Germany looks to the future
“Soccer is a game for 22 people that run around, play the ball, and one referee who makes a slew of mistakes, and in the end Germany always wins.” This hasn’t been the case in the last 14 years, but could a new generation be on the way to bring the glory years back?
“Soccer is a game for 22 people that run around, play the ball, and one referee who makes a slew of mistakes, and in the end Germany always wins.”
Gary Lineker’s statement about the game of football couldn’t have been more accurate at the time. Whilst it was meant bitterly, it couldn’t hide the fact that, no matter what opposing teams threw at the Germans, their mix of talent and mental strength saw them through more often than not. A perfect example of this was their 1990 World Cup campaign. The team achieved the ideal blend of class and grit to either outplay their opponents or grind out victories where necessary.
Since Germany’s 1996 European Championship victory, their last major tournament success, the talent has waned a little, but the steely mentality remained. Germany still managed to make it to major finals in 2002 and 2008 despite having squads that were limited in relation to those of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Whilst the likes of Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose are quality players, they haven’t quite measured up to the likes of Beckenbauer, Netzer, Muller, Matthaus and Klinsmann.
It now looks, however, like the trickle of class that has got Germany through the last 10 years could once again become a steady flow.
Earlier this summer, Germany convincingly won the European Under-21 Championship in Sweden (completing a brief hat trick of European U17, U19 and U21 titles). They won the tournament having only conceded one goal.
This defensive solidity was built around defenders like Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke) and Jerome Boateng (Hamburg SV) as well as Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund). Hummels put in a stellar display to neutralise the pacy threat of Theo Walcott in the final against England, which Germany won 4-0. With tight marking and some perfectly timed, crunching tackles, Walcott couldn’t get out of Hummels pocket the whole game. These players, along with Hoffenheim’s attacking right-back, Andreas Beck, will be hoping to be able to make that step up to be regular starters in the full German national side.
The real star of that final, however, was Mesut Ozil. The young playmaker operated in an advanced central midfield position and wreaked havoc, repeatedly cutting the England back-four open with his imaginative and incisive passing. Ozil had a hand in 3 of the 4 goals, scoring the 2nd and supplying perfectly weighted passes for Gonzalo Castro (Bayer Leverkusen) and Sandro Wagner (MSV Duisburg) to net the 1st and 3rd goals respectively.
Ozil has carried on where he left off this season in the Bundesliga, playing a central role in Werder Bremen’s promising start to the season, with 5 goals and 5 assists in 8 games, and filling the boots of the now departed Diego (Juventus). In August he also made his debut for the full international side, receiving a Man of the Match award for his performance against South Africa. The gifted youngster, of Turkish origin, hand a hand in the creation of the first goal of a 2-0 victory, slipping in a perfect through ball for Michael Ballack to cross for Mario Gomez. For the second goal, Ozil became the finisher, rounding off a well-worked passing move with a precise side-footed finish.
Whilst Jogi Loew, the German national coach, raised concerns over the defensive side of Ozil’s game, he couldn’t hide his delight at the options he provides going forward. The likes of Gomez, Lukas Podolski and Klose know that if they’re making a run into the space between defenders, there’s a very good chance Ozil will find them with a perfectly weighted pass.
The new production line of talent doesn’t end with Ozil. Of the victorious U21 side, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (Schalke) and Andreas Beck have also made it into the full national squad, as has Sami Khedira, the energetic box-to-box midfielder from VFB Stuttgart, who lifted the trophy as captain. And then there’s Marko Marin, potentially as exciting a prospect as Ozil. Marin is small in stature and an excellent dribbler with a low centre of gravity. It will be interesting to see how he and Ozil develop together for club (Marin is also at Werder Bremen) as well as country.
Of course all this is just potential at the moment. Promise doesn’t guarantee success. But German fans can’t be blamed for believing that, if these players fulfil their potential, the future’s bright.
The photo accompanying this article was provided by www.designandy.com
Good article! So far most of the, especially english and spanish speaking press, is not really aware of the coming german generation of true class players.
Besides the mentioned I would also rate the Bender brothers, Toni Kroos(!), Badstuber, Thomas Mueller and even more as hot prospects for the future.
If these players will also inherit the almost traditional German mental strength in big tournaments, they will have great chances to get to the level of German teams in the 70s.
Chris, thanks for the comment! Indeed I was considering putting a small reference to the Bayern youngsters, but decided to keep it to the successful U21 squad. Kroos is developing nicely on loan at Bayer Leverkusen at the moment and Badstuber could prove invaluable to Bayern this season given the loss of Lucio. There’s a big opportunity for him to make a central defensive slot his own. Mueller has been fantastic this season too – goalscoring instinct and an eye for a pass.
Another young player I like is Lewis Holtby of Schalke (formerly Alemannia Aachen).
Unfortunately I didn’t manage to see much of Germany’s U20 World Cup campaign other than the Nigeria game. Did the Bender brothers have a good tournament?
I’ve watched a fair bit of German football over the last few years and wholeheartedly agree with the touting of Marin as a potential top player. Both he and Ozil are very creative players, but Marin seems more capable of playing deeper and uses the ball very well. Could be Germany’s answer to the ball playing midfielders of Spain.
Interestingly, Holtby and Hunt could both have played for England yet chose to play for Germany. You have to respect that, they’re born and raised in Germany and have that culture at heart. If anyone can help the development of Holtby it’s Magath, he’s in good hands.
Marin is also versatile. Not only can he play deep or on the wing, he’s also been operating as a centre forward for Bremen this year.
With the likes of him, Ozil, Mueller, Holtby and Kroos coming through. Germany’s creative options could be frightening in the next few years if they fulfil their potential. Kroos is another one who could be a great player. Check out his goal agains Schalke last weekend, the technique is unbelieveable to strike the volley so flat:
Speaking of Schalke, Magath is doing a great job so far. He’s showing how a good manager can transform a team. If he can lead Schalke to the CL it would be a fantastic achievement.