looked solid Kroos - 3rd best CM in the team atm, still needs to improve in a few areas Gomez - average, needs to do a lot more to convince. He didn't look like he was trying Gotze - He's 18, interested to see what he can do in the future. Grosskreutz - seriously, has no place for the national team.
I'm almost angry that I watched this game. Not going to overanalyze this farce. Do Sweden always play bunker-ball in friendlies? Holtby at least showed some enthusiasm.
God, I'm falling asleep... I think I will go and sleep a while (slept very little last night...), so I'll be awake for the Chile vs. Uruguay match in a pair of hours... Bielsa's last match
That isnt possible, because you never know who may fit in and who may not. Thats why you bring in several young players to test them out. In the end, there is nothing to really moan about this game other than the fact that the Swedes display was disgraceful and disrespectful. I think Hummels, Schmelzer, Holtby and Götze recommended themselves to another nomination. All in all, thats what we wanted to see to some extent. The team just didnt click which judging by the number of changes was to be expected.
and 6th Howedes, and 8,9,10 and all the way to zillion... every talented kid should be in the mannchaft...
I hope these two can become starters by 2012, they certainly made a good case today. He will be the wildcard in 2012....like the first sub in attack I reckon. 23rd player picked, if at all
in friendlies, every talented kid who performs this well in the league who is going to fit the team's philosophy is a yes everytime.
Nahhh, not at all. Trochowski 2.0 without the long range shots. Hummels I reckon should start for sure next Euro match to see what he's made of, hopefully Schmelzer gets the chance as well.
let's give him 1/4 of the games trochowski got before we make a call . I mean, i would not complain if he was there in the squad. He's solid, puts in a ton of effort and combines pretty alright. Nothing special about him but the sheer non-stop play of this sort. I think the guy who should have been picked from bvb was sven bender though. Hummels definitely should be given a chance in the qualis, as should schmelzer. Might finally sort out that LB problem.
Exactly my point, we have a more experienced average player who runs and gives it his all with hardly any talent. Just because he plays for Dortmund, doesn't make him special. He's too average for the national team, I've felt the same watching him play for Dortmund as well and if it wasn't for their super form he wouldn't get that call-up.
If we had to have one of them, i'd go for KG because i think he is slightly better than trochowski and also is a fresh player, and has played with the dortmund bloc. That is the advantage he's got.
I agree, Grosskreutz just doesnt bring enough to the table. I know its early to judge by one game, but all he seems to be able to do is run fiercely down the flank and cross it. His passing game is not bad, but not really straightforward either. Götze on the other hand was much more mobile quicker and fresher.
Hummels completely looks first team ready. He was composed and showed excellent awareness in getting the ball forward. He needs a competent partner. Also really liked Beck, Schmelzer, and Boateng. All showed a great balance of attacking and defending. The central service wasn't there so they weren't making many overlapping runs but Boateng made a very good run, Schmelzer had a fantastic shot, and Beck showed that he's also really good with his left foot (def. something to think about) Other than that, Holtby needs to find his feet but his running was promising. The ideas were there you can tell, but he needs more time. More or less, nobody really had a horrid game for the first time so many changes were made. That's also definitely a plus. From here on, I'd love to see more changes. Hummels should certainly be starting. Grosskreutz is the only player I don't quite see where he fits in at the moment.
Exactly the outcome this type of match was going to yield. Good runout for so many new players. What were people expecting with 9 changes? Come on. Get real. No one stood out, no one performed too terribly. Hummels and Schmelzer will get more playing time because of this and we have more depth with Holtby and Goetze. Great news overall.
Hummels played well, as did Marin and Schmelzer. Kroos plays average, Holtby and Gomez were below average. Grosskreutz was poor. IMO
Loew needs to find a backup for the 2 defensive mid positions but he loves his stuttgart players , not a fan of traesch but not sure if Rolfes will be back , Sidney Sam shouldve been called up as we don't have any explosive type of players like him,even marko reuss
They are not exactly 2 defensive mid positions, but Kroos can fill in properly if needed and Träsch didnt look too bad either. Lars or Sven Bender can be options there for the future. Replacing Schweinsteiger or Khedira to their fullest is not something easy to do considering at the level they are at. I think Sidney Sam doesnt really fit in Löws phylosophy. Ive seen him play since he was with U19 and he is often very selfish and not really willing to play link up just yet. Reminds me very much of Podolski. In this game I think not even a Sam or Reus would have made a difference. Its not about explosivness but, rather the runs were missing today for previous stated reasons.
Trasch had a much better game than Khedira today, mind you it's a friendly and not much to take from it but if he can play like today I wouldn't mind him as a 4th CM choice. Kroos looked solid to me, but he still needs to improve in some areas.
Don't worry, the Benders are more than capable of stepping up. Those guys are real talents. We don't talk about them enough.
How was Hummels yesterday? Anything praiseworthy? The thing, when playing for the NT, Merte is a different beast altogether. He has a very high % of tackles won and also is a clean player. He rarely gives away free kicks and gets booked. In light of all this, Hummels competition is with the aging Arne, who himself has been very impressive this summer.
I forgot to add, I really liked what I saw from Boateng, yet again. Hopefully this will signal the end for Westermann.
no, that's not correct. Mertesacker benefits from better players for Germany but he has been exposed dozens of times. He simply doesn't fit into this Loew side and should already pave the way for Hummels and co. I certainly hope so.
Don't forget about Holger, he did a nice job during the last two qualifiers and I would be surprised if he isn't one of the starters at central defense for awhile.
My observations: Matts Hummels: He played well, and won virtually all of his duels (both on the ground and in the air). His positioning and marking were flawless, but Sweden rarely looked to get forward. His distribution and passing is excellent, however I would have like to see him carry the ball up field and combine with Schweini and Khedira more instead of defering to Westermann. Hummels will get more games in the A-National team due to the injuries to Holger and Arne, but I personally would like to see him paired with Holger. They would compliment each other quite well. Marcel Schmelzer: Solid game at LB. Made a couple of mistakes, but combined well with the midfield players. He should be given a chance to play with the a-team. Certainly looks a better option than Boateng and Badstuber for LB. Boateng: I just don't see any reason for him to be on the pitch in a RB or LB role. His defensive positioning and marking is just terrible. What little offense he adds does not outway the massive defensive liability that he is. Kevin Grosskreutz: He looked out of his depth. I think he would have looked better if the side did not have as many changes. Not more than a bench or alternate player at the moment. Lewis Holtby: Of all the attacking players he looked ready to play in the A-team. His instincts, running, and positioning are at a very high level, and his technical skills are immense. I would love to see him play at left wing with Oezil in the middle. I bet the two of them would form an instant partnership. Marko Marin: Nothing we haven't seen before. Still does not fit into Loew's system at all. His positioning and runs we poor. Showed some nice one-on one moves but did not impress.
I agree with almost everything you said except your estimation of Boateng. I thought he was one of our best players yesterday. He provided most of our attacking threat in the first half and never compromised his position. Because Sweden was happy to sit back he got forward quite quickly. And the interesting thing is the lateral shift that happens when one of our fullbacks runs upfield. The rest of the backline (including the other fullback) shift over to cover the vacated space. I hope that Boateng gets a chance in the middle with Hummels but until that happens I don't mind him at all out wide, he has proven to be quite effective out there.