So any test-matches of Lazio planned and/or televised?

sciacca wrote:Him, Zarate and Hernandes? Omg

Hernanes...not a spanish name lol

lol someones blowing Klose out of proportion

but def. is a great player and a legend

I just think it's ridiculous that Henry is being treated as a legend, and Klose isn't.

He certainly isn't one of the greatest strikers of all time, but he sure as hell shits all over players that are up on the pedestral, yet receives little to no praise.

Not that Klose is better than Henry.

This isn't a Klose > XY thread, or I would've put it in the right-back section. I think the guy deserves recognition.

And not because of what he did against Brazil, but that match perfectly summed up what Klose does.

Other great examples would be Germany v England at the WC. The guy just creates spaces that wouldn't be there otherwise. That trait is rare as shit.

BTW as a post script, maybe this thread isn't even needed here.
It's just that the German media (and public) notoriously hates on Klose and he's often treated as some kind of retard that is just propped up because Löw loves him and the alternatives suck.

But I actually think, in the system Germany plays, Klose is the best striker in the world. FOR GERMANY, though. He certainly isn't the best striker in the world. He's just the most suited for the system Germany plays and I can't think of a player who could do what Klose does better.

There are certainly strikers who are better at a lot of things. But in participating in build-up play, movement off the ball, creating spaces - those three abilities combined, Klose bosses all opposition.

He might actually be rated higher over here than he is in the German public, though, so maybe I should shout this off my balcony, and not post it here.

I still think he should have gone to a German club.
The Seria A is more defense-minded than the Bundesliga, if he had trouble scoring in the Bundesliga, how does he plan on scoring in Italy?

Should've gone to Dortmund or ended his career at Kaiserslautern.

Though if he wanted to make an impression, he would've lowered his demands regarding his salary and joined Werder Bremen.

Love Klose as an international player, but for me, he's underwhelming as a club player. He last shown for what? Bremen? Kaiserslautern? Back in those days, he was absolutely fantastic. Not so much for Bayern.

Couple that with the fact that Lazio is his first foreign club and I'm still quite skeptical. Frankly, until I see different, I fear Djibril Cisse more than Klose when it comes to Lazio strikers.

Either way, won't make much of a difference though. We'll still smash those slobs in the derby anyhow.

I just think you don't play Klose as a poacher. Bremen didn't, and he was awesome. Kaiserslautern didn't, and he was awesome.

Bayern tried, and it didn't work out. He just isn't a Mario Gomez, no Llorente. He's a Robin van Persie, or rather: he's a Klose. You partner the guy with wingers and CAMs who can score, or even play him with another striker.

Sure he has the heading ability and instincts of a target man, but he really isn't a great finisher. He's okay. But you want him to create space for the guy who's really gonna score, not to score, he'll just do that "by accident".

Klose was a total beast with Toni beside him. He created the chances and opened up spaces, Toni buried them in. Seriously, he must have a Jedi mind trick or something. He just puts defenders to sleep.

After Toni left, with Olic and Mueller in form he was left on the bench, though. Doesn't mean he's bad, not at all. Just look at his NT form. His club form isn't bad, only for Bayern so I don't understand the people criticising that. He once scored 25 goals for Bremen.

frakking awesome ones, too. Head, feet, dribbling, screamers and even with his dick. Was just so complete back then.

Miro Klose?

Some might say he didn't perform enough in Club level.

Some might say most of his goals in the world cup were against small teams and in the early stages. (Hatrick against KSA is an apt example.)

But is this really the point here? We are talking about a player and what he is capable of along with the times he has come through for his teams.

Klose is part of some of the last legion of strikers who quote within themselves: "Is it really necessary that you must be blessed with the skill of god within you feet to perform? With the athleticism of Mercury?"

Yes, he was a skilled player as so was inzaghi.

But what really preserved Pippo and Klose's performances to this day. Its not his pace (he is slower then Luca Toni). Its not his dribbling (once it was great, now its like watching.... well Luca Toni) Its not his finishing. (Luca Toni was better here). What is it?

Its his encephalon or in other words... His brain.

Francis Bacon once said: "A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."

Despite how fit he may be, the incredible amount of sinews everytime he makes his signiture front flip will only continue to increase and slow him down.

But it is his brain that opens the channels like Moses created a path in the red sea.

Its almost as if he was transplated with the eyes of an eagle in so he can foresee what needs to be done to compensate for his waning body.

And it works.

Klose will find it hard in the Serie A as the intelligent backlines will be better to predict his work. But in the end, I think he'll outwit once again till he makes as many sitters as..... Luca Toni.

Arquitecto wrote:Miro Klose?

Some might say he didn't perform enough in Club level.

Some might say most of his goals in the world cup were against small teams and in the early stages. (Hatrick against KSA is an apt example.)

But is this really the point here? We are talking about a player and what he is capable of along with the times he has come through for his teams.

Klose is part of some of the last legion of strikers who quote within themselves: "Is it really necessary that you must be blessed with the skill of god within you feet to perform? With the athleticism of Mercury?"

Yes, he was a skilled player as so was inzaghi.

But what really preserved Pippo and Klose's performances to this day. Its not his pace (he is slower then Luca Toni). Its not his dribbling (once it was great, now its like watching.... well Luca Toni) Its not his finishing. (Luca Toni was better here). What is it?

Its his encephalon or in other words... His brain.

Francis Bacon once said: "A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."

Despite how fit he may be, the incredible amount of sinews everytime he makes his signiture front flip will only continue to increase and slow him down.

But it is his brain that opens the channels like Moses created a path in the red sea.

Its almost as if he was transplated with the eyes of an eagle in so he can foresee what needs to be done to compensate for his waning body.

And it works.

Klose will find it hard in the Serie A as the intelligent backlines will be better to predict his work. But in the end, I think he'll outwit once again till he makes as many sitters as..... Luca Toni.

What are you talking about? Talk about being clueless, Klose is fast as hell You're right only in one point, his footballing brain is his main asset along with his speed
In future, refrain from posting about players you don't really know or only from 'hearing'

babun1024 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:Miro Klose?

Some might say he didn't perform enough in Club level.

Some might say most of his goals in the world cup were against small teams and in the early stages. (Hatrick against KSA is an apt example.)

But is this really the point here? We are talking about a player and what he is capable of along with the times he has come through for his teams.

Klose is part of some of the last legion of strikers who quote within themselves: "Is it really necessary that you must be blessed with the skill of god within you feet to perform? With the athleticism of Mercury?"

Yes, he was a skilled player as so was inzaghi.

But what really preserved Pippo and Klose's performances to this day. Its not his pace (he is slower then Luca Toni). Its not his dribbling (once it was great, now its like watching.... well Luca Toni) Its not his finishing. (Luca Toni was better here). What is it?

Its his encephalon or in other words... His brain.

Francis Bacon once said: "A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."

Despite how fit he may be, the incredible amount of sinews everytime he makes his signiture front flip will only continue to increase and slow him down.

But it is his brain that opens the channels like Moses created a path in the red sea.

Its almost as if he was transplated with the eyes of an eagle in so he can foresee what needs to be done to compensate for his waning body.

And it works.

Klose will find it hard in the Serie A as the intelligent backlines will be better to predict his work. But in the end, I think he'll outwit once again till he makes as many sitters as..... Luca Toni.

What are you talking about? Talk about being clueless, Klose is fast as hell You're right only in one point, his footballing brain is his main asset along with his speed
In future, refrain from posting about players you don't really know or only from 'hearing'

LOL. Seriously man?

Klose WAS fast back then. Not anymore. Quite the opposite.

Why would I post on a player if I haven't seen him play?

Arquitecto wrote:

babun1024 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:Miro Klose?

Some might say he didn't perform enough in Club level.

Some might say most of his goals in the world cup were against small teams and in the early stages. (Hatrick against KSA is an apt example.)

But is this really the point here? We are talking about a player and what he is capable of along with the times he has come through for his teams.

Klose is part of some of the last legion of strikers who quote within themselves: "Is it really necessary that you must be blessed with the skill of god within you feet to perform? With the athleticism of Mercury?"

Yes, he was a skilled player as so was inzaghi.

But what really preserved Pippo and Klose's performances to this day. Its not his pace (he is slower then Luca Toni). Its not his dribbling (once it was great, now its like watching.... well Luca Toni) Its not his finishing. (Luca Toni was better here). What is it?

Its his encephalon or in other words... His brain.

Francis Bacon once said: "A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."

Despite how fit he may be, the incredible amount of sinews everytime he makes his signiture front flip will only continue to increase and slow him down.

But it is his brain that opens the channels like Moses created a path in the red sea.

Its almost as if he was transplated with the eyes of an eagle in so he can foresee what needs to be done to compensate for his waning body.

And it works.

Klose will find it hard in the Serie A as the intelligent backlines will be better to predict his work. But in the end, I think he'll outwit once again till he makes as many sitters as..... Luca Toni.

What are you talking about? Talk about being clueless, Klose is fast as hell You're right only in one point, his footballing brain is his main asset along with his speed
In future, refrain from posting about players you don't really know or only from 'hearing'

LOL. Seriously man?

Klose WAS fast back then. Not anymore. Quite the opposite.

Why would I post on a player if I haven't seen him play?

Did you watch the match Germany vs. Brazil? He is fast, faster than Gomez and accelerates faster as well

But we all agree he won't succeed at Lazio, right?

babun1024 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:

babun1024 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:Miro Klose?

Some might say he didn't perform enough in Club level.

Some might say most of his goals in the world cup were against small teams and in the early stages. (Hatrick against KSA is an apt example.)

But is this really the point here? We are talking about a player and what he is capable of along with the times he has come through for his teams.

Klose is part of some of the last legion of strikers who quote within themselves: "Is it really necessary that you must be blessed with the skill of god within you feet to perform? With the athleticism of Mercury?"

Yes, he was a skilled player as so was inzaghi.

But what really preserved Pippo and Klose's performances to this day. Its not his pace (he is slower then Luca Toni). Its not his dribbling (once it was great, now its like watching.... well Luca Toni) Its not his finishing. (Luca Toni was better here). What is it?

Its his encephalon or in other words... His brain.

Francis Bacon once said: "A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."

Despite how fit he may be, the incredible amount of sinews everytime he makes his signiture front flip will only continue to increase and slow him down.

But it is his brain that opens the channels like Moses created a path in the red sea.

Its almost as if he was transplated with the eyes of an eagle in so he can foresee what needs to be done to compensate for his waning body.

And it works.

Klose will find it hard in the Serie A as the intelligent backlines will be better to predict his work. But in the end, I think he'll outwit once again till he makes as many sitters as..... Luca Toni.

What are you talking about? Talk about being clueless, Klose is fast as hell You're right only in one point, his footballing brain is his main asset along with his speed
In future, refrain from posting about players you don't really know or only from 'hearing'

LOL. Seriously man?

Klose WAS fast back then. Not anymore. Quite the opposite.

Why would I post on a player if I haven't seen him play?

Did you watch the match Germany vs. Brazil? He is fast, faster than Gomez and accelerates faster as well

Did he? Everytime I have seen him he has been quite cumbersome.

Or maybe he just doesn't use his pace as much as he should.

Arquitecto wrote:

babun1024 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:

babun1024 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:Miro Klose?

Some might say he didn't perform enough in Club level.

Some might say most of his goals in the world cup were against small teams and in the early stages. (Hatrick against KSA is an apt example.)

But is this really the point here? We are talking about a player and what he is capable of along with the times he has come through for his teams.

Klose is part of some of the last legion of strikers who quote within themselves: "Is it really necessary that you must be blessed with the skill of god within you feet to perform? With the athleticism of Mercury?"

Yes, he was a skilled player as so was inzaghi.

But what really preserved Pippo and Klose's performances to this day. Its not his pace (he is slower then Luca Toni). Its not his dribbling (once it was great, now its like watching.... well Luca Toni) Its not his finishing. (Luca Toni was better here). What is it?

Its his encephalon or in other words... His brain.

Francis Bacon once said: "A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."

Despite how fit he may be, the incredible amount of sinews everytime he makes his signiture front flip will only continue to increase and slow him down.

But it is his brain that opens the channels like Moses created a path in the red sea.

Its almost as if he was transplated with the eyes of an eagle in so he can foresee what needs to be done to compensate for his waning body.

And it works.

Klose will find it hard in the Serie A as the intelligent backlines will be better to predict his work. But in the end, I think he'll outwit once again till he makes as many sitters as..... Luca Toni.

What are you talking about? Talk about being clueless, Klose is fast as hell You're right only in one point, his footballing brain is his main asset along with his speed
In future, refrain from posting about players you don't really know or only from 'hearing'

LOL. Seriously man?

Klose WAS fast back then. Not anymore. Quite the opposite.

Why would I post on a player if I haven't seen him play?

Did you watch the match Germany vs. Brazil? He is fast, faster than Gomez and accelerates faster as well

Did he? Everytime I have seen him he has been quite cumbersome.

Or maybe he just doesn't use his pace as much as he should.

He uses his pace all the time to take defenders away. Making runs is his daily routine He may look slow to you because his makes very large steps

babun1024 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:

babun1024 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:

babun1024 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:Miro Klose?

Some might say he didn't perform enough in Club level.

Some might say most of his goals in the world cup were against small teams and in the early stages. (Hatrick against KSA is an apt example.)

But is this really the point here? We are talking about a player and what he is capable of along with the times he has come through for his teams.

Klose is part of some of the last legion of strikers who quote within themselves: "Is it really necessary that you must be blessed with the skill of god within you feet to perform? With the athleticism of Mercury?"

Yes, he was a skilled player as so was inzaghi.

But what really preserved Pippo and Klose's performances to this day. Its not his pace (he is slower then Luca Toni). Its not his dribbling (once it was great, now its like watching.... well Luca Toni) Its not his finishing. (Luca Toni was better here). What is it?

Its his encephalon or in other words... His brain.

Francis Bacon once said: "A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."

Despite how fit he may be, the incredible amount of sinews everytime he makes his signiture front flip will only continue to increase and slow him down.

But it is his brain that opens the channels like Moses created a path in the red sea.

Its almost as if he was transplated with the eyes of an eagle in so he can foresee what needs to be done to compensate for his waning body.

And it works.

Klose will find it hard in the Serie A as the intelligent backlines will be better to predict his work. But in the end, I think he'll outwit once again till he makes as many sitters as..... Luca Toni.

What are you talking about? Talk about being clueless, Klose is fast as hell You're right only in one point, his footballing brain is his main asset along with his speed
In future, refrain from posting about players you don't really know or only from 'hearing'

LOL. Seriously man?

Klose WAS fast back then. Not anymore. Quite the opposite.

Why would I post on a player if I haven't seen him play?

Did you watch the match Germany vs. Brazil? He is fast, faster than Gomez and accelerates faster as well

Did he? Everytime I have seen him he has been quite cumbersome.

Or maybe he just doesn't use his pace as much as he should.

He uses his pace all the time to take defenders away. Making runs is his daily routine He may look slow to you because his makes very large steps

That could be it.

Similar to Torres who looks as slow as..... Luca Toni but covers thrice as much ground as him.

I guess I should say agile, or proficient fast twitch fibers.

So conclusion, Klose is fast due to efficiency in covering ground faster then others. But he is NOT agile.

He's neither agile nor does he accelerate very quickly. But once he runs, he's pretty damn fast. Good top speed, meh acceleration. Or you might say: getting old.

Arquitecto wrote:Miro Klose?

Some might say he didn't perform enough in Club level.

Some might say most of his goals in the world cup were against small teams and in the early stages. (Hatrick against KSA is an apt example.)

But is this really the point here? We are talking about a player and what he is capable of along with the times he has come through for his teams.

Klose is part of some of the last legion of strikers who quote within themselves: "Is it really necessary that you must be blessed with the skill of god within you feet to perform? With the athleticism of Mercury?"

Yes, he was a skilled player as so was inzaghi.

But what really preserved Pippo and Klose's performances to this day. Its not his pace (he is slower then Luca Toni). Its not his dribbling (once it was great, now its like watching.... well Luca Toni) Its not his finishing. (Luca Toni was better here). What is it?

Its his encephalon or in other words... His brain.

Francis Bacon once said: "A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."

Despite how fit he may be, the incredible amount of sinews everytime he makes his signiture front flip will only continue to increase and slow him down.

But it is his brain that opens the channels like Moses created a path in the red sea.

Its almost as if he was transplated with the eyes of an eagle in so he can foresee what needs to be done to compensate for his waning body.

And it works.

Klose will find it hard in the Serie A as the intelligent backlines will be better to predict his work. But in the end, I think he'll outwit once again till he makes as many sitters as..... Luca Toni.

Back to my point..... His pace isn't my point as I am actually complementing the German.

Klose also has decent body strength. I've seen him bossing plenty of CBs by just putting his body in the way.

Arquitecto wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:Miro Klose?

Some might say he didn't perform enough in Club level.

Some might say most of his goals in the world cup were against small teams and in the early stages. (Hatrick against KSA is an apt example.)

But is this really the point here? We are talking about a player and what he is capable of along with the times he has come through for his teams.

Klose is part of some of the last legion of strikers who quote within themselves: "Is it really necessary that you must be blessed with the skill of god within you feet to perform? With the athleticism of Mercury?"

Yes, he was a skilled player as so was inzaghi.

But what really preserved Pippo and Klose's performances to this day. Its not his pace (he is slower then Luca Toni). Its not his dribbling (once it was great, now its like watching.... well Luca Toni) Its not his finishing. (Luca Toni was better here). What is it?

Its his encephalon or in other words... His brain.

Francis Bacon once said: "A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."

Despite how fit he may be, the incredible amount of sinews everytime he makes his signiture front flip will only continue to increase and slow him down.

But it is his brain that opens the channels like Moses created a path in the red sea.

Its almost as if he was transplated with the eyes of an eagle in so he can foresee what needs to be done to compensate for his waning body.

And it works.

Klose will find it hard in the Serie A as the intelligent backlines will be better to predict his work. But in the end, I think he'll outwit once again till he makes as many sitters as..... Luca Toni.

Back to my point..... His pace isn't my point as I am actually complementing the German.

That's not the point. You picture Klose as a all brain guy like Inzaghi but his game is very physical next to his brains

Sushi Master wrote:

Serge Gnabry wrote:

Sushi Master wrote:Watch him tear shit up at Lazio. His game is perfectly suited for Calcio.

How so?

He's extremely intelligent and opens up space in tight defenses, as well as being a good finisher. Also has work rate and is fast compared to snail paced Italian CBs.

arent cbs in general snail paced?

Ganso wrote:

sciacca wrote:Him, Zarate and Hernandes? Omg

Hernanes...not a spanish name lol

I put the D by mistake, and in spanish it's with ez nor es. That why, but ye I spelt it wrong, oops

Eivindo wrote:

Sushi Master wrote:

Serge Gnabry wrote:

Sushi Master wrote:Watch him tear shit up at Lazio. His game is perfectly suited for Calcio.

How so?

He's extremely intelligent and opens up space in tight defenses, as well as being a good finisher. Also has work rate and is fast compared to snail paced Italian CBs.

arent cbs in general snail paced?

They are when compared to Klose

I regard Klose as the most prolific/important/legendary German player of the past decade. Ahead of Ballack.


Reasons:

1) Legacy as a historical German striker

He's the striker that German football watchers had been waiting for since the departure of Völler. Someone who doesn't just stick around for a couple of years and scores 10-30 goals (Kunz, Bierhoff, Kirsten - whoever filled in during 1994 and 2001), then drops out again quickly.
Instead, he's had a full NT career with 100+ games and, currently, 61 goals (sitting at #2 behind Gerd Müller). I think he also has the 4th best goals per game average in German history behind Müller, Seeler and Klaus Fischer and is ahead of Völler, Klinsmann, Rummenigge etc. in both regards.

Again, ever since the Klinsmann/Völler days, there hasn't been an historically important striker like him in Germany. He continued the legacy of top strikers that characterized an entire era of German football, spanning several big tournaments. It took almost a full decade to get such a player again.


2) Embodiment of Germany's progression in the 2000s

Over the last decade, he has developed his style of play and abilities in ways I've rarely seen from a player.

· In 2002, Germany's game was basic and required a good poacher with good heading abilities. Klose delivered that and scored 5 WC goals.
· In 2006, Germany's game had become faster, more complex and required a striker that not only scores goals, but sets up opportunities for his supporting striker as well. Klose delivered that, scored 5 goals in the new system and set up some for Podolski, including both vs. Sweden (round of 16).
· In 2010, Germany's game was much more sophisticated, required fast thinking, playmaking abilities and defending from everyone. Klose delivered all of that, scored 4 WC goals himself, initiated goals for his team mates, and was found all over the pitch, with brilliant off-the-ball movement to create spaces en masse.

He went from limited, pure poacher to allround offensive player between the ages of 24 and 32, just like the style of the team steadily progressed.
Between 2002 and 2010, all players in the German NT were replaced, because they didn't fit the new systems anymore or better players arose. Klose was able to adapt to all systems and refined his game according to the progression of the team. He's now playing with 20 year olds and still suits the style of play like a glove.


3) Being at the right place at the right time and taking chances

Along the same lines, he's one of the biggest "opportunists" I've seen in football. In a positive sense. He was never considered a big talent and until age 20, he was still playing amateur football. He received a single chance to play for Bundesliga club Kaiserslautern, took it right away and became a Bundesliga starter quickly.

In 2001, he received a single chance to join the National team. He was subbed in late in an important qualification game versus Albania. He scored the vital winning goal shortly before the final whistle. In his second game for the national team, he repeated the feat and was once again responsible for the winning goal after coming on as a sub. Good way to make yourself a vital player in no time.

In 2002, right before the World Cup in Asia, national coach Völler was trying to build his starting formation for the tournament. He gave Klose a chance in a test game and Klose scored a hattrick. In the next test game, he received another chance and scored another hattrick. There was no way around him as a starter for the World Cup team now.

At the World Cup, he famously scored 5 goals and already created a bit of a legacy with that feat alone.

On path to the World Cup 2006 - the most important World Cup for all German players, since it was played on homesoil - Klose had hit a bit of a slump and wasn't first choice anymore. However, in 2005/06 he played a phenomenal club season at Bremen (25 goals and 14 assists in 26 games) and quickly became first choice in the national team again - just at the right time for the World Cup. He also started scoring huge amounts for the NT, including another 5 goals at the World Cup itself. Plus, he set up alot of goals for his team mates and was one of the 2-3 most important players in the team. Quite possibly even the most important one for a while.

By 2008, he started to focus more on the NT, because that was where his main career was. Club football was mostly a way to keep fit, the NT was his priority. People starting saying he's past it and should be replaced by Gomez for the Euro, but Klose again rose to the occasion - he set up a few chances for Gomez brilliantly, but Gomez failed miserably. Klose on the other hand scored 2 vital goals in the knockout stages.

In 2009, people were writing him off once more because he wasn't playing well for Bayern. He replied with loads of goals for the NT, including a vital (!) hattrick in the 3-3 versus Finland (WC qualifier) and the decisive goal versus main group rivals Russia. Without these goals, Germany might have had a hard time with qualifying directly. Klose saved their asses in the 2002 qualifiers and again in the 2010 ones. He also surpassed legends like Völler, Klinsmann and Rummenigge statistically by that time.

In 2010, people had written him off completey, despite all his recent achievements. They wanted Gomez or Kießling or Cacau to replace Klose for the World Cup. The opening game versus Australia was his only chance to keep his spot - he took it again. As we all know, Klose once more played a brilliant tournament and was a decisive player once more. Gomez played like a miserable fool when he was subbed in. Kießling and Cacau are now pretty much forgotten as far as the NT goes, Klose is still around.

In the current qualifiers, he's leading the scoring table (along with Huntelaar). Still, it seems like he's losing his spot to Gomez. In the game versus Brazil yesterday, Gomez showed that - despite having improved and scoring a shitload of goals - he has a hard time keeping up with the fast-paced football Germany plays these days. Klose was subbed in in the 2nd half and took the chance by playing very well. Despite not scoring, he created huge amounts of spaces for his team mates and played a vital part in 2 of Germany's goals. He had 45 minutes to display his worth. And he made a strong case to keep his starting spot until 2012.


4) Antithesis of media/popular delusion

As written above, people keep writing him off and have been doing so since at least 2004. This phenomenon was taken to the next level in 2008, when Klose started degrading at club level. It has since became a running gag in Germany. Before EVERY tournament, the media and the population want Klose out of the team and replace him with the newest fad of the month player. Every single time, Klose then managed to play well and score vital goals. And every single time, all of those that had criticized him were shut up and/or acted all surprised.

The laughable cycle has since been repeating constantly. At times, it has happened on a monthly basis. Everytime Klose didn't manage to score in 2 or 3 Bundesliga games, people wanted him out of the NT immediately. He would then put on a brilliant display in the next qualifier, score an important goal or two and shut them up. A month later, everyone had seemingly forgotten this and wanted him out again. He shut them up once more and they were surprised. A month later, the whole shit repeated.

Seriously, people apparently lack any longterm memory. Also, the media usually feeds their nimble minds and publishes big articles on Klose's "crisis" or goalscoring "drought". There never has been a crisis for him in the NT since 2004. Still, popular opinion on him has kept changing so often that he was forced to make "comebacks" about 10 times a year. Each comeback was successful, each time everyone was all surprised and each time he became the hero again to the mindless masses.

For some reason, people in Germany tend to yearn for heroes and idols, then drop them and hate on them as soon as the slightest problem occurs. The media abuses this behaviour and publishes according articles to nourish the hatred. Whoever is a hero today will be a potential punching bag tomorrow - and people punch their former heroes with great pleasure. Klose has managed to punch back numerously.


5) Bringer of football joy

In the past 10 years, there has not been a player who has scored more vital goals and brought more moments of joy to the German audience than Klose. As described, most people seem to forget this quickly, but if you look at his international career - especially at big tournaments - it's quite obvious.


A selection:

- 2 vital last minute qualification goals in 2001
- 3 goals in the WC 2002 opening game for a German team that was supposed to not make it past the group stages
- Winning goal in the decisive group match versus Cameroon (he also set up the other goal in that game brilliantly)
- 2 goals in the 2006 opening game versus Costa Rica, which sealed the 4-2 win. Winning the first game was a major step for Germany in this most important, long-awaited and completely hyped up tournament.
- 2 goals versus Ecuador in the 2006 WC group - euphoria was huge in Germany and Klose affirmed and fed it greatly.
- Vital, vital goal in the 2006 QF match versus Argentina - the home soil world cup would have been over for Germany if not for that goal.
- Loads of goals and assists in the 2008 Euro qualifiers, establishing Germany's strong international standing after the great World Cup.
- Vital goal versus Portugal in the 2008 EC quarterfinal.
- Vital goal versus Turkey in the semifinal.
- 3 vital goals versus Finland in the WC 2010 qualifiers.
- Winning goal versus main rival Russia in the highly important, decisive qualifier.
- Awesome "comeback" goal in the WC 2010 opening game versus Australia. His career was supposed to be over, he was said to not add any more World Cup goals to his tally of 10 - and he replied with a perfect vintage header.
- Awesome solo goal versus England in the round of 16. He took their overhyped defense apart and made Germany look like world beaters.
- 2 goals versus Argentina in the QF - Germany were flying high and Klose once more embodied this condition like no other player. Scored his 13th and 14th WC goals and entered legend status after having been written off for months and years. This was the logical continuation of what had started in 2002 and shaped in 2006 and a conclusion to one decade of German football which had progressed so much, yet kept one constant entity in Klose.
- In the following qualifiers for 2012, he's kept scoring like there's no tomorrow, including more vital goals (i.e. the 1-0 versus strong contenders Belgium).

All of those goals - and many more - made the German public ecstatic when they were scored. Tens of millions watched the games (most importantly the WC and Euro games), all went into ecstasy during those decisive moments and hailed Klose as a national hero each single time. Add to that his assists, his comebacks, his progression as a player along with the progression of the team and all the other good things he's done in those 100+ matches.

Therefore it's sad and odd that most of those that praised him yesterday tend to forget all of these heroics and moments of joy so quickly, easily and seemingly with much sinister pleasure - at least until the next rush of ecstacy.


6) International standing

Klose is a bit of an oddity as far as a comparison to other international strikers goes. This is due to the fact that he started out in professional football relatively late (at 20) and never played for a REALLY big club until his late 20s (Bayern). Shortly after, he basically/inofficially ended his club career and concentrated mostly on the NT.

That's rather unusual. It means that his international standing has to be compared mostly based on his performances with the NT. At club level he only had 1.5 brilliant seasons - 2005/06 with Bremen (as mentioned above - inhuman figures) and the first half of the 2007/08 campaign with Bayern. That was it.

It still has to be stated though that he has more than decent statistics at club level:
- With 121 goals, he's the 2nd most successful Bundesliga goalscorer since 2000 (behind Pizarro).
- He was named German footballer of the year in 2006 with a huge advantage over his competitors.
- In the 2008/09 season, he played his first Champions League season with a team that could actually compete - he scored no less than 7 goals and was tied with Gerrard in the 2nd place, only behind Messi's 9 goals. He might actually have scored more, but Bayern notoriously went out in the quarters versus Barcelona. Klose was injured and didn't play against Barcelona.

However, his main achievements obviously come from his international career:
- 61 international goals (#2 in German alltime list, #1 among currently active German players obviously)
- There is currently no other player in the world (apart from that guy from Trinidad/Tobago who constantly plays against village teams) who has scored more international goals than Klose. He's scored more than superstar strikers such as Van Nistelrooy, Raul or Henry.
- Infact, there's only 12 players in history, who have scored more goals for their countries, including the likes of Pelé and Puskás.
- He's joint 2nd place World Cup top scorer along with Gerd Müller, only trailing Ronaldo (guess nobody knew this...)
- Was part of the WC allstar teams in 2002 and 2006 and, despite missing out on this in 2010, he was most likely very close to making it a third time in a row.
- He's the only player in World Cup history who managed to score at least 4 goals in 3 World Cups. Huge consistency.
- He's #2 behind Lothar Matthäus for most international caps for Germany.

Brilliant international career so far. Hope he still gets to top Müller's record (he only needs 7 more goals to break even) and finally win a big international trophy in 2012. It would be a fitting end to his career (although I secretly hope he'll score his 16th WC goal as a sub in the 2014 final vs. Brazil, which also happens to be the winning goal...). It would also once more be an embodiment of the state of German football, which, within about a decade, kept progressing steadily and went from their darkest hour to becoming champions again.




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I hope at least 5,000 people read through all of this. Might be a tad long, but so what.

At the very least Viva St. Pauli has to read it all, since it's his thread.