Germany primed to conquer Brazil

Germany primed to conquer Brazil

Germany have had their fill of near misses.

They have had enough of coming second, third or fourth.

This year, their only ambition is to take that final step and bring home the World Cup. And it would take a brave soul to rule them out. Die Mannschaft have narrowly missed out on silverware in four consecutive tournaments.

In 2006, Juergen Klinsmann led a team short on confidence to the World Cup semi-finals where the hosts were defeated by Italy in one of the most sparkling games of the tournament.

Two years later, with his former assistant Joachim Loew at the helm, they reached the final of the European Championships, only to be beaten by Spain in Vienna.

Hopes were high for the 2010 World Cup, but again Spain denied them, this time in the semi-finals. At Euro 2012, it looked as if Loew would have his revenge, but with Spain awaiting them in the final, Germany managed to trip up against Italy in the semi-finals.

Long-suffering German fans could be forgiven for wondering what else their team have to do to actually win something.

HIGH SPIRITS

And yet, for all of the high profile slip-ups, this is still a happy ship.

Hardly surprising, given what has gone before.

Under Berti Vogts, Germany won Euro '96 in England, but the national team deteriorated quickly afterwards.

The 1998 World Cup campaign ended with a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Croatia, while a disastrous showing at Euro 2000 forced the German Football Association to take drastic action.

Having seen their team finish at the bottom of their group stage, beaten by a poor England side along the way, they made widespread changes to the domestic game, insisting, among other things, on a complete overhaul of the academy system.

Now, 14 years on, they are reaping the rewards.

There are few squads with more depth than this one. In almost every position, there is so much quality that it would make any rival manager green with envy. The midfield is a particular strong point with players like Bastian Schweinstiger, Thomas Mueller and Mesut Oezil leading the charge for a first-team place.

WEAK LINK

If there is a weak spot, it's up front where Miroslav Klose and young Kevin Volland are the only specialist strikers.

That may not be a problem, however, given Loew's penchant for a false Nine, usually Mario Goetze.

There are a few minor causes for concern. The astonishing slip-up in a World Cup qualifiers in 2012 against Sweden, where a 4-0 lead swiftly became a 4-4 draw, has left a lasting effect on the national consciousness.

Per Mertesacker has excelled for Arsenal, but can occasionally look ungainly, and Marcel Schmelzer has never entirely convinced at left back.

There is also the small matter of being drawn in the one of the most challenging groups for this month's tournament. Portugal lack a striker and are reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo, but that didn't stop them reaching the semi-finals of World Cup 2006 and Euro 2012.

Ghana and the United States are both competent, dangerous teams, entirely capable of beating the Germans if they start well. There is no cannon fodder in this group, no easy way of racking up goals.

But with Germany's arsenal of talent, they should have enough to progress safely to the latter stages, especially as they are immune to all but the most catastrophic of injury crises.

If they lose Goetze, they have Julien Draxler.

If they lose Schweinstiger, they have Sami Khedira.

If they lose Mueller, they have Toni Kroos.

They are the most talent-laden team in international football and maybe, just maybe, this is their year.

GERMANY

Coach: Joachim Loew

Best performance: Champions in 1954, 1974 and 1990

Last World Cup: Finished third after beating Uruguay 3-2 in play-off.

Matches in Group G:v Portugal (June 16, 11.59pm)v Ghana (June 22, 3am)v US (June 26, 11.59pm)

Possible opponents in Round of 16: Belgium, Russia or South Korea

npsports@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on June 05, 2014.
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