World Cup preview: Germany

The Road To The World Cup

Germany qualified for their 18th World Cup without breaking much of a sweat, dropping a mere two points over ten games. The Netherlands were the only team to do as well in European qualifying.

Group Stage Schedule

Formation: 4-2-3-1

We’re all aware of the stereotypes. Germans are an efficient people. They’re cold, calculated and precise, and this is supposed to inform the way that they play football. These generalizations were blown out of the water four years ago when the German team exhibited a free-flowing offensive attack reminiscent of Dutch teams from the 1970s.

The newest incarnation of the national squad has evolved since South Africa to include the stalwart defense of the past, especially from the two holding midfielders situated in front of the back four. 

However, this hasn’t diminished the German attack in the least. When he's healthy, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s ability to also act as a deep playmaker consistently increases space for the three midfielders in front of him.

This versatility is characteristic of the entire German midfield, all of whom are capable of fulfilling a number of roles - and often do so on any given possession. You could argue that Germany’s formation is as much a 4-5-1 or even a 4-6 as it is a 4-2-3-1.

Manager: Joachim Löw

In the ever-changing world of international football, Joachim Löw has somehow managed to remain a part of the German national team since 2004, when Jürgen Klinsmann called on his friend to act as an assistant. Originally seen as the tactical ying to Klinsmann’s charismatic yang, the German squad has thrived since 2006 when Löw replaced his friend as head coach.

Jogi, as he’s affectionately known, went about reducing the amount of time his team handled the ball, insisting on quick, precise passes as a means of increasing the pace of a match and running German opponents ragged. His commitment to this philosophy came to fruition during the 2010 World Cup, when his squad - the second-youngest in the tournament - seemed to tire out everyone on their way to scoring more goals than any other nation.

This style has been altered slightly since then, but Löw can still take credit for taking the principles from the team’s static defensive methods of the past and adapting them to fit an enhanced attacking method of play.

Projected Starting XI

GK: Manuel Neuer

LB: Philipp Lahm

CB: Per Mertesacker

CB: Mats Hummels

RB: Jerome Boateng

DM: Bastian Schweinsteiger

DM: Sami Khedira

LM: Lukas Podolski

CM: Mesut Ozil

RM: Thomas Muller

FW: Andre Schurrle

Projected Substitutes

GK: Roman Weidenfeller

GK: Ron-Robert Zieler

DF: Kevin Grosskreutz

DF: Benedikt Howedes

DF: Matthias Ginter

DF: Erik Durm

DF: Shkodran Mustafi

MF: Julian Draxler

MF: Mario Götze

MF: Toni Kroos

MF: Julian Draxler

MF: Christoph Kramer

FW: Miroslav Klose

The Captain: Philipp Lahm

This will be Philipp Lahm’s sixth major international tournament, his third as Germany’s skipper. He is the best fullback in the world. Not arguably. Not in my humble opinion. Without any qualifier, he is the best at that position. The fact that he might be equally as gifted in a midfield role, one that he’s played for Bayern Munich on multiple occasions, is staggering.

He’s a treat to watch, not only for his technical skill, but also the symbiotic relationship he seems to have with the players in front of him. Despite his lack of size, he’s just as adept at tackling as he is dribbling or distributing. He moves the ball faster than anyone else on the pitch, and he performs exceptionally well on the big stage, being named to the team of the tournament in the last two World Cups and Euros.

The Star: Mesut Özil

Mesut Özil is a platonic idea of a playmaking midfielder. The term “creative” gets thrown around a lot when discussing soccer. It’s often used in an ambiguous way to kind-of, sort-of describe attractive attacking play. Once you watch Özil perform for any length of time, it becomes impossible to be so flippant with the descriptive term.

He is creativity on the soccer pitch personified. His ability to improvise in attack, to distribute and move the ball in a way that no one else can puts him on another level of elite. Not only does he see things that others don’t, but he’s also able to act on those reads faster than anyone.

The Young Gun: Mario Götze

It says much more about the depth of the German midfield than the abilities of Mario Götze that the 21-year-old rising star for Bayern Munich isn’t a lock to make the starting eleven. Götze does everything well. He’s a perfect representative of the future archetype for attacking midfielders, possessing great pace, play-making abilities and incredible dribbling skills. The only thing keeping him from increasing his already sizeable reputation - last Spring, Munich triggered a release clause in his contract with Borussia Dortmund by bidding €37 million - will be those on the team sheet in front of him. Given the chance, there’s no doubt he’ll impress.

The Swan Song: Miroslav Klose

Given the year-round attention that modern football demands of its fans, there are few players in the world anymore that are more recognizable for being a part of their national team than their club. It says a lot about Miroslav Klose's international career that it has - in many ways - overshadowed what has been an incredible club career for Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and Lazio.

Of his 68 international goals, 14 have come in the World Cup. He remains a single goal behind Ronaldo for the record in World Cup Finals. Klose has already announced that the 2014 World Cup will be his last, hoping for one more chance to win it all with Germany.

Three Questions

1. The youthful legs of the past have accumulated a lot of kilometers since Euro 2012 and World Cup 2010. Will the German team still be able to wear out the opposition by running them ragged?
2. There’s so much talent in the German midfield, but there are still some questions to be answered by Max Kruse’s finishing ability. Will the team end up relying once again on Podolski and Klose to collect goals, or will the exceptionally talented midfield render the veteran strikers redundant?
3. Considering he’s able to play as both a second striker and a winger, and he’s one of the least experienced internationally among the cohesive starting eleven, how will André Schürrle fit in the German attack?

Trivial Matters

Nicknames: Nationalelf, Die Mannschaft.

Most caps: Lothar Matthäus (150).

Top scorer: Gerd Müller, Miroslav Klose (68).

First international: April 5, 1908. Switzerland 5 - Germany 3.

World Cup appearances: 18, beginning in 1934.

Best World Cup result: Champions in 1954,1974 and 1990.

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