Re: Ze German Thread

[Hapless_Hans]

I have to admit I don't nearly know him well enough - I watched about 3 Eintracht games last season (the two against us and away at Porto).

But the transfer for me only started to make any kind of sense when I heard they see him as a right back possibly.
Because in CM he will not get enough game time, quite simply.

We'll see, with the 3 man defense Pep played Höjbjerg as right wing back, then probably he can see Rode there too.

I think in the Porto game away I remember Jung looked really powerful though, was bombing forward, should be definitively a candidate if he performs at Wolfsburg...

Though we both know with Löw staying the position is locked on Mustafi lol.

[VivaStPauli]

I have very slim hopes of Löw following Lahm, though. I'm afraid the playmobil coach is staying.

[Hapless_Hans]

I had no hope, but with Lahm leaving that might be different

[VivaStPauli]

Well even with him staying, with Gündogan returning the team will select itself, I do hope.

[BarrileteCosmico]

So I hear there is a huge scandal about German players making fun of Argentina. Naturally I found a video of this and it is not offensive in the slightest Lmao. Did the German FA really apologize for that?

[RealGunner]

Silence of the lahm

[Hapless_Hans]

So I hear there is a huge scandal about German players making fun of Argentina. Naturally I found a video of this and it is not offensive in the slightest Lmao. Did the German FA really apologize for that?

was not really a huge scandal as far as I can see. They might have apologized though lol.

[Tomwin Lannister]

Thank you for everything Lahm, you've given everything for our NT and you've went out in the best possible way

[VivaStPauli]

So I hear there is a huge scandal about German players making fun of Argentina. Naturally I found a video of this and it is not offensive in the slightest Lmao. Did the German FA really apologize for that?

Wasn't offensive at all, AFAIK the FA didn't apologize as well, it's just that some media tried to fill the news gap with it.

[Forza]

Silence of the lahm

  

[Zizou]

So I hear there is a huge scandal about German players making fun of Argentina. Naturally I found a video of this and it is not offensive in the slightest Lmao. Did the German FA really apologize for that?

OMG! typical german "Betroffenheits-Journalismus" (no clue how to translate that - but the german Press seems to always be in need to dig for the slightest sign of potentially political incorrectness especially if german victory is involved in any way...

Just watched the video - omg that is sooooo offensive! They should be excluded from ever wearing a german NT-Jersey again...

Seriously?      

[rwo power]

Well, obviously the hot temperatures currently in Germany made some journos short-circuit and spew some particular idiocies. Happened before and will happen again...


As for Philipp Lahm saying "Bye-bye NT"... Well, it's actually a good thing he decided to call it quits now when there is time enough to find a solution. It would have been worse if he'd have decided to call it quits right before the Euro or the next World Cup. ^^

I think for the next match, it might be an idea to try the 3-men-backline. Afterwards it might be a good idea to check if there are some new kids showing up the the clubs and how they develop - e.g. Oliver Sorg (Freiburg), Julian Korb (BMG), Pascal Itter (Schalke), or Erik Durm (Dortmund) of the ones not mentioned before by Viva.

[Kick]

Wow, Lahm retiring is crazy!

Thought he'd keep going for like 4-6 years.

[VivaStPauli]

Another player who we aren't calling up, and I don't know why, is Gonzalo Castro, by the way, he was a (vital) part of that U21 side that gave us Özil, Neuer, Hummels, Höwedes, Boateng and the others.

[rwo power]

Hm. Isn't Gonzalo Castro playing more in midfield nowadays? For some reason it looks as if we really like to turn good defenders into midfielders...

[rwo power]

In the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers, Scotland will be one of the opponents of Germany. Scotland's coach Gordon Strachan on his tactical plans against Germany:

"I was writing down plans and I looked at the board and thought, 'yeah, I've cracked it'," said Strachan of his plan to counter Joachim Low's side.
"Then I realised I had 14 men playing. But we're not going to change."

Source: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28334232

[rwo power]

Germany's way to the World Cup:

[VivaStPauli]

That's an eerily accurate cartoon.


And to the earlier point about Gonzalo Castro: Yeah he's a winger these days, but still. I mean, if Großkreutz can be a makeshift fullback..? Castro has been MOTM a couple times for Neverkusen over the past few season.

I don't necessarily think we have to take him, I just don't know why he never got a proper shot in the senior side, because he certainly isn't any worse than others who got their chance.

[rwo power]

Well, one interesting point about Roger Schmidt is that he wants Bayer Leverkusen to play somewhat like the German NT. Maybe this will be a very good argument for Gonzalo Castro then (if he works well in that concept).

[VivaStPauli]

Well, unless he gets converted to fullback again, and performs well there, his time has probably passed. Must be 26 by now, which isn't old by any standard, but there's probably too many ahead in the pecking order.

All bets are off if Löw yet throws the towel, though.

[rwo power]

Well, for some reason I think Löw will stay, and so I'm pretty curious what he will do about the defense situation, now that he is forced to work around the lack of the Lahm. ^^

[VivaStPauli]

Oh yeah, I believe he'll stay as well.

The, to my view, obvious solution would be moving Boateng to RB, and maybe shifting Höwedes to CB, or basically any other CB with decent pace, and put someone like Durm or Großkreutz at LB, though I have the creeping suspicion that Löw is more likely to start experimenting with 3 CBs, and having wingbacks/wingers cover the flanks.

This is, for one, an experiment I would like to see, on the other hand, I don't exactly believe that Löw will notice when it isn't working, at least not soon enough.

[dostoevsky]

Well Loew has tried three at the back before, though last time it was without actually practicing it in training first.

Whilst I recognise that Boateng to right back is the obvious solution viva, I feel the width provided by Lahm down the flanks is too important an element to sacrifice and it was one of the reasons why I believe Loew's insistence on playing Lahm in midfield was ill advised. Regardless of his performance, it is one thing to alter his position when you have the luxury of fielding Rafinha and Alaba on the flanks in his stead, but Germany lacked such alternatives.

If Germany are able to find a left back who can adequately balance their attacking and defensive duties then this could compensate for Boateng's presence at right back however. Hoewedes was reluctant to advance beyond the ball throughout the World Cup, however there are advantages to essentially maintaining a pseudo-three man backline to give freedom to the opposite fullback.

Personally I vote for the Double Bender at right and left back given that we're clearly never going to see it in midfield.

[Hapless_Hans]

I'm with you Dost, I would support and welcome any formation that features a Double Bender!! That would just be too cool.

[VivaStPauli]

Double Bender would be awesome, despite Manny Benders tendency to be always injured, they both got the lungs and heart to run for 120 minutes without slowing down, and I still think the attributes that make you a great DM mostly make you a good FB as well.

[rwo power]

Well, I still hope that Holger Badstuber will return to full fitness in due time as then we'd have a pretty good left CB for a three CB defense line, too. Too bad that he was never outstanding as LB, even though he was still useful.

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