Reus & Götze offer an embarrassment of riches There are many options to choose from for Germany With the World Cup coming next year, many national teams are experiencing with tentative squads in friendlies. This allows uncertain coaches to prepare shortlists of players who may come into the team especially when others are injured. In the case of the Die Mannschaft (only if they qualify), manager Joachim Löwhas excessive talent available at his disposal and it might be difficult in choosing the combination of players. They normally play in a 4-2-3-1 formation with two holding players midfielders, two wingers and an offensive midfielder behind a striker. Currently, Germany has an excessive amount of players who can play a position within the attacking trio that directly support the striker. From the World Cup in South Africa up until the Euros in Poland, the trio was undoubtedly formed of Muller- Özil-Podolski (right wing- attacking midfield- left wing). Ever since the termination of the Euros, it seems Marco Reus has pushed Podolski out of the starting lineup but it is not entirely certain as the Arsenal man still plays a major part in the German team. With the presence of many starlets like Mario Götze who switched to Bayern Munich for €38 million this summer, there are many players who are edging closer to obtaining a place in the squad. Therefore, this article will look at each individual position, list all the players who are realistically competing for that spot and analyse their potential contributions to the squad. Offensive Midfield (Behind the Striker) So far, Özil has made this position as his own; additionally Joachim Löw voted him as the best player in the world during the last FIFA Gala, which only shows how high the coach rates him. Nevertheless, Götze is hard player to ignore with the manager trying numerous erratic formations in order to accommodate both him and Özil. With clever movement and good dribbling, the new Bavarian signing’s game play is something that complements the “total football” that Löw likes to play. Another player with a realistic chance of playing is Toni Kroos who also plays with Bayern Munich. However, his style is much different to the two previously mentioned players, as he likes to drop deep, help retain possession and applies more power to his overall game. Overall, his long distance shooting capability provides the coach with a different dimension, as Löw demonstrated by positioning Kroos to mark Pirlo in last year’s Euro semi-final. Left Wing As mentioned before, Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus is making this position his own after starting most of the qualifiers. He can also play behind the striker but with the obvious congestion in that position, it’s unlikely that he will ever feature there. Podolski on the other hand has 46 goals in 110 caps for Germany, which is even more impressive bearing in mind that he is only 28 years old. With a devastating left foot, the Arsenal forward can operate as a striker if both Klose and Gomez are unavailable. Both players face competition from Schalke teenager Julian Draxler who is highly valued by the Joachim Löw, up to the point that he opted to take the youngster for friendlies with the senior squad instead of allowing him to participate in the Euro U21 tournament. Right Wing Thomas Müller has been sensational for Germany ever since making his debut in 2010 and has never really looked like losing his spot in either the national team or Bayern Munich (his club). Although the player lacks outstanding technical ability, his work rate, intelligence and movement make him an invaluable asset to most teams. Meanwhile, Chelsea new signing Andre Schürrle may encounter a difficult time getting into the team with plenty of competition ahead of him (as players like Götze, Reus or Draxler may equally play on the right). However, a great season with the current Europa League champions may increase his chances. He can also play on the left, which may be beneficial to the team when he cuts in, as he packs dynamite in his shot.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 07:00:14 +0000
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