Pre-match: PRE - WC 2018 Discussion, fanboying and schwere Angsting

Should I actually be worried? I'm not saying this German side looks poised to defend their title, but there's never anything to take from friendlies when Germany is involved. Also on another note:

- I've never been a fan of Low, his shortcomings as a manager has been overlooked only bc of the talent pool he has available to him. With this generation he should have at least won the WC and European Championship by now but I think he's failed. Complete waste and he lacks good judgment. His decision to keep Brandt and leave out Sane is the most puzzling. I remember watching Brandt play in the Confed Cup and how useless and invisible he always was. The guy is overrated and will end up like Lewis Holtby.

 

I hope Özil is fit too, but Gundogan hasn’t looked particularly good in a Germany Shirt lately.

I would play with Khedira and Kroos double 6 and move Müller into the slot behind Werner. Either that or play a 433 and use Goretzka as box to box mid.

 

Toni kroos has never been a holding midfielder, hes a deep linking midfielder who's passing is top notch, but his defensive game is vulnerable, hence casameiro plays in front of the defence to protect these vulnerabilities at real Madrid, khadiera and kroos are vulnerable in the defensive side of the game

 

Loew has failed to freshen up the engine room in midfield, Germany clearly lacks legs in that area, hence they are hugely vulnerable in the turnover

 

If We are still having Kroos n Khedira was double 6

We will be out in group stage

2014 they had Schweini behind them in a 4-3-3

Can’t play 4-2-3-1 anymore

 

Lol at the angst on this board.

 

Kroos, Khedira & LeGo is just too lacking in the final third for me. That's why I'd put Ilkay next to Leon & hope that he gets his head out of his ass when the games matter again...cause it's not like Sami has been great in these friendlies either.

 

...Schweini only played the 6 without Lahm behind him in 3 matches...

 

I think one of the problems in this team in both friendlies is that it doesn't feel like a team yet, as of now they are more disjointed. After Low took a different team at the CC-onwards he was juggling too many players in a small period of time.

players are going in and out of the XI all the time.Also players are returning from injury as well.

Even the lineup of Austria and Saudi were not the same, which was a mistake on Low's part, using the Austria friendly as a final tryout instead of giving the main XI playing time together.

of course another 10 days in the training could help a lot to make this team better,

 

The showed fitness and movement, basically stopping to play in the 2nd halves two times, certainly plays into my worriedness

 

I didnt hear it yesterday during the broadcast but apparently some fans cheered when Gündogan was fouled

 

Wouldn't it have been better to leave Özil and Gündogan out? Select L.Bender instead and possibly bring Sané for experience.

Germany could do with a holding mid and Bender is even quite versatile. Kicker gave him the best ratings in the Bundesliga this season.

http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/...bundesliga/2017-18/topspieler-der-saison.html

 

Good god no. Bender has no business coming even close to this team and we simply don't have anyone of Mesut's caliber even if you believed that this stuff was a distraction for the team and not just some fans.

 

There is a difference between meeting dictators voluntarily in your free time and having to travel to them cause FIFA decided you have to in case you want to participate in the sport's biggest event. So there is no hypocrisy in that.

But yeah if a NT player decided to meet with Putin or Trump "Erdogan-London" style than hed be in trouble as well

 

I'd say the same for Rudy but that's based on the handful of games I got to watch him (maybe watching him regularly would have changed my opinion of him). Also, isn't Özil an injury doubt now?

So who are Germany's best holding midfielders?

 

Well as far as it concerns me both players basically have ended their NT careers due to that. DFB and Löw on the other hand dont have the balls to kick both players out ahead of the tourney and now it is going to distract the team all the way through the tourney. I wouldnt be surprised to see either Özil and Gündogan scoring decisive goals and the fans will still be booing them. Especially since the ones traveling to Russia should be the die-hard hools section and not the family section like yesterday in Leverkusen

 

To a certain extent Löw has sabotaged the team with their inclusion. Controversy is never ideal. German fans are fully justified in booing them.

 

I didn't know German fans arranged that friendly. The DFB are having tax woes, I hear. I guess Saudi Arabia's money is quite welcome now. Still why feel the need to go: What about Saudi Arabia, Trump, Putin, ... Genghis Khan for all I care. Have Turkey been giving Germany the warm and fuzzies in recent years and have all the news stories been false? Even more reason to boo them.

@Rosebud because of the lack of an answer (who are Germany's best holding midfielders?) is it fair to assume L.Bender belongs in the conversation? I hardly watch Bundesliga games so I'm forced to put trust in Kicker's ratings.

 

So you think the WCs in Russia or Qatar are popular with the fans? There is no difference