The German nation had fears coming into the World Cup that their national team was doomed for another third place finish; that after a decade of trying they would be doomed for another failed performance. The players had a different idea. An absolutely crushing victory against the Portuguese has rekindled the nation’s trophy dreams, and as the world’s biggest teams have had bad showings to start out, this generation of German players has a right to stake their claim.
With a lack of good strikers, Joachim Low is depending on a false nine formation, allowing him to send out his plethora of midfielders. The stars of the day were none other than Mario Gotze and veteran Thomas Muller. Gotze created chance after chance by being the leading man, and he often twisted through a wall of defenders to give his teammates time to push forward. Muller did exactly what he did four years ago when he shocked the world. He served to be Germany’s goal scorer, with a hat-trick in the game.
Yet even as Germany decimated their opposition, Low might be pondering certain inconsistencies in their play. Often times during the first half, Ozil and Gotze were riding the offside trap, practically begging for a long ball to send them through. This usually is the job of one Bastian Schweinsteiger, who plays passes out of the center of the field and who would surely have created many more chances. He was unfit to play after an injury scare over the weekend, though he should be ready for the Ghana and USA games.
Another, perhaps more pressing, problem was that Germany missed a true striker who could shoot the gaps around the Portuguese defense. With only Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski on the team sheet, Low is left with a decision. Klose is aging and will most likely be played against Ghana and the United States so that he can break the World Cup goal scoring record, a payback from Low for his years of dedication to the national side. Podolski is the exact player that Germany needs playing as a lone striker. Unfortunately, the Polish born player hasn’t lived up to his former self and has struggled ever since Koln was relegated. His time at Arsenal has seen him regain some form, but he’s often subbed in off the bench and still isn’t up to his own potential. To an extent, Andre Schurrle filled the role with his incredible pace, but even as Podolski entered the game in the 80th minute, it was clear he isn’t the goal-scoring hero he once was.
Other than that, the defense looked solid and Toni Kroos was an excellent set piece man. This squad could go far, but as always with the Germans, it’ll be nerves that decide whether they’ll be suited up in the World Cup final, or simply watching it from their hotel rooms.
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