Moving things on from the preview thread as we get nearer.
Bild have released the Germany team for their opening fixture against Portugal. There’s a chance this is just speculation but they had a track record of getting it right every time in advance at Euro 2012 (and there was a bit of controversy around where the leak was coming from). I guess there’s a chance this is a deliberate misinformation leak, but anyway:
_Neuer
Boateng___Mertesacker__Hummels___Howedes
_Lahm______Khedira
Ozil_____________Kroos_________Podolski
Muller_
A few surprises in there:
[LIST]
[]Germany have been struggling for a left back for years and Howedes certainly isn’t any kind of long term option
[]Lahm in midfield works some of the time but they don’t have any obvious way of switching him out of there if things go wrong. They’re really starting 4 centre backs so Lahm can’t go back unless they make a substitution
[]That’s not the quickest back four ever, because of the lack of full backs I suppose
[]No Schweinsteiger would be a huge surprise.
[]Klose hasn’t been expected to start. In likelihood Muller won’t play as an orthodox #9 and they’ll play something closer to a 4-2-4-0 with players alternating to play up front. But Muller would probably do that most.
[]Even with 4 attacking midfielders and with Reus injured, they still don’t have room for Schurrle or Gotze. One might be tempted to say it’s an incredible list of attacking midfielders they have who can’t make the team.
[/LIST]
I think Low is a poor manager who has consistently underachieved with this German side and I don’t see anything changing this summer. Reus for me is the German’s best player and they will miss him terribly. That selection would really annoy me on two counts:
[QUOTE=“Il Bomber Destro, post: 958979, member: 2533”]I think Low is a poor manager who has consistently underachieved with this German side and I don’t see anything changing this summer. Reus for me is the German’s best player and they will miss him terribly. That selection would really annoy me on two counts:
No natural full backs
No striker
If that team starts I would fancy Portugal.[/QUOTE]
Low is certainly getting a lot more grief these days than in the past. Although they breezed through qualifiying he has struggled to move the team on from its reliance on Klose and hasn’t seemed to do much to address defensive deficiencies other than chopping and changing.
In his favour, they came up against a really good Spain team in the last World Cup, were outplayed in one match in Euro 2012 when they looked very good up until then, and they’ve been targeting this tournament since the day they lost to Italy. So perhaps things are a bit more together behind the scenes than they appear. But if they go out meekly this time then I would imagine his days will be numbered and he will certainly have underachieved with a very taleneted group of players.
On the selection issues - agreed on the lack of full backs. Maybe this won’t be the team, but if it is that seems like a very poor selection. They would be very easy to play against if those two were the full backs. Boateng actually did a decent job of going forward the other night but he’s not natural at it. You can absolutely get away with it if Lahm or someone is the other full back. They overlooked Schmelzer for Durm when picking the squad. I don’t think Schmelzer is brilliant but he’s reliable enough and would have given them a bit of balance. Picking Durm ahead of him only makes sense if you trust him enough to play him in the tournament.
Bit more sympathy for him on the striker. Klose just doesn’t have the fitness to start. He’ll come off the bench at least in probably all their games. Volland isn’t good enough at all but why was he picked ahead of Kruse and Lassogga etc? I think Lassogga would have been worth bringing but he didn’t even make the preliminary squad. And Gomez doesn’t really seem to have been given a chance to prove his fitness.
Cut the shit talk gents and trying to pick holes,Germany will stroll that group getting 9 pts and +6 goal difference.Klose will break Ronaldos record in the process it’s inevitable!
Germany, Italy, Holland are the three I have in mind. All three in the toughest groups and I think all will fail to qualify.
Germany and Italy’s schedule in terms of times and venues is gruelling, while that Dutch squad looks shockingly average.
France looking a real dark horse this time though in same way Holland did at the last World Cup and England’s squad is also under-rated.
While when the draw was made I thought Spain might falter, but I think their squad is too good not to be there again at the business end, although I don’t think they’ll win it this time. Will have to win their group though to avoid Brazil in the last 16.
[QUOTE=“The Scouse Cafu, post: 959037, member: 2660”]Germany, Italy, Holland are the three I have in mind. All three in the toughest groups and I think all will fail to qualify.
Germany and Italy’s schedule in terms of times and venues is gruelling, while that Dutch squad looks shockingly average.
France looking a real dark horse this time though in same way Holland did at the last World Cup and England’s squad is also under-rated.
While when the draw was made I thought Spain might falter, but I think their squad is too good not to be there again at the business end, although I don’t think they’ll win it this time. Will have to win their group though to avoid Brazil in the last 16.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=“The Scouse Cafu, post: 959037, member: 2660”]Germany, Italy, Holland are the three I have in mind. All three in the toughest groups and I think all will fail to qualify.
Germany and Italy’s schedule in terms of times and venues is gruelling, while that Dutch squad looks shockingly average.
France looking a real dark horse this time though in same way Holland did at the last World Cup and England’s squad is also under-rated.
While when the draw was made I thought Spain might falter, but I think their squad is too good not to be there again at the business end, although I don’t think they’ll win it this time. Will have to win their group though to avoid Brazil in the last 16.[/QUOTE]
I have already said that I expect the Dutch not to get out of their group. Belgium have a relatively easy group but I think they will flop as well and wouldn’t be surprised if one of Algeria or South Korea caused a huge shock and got out of the group.
I also think there will be 4 South America teams in the quarter finals
Of those three teams, I would give Italy the best chance of doing something if they can get out of the group, but they’ve made a real balls of their logistics, staying in Rio with all their matches way up north. I think they’ll need to beat England to qualify.
[QUOTE=“mickee321, post: 959214, member: 367”]I disagree
It wouldnt suprise me if they win it
Italy, uruguay and england are all way overrated, i cant see much between any of them really[/QUOTE]
Win the group presumably, i.e. not the tournament?
the tournament.
they’ll piss the group, beat bosnia, hockey the krauts in the quaters, anything can happen then.
ill write something decent on it but i have a screaming wife and kid
maybe tomorro, they’re a fine side Rocko and not having ribery tag along was a great call by Deschamps.
I think Cabaye could be a star at the thing
[QUOTE=“mickee321, post: 959477, member: 367”]the tournament.
they’ll piss the group, beat bosnia, hockey the krauts in the quaters, anything can happen then.
ill write something decent on it but i have a screaming wife and kid
maybe tomorro, they’re a fine side Rocko and not having ribery tag along was a great call by Deschamps.
I think Cabaye could be a star at the thing[/QUOTE]
It was England you were talking about though?
Get Scumpot to have a word with the wife if she’s hassling you.
[QUOTE=“Rocko, post: 959484, member: 1”]It was England you were talking about though?
Get Scumpot to have a word with the wife if she’s hassling you.[/QUOTE]
ah fuck sorry man, im all over the place here…
pressure, bills, domestic violence , sisters in law, you know the score
england i think can win that group, deffo, that’ll be it tho