lol yea Kuranyi, he's scored more headers than anyone in the Bundesliga this season, good to have him back.

NIKE is really up the task huh?
Gomes is a nice call up. Lets see how he plays.

Great start to 2007!

Can't ask for more from Kuranyi (comeback) and Gomez (debut)... both got goals!

yea i agree, great start. Good to see Kuranyi back and Gomez's debut. :bouncy: Hopefully the Ballack injury is minor :nape: Fritz is playing on the right? hes not bad on the wing.

What do you guys reakon about Germany's chances against Czech? Should be a wonderful spectical..

The call ups:

Goal
23 Robert Enke 24.08.1977 Hannover 96 - -
12 Timo Hildebrand 05.04.1979 VfB Stuttgart 5 -
1 Jens Lehmann 10.11.1969 Arsenal London 43 -

Defence
35 Gonzalo Castro 11.06.1987 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - -
24 Manuel Friedrich 13.09.1979 1. FSV Mainz 05 6 1
2 Marcell Jansen 04.11.1985 Bor. Mönchengladbach 12 -
16 Philipp Lahm 11.11.1983 FC Bayern München 31 2
17 Per Mertesacker 29.09.1984 Werder Bremen 30 1
21 Christoph Metzelder 05.11.1980 Borussia Dortmund 29 -

Midfiels
13 Michael Ballack 26.09.1976 FC Chelsea London 76 35
8 Torsten Frings 22.11.1976 Werder Bremen 65 9
34 Roberto Hilbert 16.10.1984 VfB Stuttgart - -
15 Thomas Hitzlsperger 05.04.1982 VfB Stuttgart 21 2
19 Bernd Schneider 17.11.1973 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 75 3
7 Bastian Schweinsteiger 01.08.1984 FC Bayern München 42 13
28 Piotr Trochowski 22.03.1984 Hamburger SV 2 -

Offence
33 Stefan Kießling 25.01.1984 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - -
31 Kevin Kuranyi 02.03.1982 FC Schalke 04 36 15
20 Lukas Podolski 04.06.1985 FC Bayern München 37 22
29 Jan Schlaudraff 18.07.1983 Alemannia Aachen 2 -

At call
27 Clemens Fritz 07.12.1980 Werder Bremen 4 -
26 Alexander Madlung 11.07.1982 VfL Wolfsburg 1 -
36 Christian Schulz 01.04.1983 Werder Bremen 3 -
30 Paul Freier 26.07.1979 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 18 1

Nice! Seems liek the team is getting younger and younger, which is a good thing. We have a really good chance in beating the Czechs this time around. Where is the game being played again?

It is in the Czech Republic.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/index.html

It is in the Czech Republic.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/index.html

thanks

Any time!

Very good game. Should have been 3-1 pr 4-1 for us. There was a great chance for Kuranyi created by Podolski in the second half and also Podolski hitting the bar. Kuranyi had a good game also. Ballack plays nothing near they way he plays for Chelsea. Playing moves more and is way more free playing for Germany. Considering that it wasn't our full team and we were playing away to Czech Republic, id say it is a good result. :mrpimp:

Easier than expected. Book your tickets to Austria/Switzerland.

Is Jansen class or what? He should always be the first choice LB, he can do a lot more on that left side than Lahm. I can't wait to see him at Bayern.

Lahm benched? You are out of your mind.

Lahm benched? You are out of your mind.

lol.. he moves to RB..

lol.. he moves to RB..
Yep

Jansen....well this kid is a top class player, no wonder arsenal wanted him. Hes so dynamic. id love him at bayern.

lol.. he moves to RB..
Yes. Arne Friedrich, although he's been very solid lately, doesn't exactly set the world on fire.

But one also has to admit Lahm has been nothing but average the whole season.

Jansen is very talented, a powerful, dynamic, tall wing player. But I would prefer Lahm anytime, he's absolute world class. Maybe he's not really in best shape in post- World Cup season, but there's hardly any defender that can tackle the man better than Lahm without commiting a foul.
On the right side we have Fritz, who's also very solid, so no need for Lahm there, who's better on the left side. Jansen can also play in Midfield, but there's Schweinsteiger.
Ballack and Frings are the best midfield duo in Europe right now. Frings is maybe the best defensive midfield player in Europe at the moment, reminds me a lot of Edgar Davids in his prime.

That is excactly what i was thinking. Lahm might have not been on top of his game but even an average Lahm is perfectly fine with me.
Jansen looks strong but he has a lot to prove yet.

Podolski has his strikes of genius but he must start scoring ffs

Jansen is very talented, a powerful, dynamic, tall wing player. But I would prefer Lahm anytime, he's absolute world class. Maybe he's not really in best shape in post- World Cup season, but there's hardly any defender that can tackle the man better than Lahm without commiting a foul.
On the right side we have Fritz, who's also very solid, so no need for Lahm there, who's better on the left side. Jansen can also play in Midfield, but there's Schweinsteiger.

I think it's a myth that Lahm is better on the left side. He has no decent left foot so he can only cross the ball with his right. Same with Schweinsteiger. For my taste having too right-footed players on the left side is way too predictable against the tougher opponents. That applies to both the nt and Bayern.
And I wouldn't call Lahm world class, at least not yet. Not in best shape? He had a good World Cup, the fact that he had a short season probably helped him. Apart from that I haven't seen anything special from him.
Don't even get me started on Schweinsteiger. That guy has one class game followed by ten amazingly ****ty ones. His corners are a joke.

If you want to keep Lahm on the left, like you said, you can put Jansen in midfield so both can interchange positions during games.
Schweinsteiger could either be the super sub or take more playing time off an aging Schneider on the right.

About Frings, he is one of those players that gels our whole team together and some people don't see it. He is a class midfielder. We fullbacks to chose from, but thats a good thing, keeps the competition going. Id take Lahm over Jansen right now. Lahm has more experience and he can create things out of nothing for us and he can move up. We will miss Schneider when he retires. He is a class winger. Do we have any other CB other than Metzelder and Mertesacker?

Kaiser: We're number one

"The team played as one. You could almost use every game under Low as a film to show how the game should be played," Beckenbauer enthused.

"At the moment I would dare to say that we are number one in Europe.

"Big countries such as Italy, France and England are all struggling, but the Germans are the only team to have kept their World Cup form going."


Do we have any other CB other than Metzelder and Mertesacker?
Arne and Manuel Friedrich are solid.
Huth, well, he does have the talent to become a good CB.

Serdar Taşçı is probably our hottest prospect. 19 years old, he's been absolutely brilliant for Stuttgart this season. He would've been called up if he wasn't injured.

A turkish kid in the NT, oh boy.

Oh yea cant forget about Robert Huth aka The Berlin Wall as they call him in England. Why hasn't he been on the NT lately? i see him start at Borough and i also see him get subbed in as a striker :bob:. Forgot about Manuel Friedrich. He inst bad at all. I actually like him very much. Arne can play as a CB?


A turkish kid in the NT, oh boy.

Scholl was half German half Turkish, is Tasci fully Turkish with a German passport?

Scholl was half German half Turkish, is Tasci fully Turkish with a German passport?
Yes, but he was born and grew up in Germany.

Here's a recent interview

Regarding the national team, you could have advanced faster. Turkey lured you with a starting place in their A-team. But you have decided to play for Germany - and the more stony way with the youth teams of the DFB.

Serdar Tasci: The decision was very difficult. It is a decision for the whole life.

What was crucial?

Serdar Tasci: I'm still proud of my Turkish roots. But I was born in Esslingen and grew up in Altbach and I feel very well here.

Let's be honest: In what way did sporting reasons play a role?

Serdar Tasci: It was definitely a reason too that the chances are higher to play in a great tournament with the German national team or even get the title.

You were torn for a long time. Who did in the end convince you to play for the DFB-team?

Serdar Tasci: That was an old acquaintance: Matthias Sammer. He was with us in England for the U21-match. He spoke to me in the plane and convinced me.

And your parents can live with that?

Serdar Tasci: That wasn't a problem. They said: "Boy, this is your decision. No matter what comes out of it, we stand behind you."

Where does your family come from?

Serdar Tasci: From Artvin near the black sea. My parents came to Germany 30 years ago, but part of my relatives still live in Turkey.

And what do you say to those disappointed turkish fans?

Serdar Tasci: I promise them that I will represent Turkey well in the jersey of the German national team. I think of myself as a link to both cultures. That's a nice mission, isn't it?"

Franz Beckenbauer says Germany are the best in Europe after beating Czech Republic in Prague.

Writing in his column for Bild, the Bayern Munich president was full of praise for the way Joachim Low's men defeated their main rivals in Euro 2008 Group D on Saturday.

"The team played as one. You could almost use every game under Low as a film to show how the game should be played," Beckenbauer enthused.

"At the moment I would dare to say that we are number one in Europe.

"Big countries such as Italy, France and England are all struggling, but the Germans are the only team to have kept their World Cup form going."

The Kaiser was also keen to praise Germany's captain Michael Ballack for his performance in Prague.

He added: "Michael Ballack showed that he is a real captain.

"He got stuck in in defence right from the start and showed his team-mates how they need to fight."


I'm glad they're on good terms with Ballack again.

Here are some videos i found

Ballack interview with Podolski joking around in the background
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghXdaAesX90&mode=related&search=

Metzelder interview (how did he get a black eye?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy95KeU2DKQ&mode=related&search=

NT on their way to Prague
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fqShaTyGhE&mode=related&search=

Pre-Match report (Castro and Kiesling are interviewed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGreWPBhjT8&mode=related&search=

Lahm vs Koller (Hilarious)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uz4tAQqlNqo

Anyone checked the squad for the Denmark friendly? This has got to be the youngest and most inexperienced German team of all time. Kuranyi will be the captain. (H)

Goal
23 Robert Enke 24.08.1977 Hannover 96 - -
12 Timo Hildebrand 05.04.1979 VfB Stuttgart 5 -

Defence
35 Gonzalo Castro 11.06.1987 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - -
24 Manuel Friedrich 13.09.1979 1. FSV Mainz 05 6 1
27 Clemens Fritz 07.12.1980 Werder Bremen 4 -
2 Marcell Jansen 04.11.1985 Bor. Mönchengladbach 13 -
26 Alexander Madlung 11.07.1982 VfL Wolfsburg 1 -

Midfiels
34 Roberto Hilbert 16.10.1984 VfB Stuttgart - -
15 Thomas Hitzlsperger 05.04.1982 VfB Stuttgart 22 2
38 Simon Rolfes 21.01.1982 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - -
28 Piotr Trochowski 22.03.1984 Hamburger SV 2 -

Offence
30 Paul Freier 26.07.1979 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 18 1
37 Patrick Helmes 01.03.1984 1. FC Köln - -
33 Stefan Kießling 25.01.1984 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - -
31 Kevin Kuranyi 02.03.1982 FC Schalke 04 37 17
29 Jan Schlaudraff 18.07.1983 Alemannia Aachen 2 -

Talking bout youg guns, the Under-21 beat the Czechs 1-0.
Sticking it to them, TWICE. (H)

Talking bout youg guns, the Under-21 beat the Czechs 1-0.
Sticking it to them, TWICE. (H)


LOOOL yeaaa! twice in a weeks span :bob:

Oh and our squad looks very young, but talented. I think we will give the Danes a hard time, maybe even beat them. Kuranyi as captain LOL, man his ego should be going through the roof because he has been on fire as of lately and now hes captain.

hah @podolski in background of interview

0-1, the first defeat since Löw took over. No surprise really, you can't expect much more against the Danish A team. It was important that our young guns gained experience playing at international level.

Oh, and Enke > Lehmann

Enke sux man. He is like Schweinny. 1 stellar game and 10 off fishing.
I am curious to know how did Rolsfes do? I like the guy and i think he might have something going talent wise. Did Schlaudraff play as well? If he did, how was his dribling?

Dude, Enke doesn't suck. If there's one consistent goalie out there it's him. He's voted the best gk of the Bundesliga in the past two years and it looks like he will win the award this season again.

Rolfes had an average game. He showed fighting spirit but that's about it. But then again it's hard to stand out when you're surrounded by Hitzlsperger, Hilbert and Trochowski. I'd say he missed the chance for now, Borowski and Kehl are the first backups to Frings and Ballack.

Schlaudraff was subbed off a few minutes before the final whistle. He was one of the better players although he played really not his favorite role upfront. He created a few chance with his pace and dribbling skills. Still a bit too selfish sometimes. Hitzfeld will probably work on that next year. He can become a great weapon on the offensive end.

I liekd the Helmes and Kiesling duo up front. They created sooo many chances and Helmes alone hit the post twice. Iliek Castro, he attacks well too. Jansen was real good too. Did you see how fluid the football was? I was really amazed at how these youngsters put passes together and made plays. They seemed like they were in their prime already.

I just realized now Dede's name is pornounced Didi, after watching a Dortmund game.

http://www.bild.t-online.de/BTO/sport/2007/06/02/laenderspiel-tor-rekord/bild-aufstellung-gross.gif

We're missing Ballack, Schweinsteiger, Podolski and Borowski.

Anything but a win by double digits would be a disappointment.

2 students and 2 fitnestrainers on the team? You gotta love UEFA for allowing them to play :(

what does the money below it mean..what are the other professions, cant figure em out

Does Strassenarbeiter mean what i think it means? :(

Lahm playing on the right with Jansen on the back huh. I hope that it'll work out b/c and thank you Loew for trying it out. Midfield will cost us though I think if we were playing against a better team.

marani is a roadman, albani is a taxman, della valle is an accountant, bacciocchi is a hospital admin, and valentini is a construction worker.

the money below it means how much they make per month.

1-0 at HT was pretty sad but to be fair we were killing them and their goalkeeper was just having a good game.

How about Lehman? I knew he'd mess around when he got that ball, yet the camera showed San Marino's goal. Then when Lehman messed up, the camera came back... so annoying.

Nice second half. Still annoying that we couldn't score more though. Klose didn't look good at all. Mario on the other hand was impressive.

marani is a roadman, albani is a taxman, della valle is an accountant, bacciocchi is a hospital admin, and valentini is a construction worker.

the money below it means how much they make per month.
Don't forget Gasperoni, he sells lamps.

Mario with that goal reminded me of Crespo back in the Parma days.

Super Mario!:bob:

God, please bench Klose. It's like playing with 10 men. Gomez and Kuranyi are in good form so they should play.

The Lahm-Jansen fullback combo worked out well in the last games. It's nice to have a player on the left who can put in a decent cross.

Sad news. :(

RIP Jupp :(

Germany mourns death of Derwall
Tuesday 26 June 2007

e-mailPrint

Germany are mourning the loss of their celebrated former national coach Josef "Jupp" Derwall, who has passed away at the age of 80.

Six years in charge
Derwall took over from Helmut Schön as West Germany coach in the aftermath of the 1978 FIFA World Cup and remained in charge for six years, during which time his side went unbeaten for 23 matches, a German record that still stands today. West Germany won 45 of his 67 matches in charge, losing only eleven.

EURO triumph
Derwall's greatest triumph came two years after taking charge when he led West Germany to success in the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Horst Hrubesch scored twice in the 2-1 final win against Belgium to clinch a second European title for West Germany, who also reached the FIFA World Cup final in Spain two years later only to lose to Italy.

Stepping down
After his team's failure to reach the second round of the 1984 UEFA European Championship in France, Derwall stepped down to take over as coach of Galatasaray SK, with whom he clinched the Turkish league title in 1987 before retiring two years later. "Jupp Derwall was vital to German football's successes in the 1970s and 1980s thanks to his optimistic approach to life which won him many friends," said German Football Association president Theo Zwanziger. "The German FA and German football have lost a great coach who had a high international reputation."

©uefa.com 1998-2007. All rights reserved.

Friendly game vs England coming up next Wednesday.

The squad:

Goal
12 Timo Hildebrand 05.04.1979 FC Valencia 5 -
1 Jens Lehmann 10.11.1969 Arsenal London 46 -

Defence
35 Gonzalo Castro 11.06.1987 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1 -
3 Arne Friedrich 29.05.1979 Hertha BSC Berlin 49 -
16 Philipp Lahm 11.11.1983 FC Bayern München 34 2
17 Per Mertesacker 29.09.1984 Werder Bremen 33 1
21 Christoph Metzelder 05.11.1980 Real Madrid 32 -
6 Christian Pander 28.08.1983 FC Schalke 04 - -
40 Serdar Tasci 24.04.1987 VfB Stuttgart - -

Midfield
34 Roberto Hilbert 16.10.1984 VfB Stuttgart 2 -
15 Thomas Hitzlsperger 05.04.1982 VfB Stuttgart 25 3
38 Simon Rolfes 21.01.1982 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2 -
19 Bernd Schneider 17.11.1973 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 78 3
28 Piotr Trochowski 22.03.1984 Hamburger SV 4 -

Offence
37 Patrick Helmes 01.03.1984 1. FC Köln 2 -
33 Stefan Kießling 25.01.1984 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1 -
31 Kevin Kuranyi 02.03.1982 FC Schalke 04 40 18
22 David Odonkor 21.02.1984 Betis Sevilla 10 -

And, a bit more important, the injury list:

Ballack, Frings, Borowski, Klose, Podolski, Schweinsteiger, Gomez, Schlaudraff, Jansen, Khedira, Kehl

11 players injured including the six first choice CMs and the three best strikers. England's injury problems are a joke compared to his.

Woot, I can't wait for this match. Another 5-1 doesn't seem unlikely.

Holy f*ck look at that list of injuries. I still think this match is going to be fun to watch, i think someone should make a thread for it.

2-1 (H) with the C squad. No wonder the Britts keep whinning. With a team like that :p

Goal
23 Robert Enke
12 Timo Hildebrand
1 Jens Lehmann

Defence
35 Gonzalo Castro
3 Arne Friedrich
24 Manuel Friedrich
2 Marcell Jansen
16 Philipp Lahm
17 Per Mertesacker
21 Christoph Metzelder
6 Christian Pander
40 Serdar Tasci

Midfiels
34 Roberto Hilbert
15 Thomas Hitzlsperger
38 Simon Rolfes
7 Bastian Schweinsteiger
28 Piotr Trochowski -

Offence
32 Mario Gomez
37 Patrick Helmes
11 Miroslav Klose
31 Kevin Kuranyi
20 Lukas Podolski

That's the team that would face Wales and Romania (Bernd Schnajder also will return from suspension on the Romania game)

I am happy a lot of important players retur: Klose, Poldi, Friedrich and Gomes to name a few. most importantly i am happy Pander is in the squad. The guy is awesome, saw his game against Leverkusen today and was really impressed.

where's the Germany v Romania game going to be played?

Cologne.

Pander's set pieces are brilliant, he adds another weapon to the game. However I'd still give Jansen the edge as he has a superior defensive game. Playing Pander at left midfield would make his defensive frailties less of an issue.

It's tough to pick a partner for Klose. You have the footballer of the year Gomez, Kuranyi who's carrying Schalke on his back and of course his Polish speaking pal Poldi. I really have no idea but the Klose-Poldi partnership shouldn't be untouchable.

I hope Tasci makes his first appearence, just to make sure.

Wow. brilliant game by us even with 5 or 6 starters out. MoM has to be Schweinsteiger. He was amazing in his new midfield role, i loved every play he made! Klose with the 2 goals, great first goal...pure class that guy and Kuranyi was a great target man tonight :lui::rockman:

A very good game, but I still think Pander is still not too sure about his playing. He has got a nice left foot, but defensively he has made mistakes.

A very good game, but I still think Pander is still not too sure about his playing. He has got a nice left foot, but defensively he has made mistakes.
my oppinion!

Pander is very experienced at Club level, has played for Schalke for many years. I say give the bloke some time in the national team and he could be a very handy player come Euro2008

Germany beats a strong romanian squad 3-1. Goals by Schneider, Podolski and Odonkor. Romania played with all their stars, Germany missed Klose, Ballack, Frings, Lahm etc....
Romania looks strong, just their goalkeeper isn't really good. Germany has so much potential.

Romania played with all their stars,

wrong, Chivu got injured and got out of the pitch in the 20 minute when we played better then Germany ...beside him there are also other important players missing like Lobont the starter goalkeeper, Radoi a very good defensive medfielder and Cocis a very good medfielder...so 4 of our starters didn't played today...anyway Germany plays amazing sometimes, the speed of the passes and the power and accuracy of the long range shots are very present in their game...probably Germany is the best NT at the moment...

wrong, Chivu got injured and got out of the pitch in the 20 minute when we played better then Germany ...beside him there are also other important players missing like Lobont the starter goalkeeper, Radoi a very good defensive medfielder and Cocis a very good medfielder...so 4 of our starters didn't played today...anyway Germany plays amazing sometimes, the speed of the passes and the power and accuracy of the long range shots are very present in their game...probably Germany is the best NT at the moment...

Actually we had 5 starters out if you want to count Chivu who went off injured early in the match: Chivu, Contra, Radoi, Lobon, Cocis. Not at all a full strenght side even so we played very well in the first half and showed our class. Germany played excellent as well and really knew how to take advantage of our weaknesses in the second half. I guess you guys can count this as a bit of revenge for that 5-1 trashing we gave you in Bucharest a few years ago :bob:

I forgot Contra...

thinking in the perspective of the match with Holland, maybe it's better that we lost ...it's good we took this cold shower now in a friendly so that we can analyze better the mistakes and be 100 % prepared for the next game, the most important one .

Friedrich (H)

http://www.tricolori.ro/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/mish3882.jpg

Haha (H)
That's as dirty as it gets.
Alex do not talk about injuries anymore, look what happen to Chivu. You seem like able to predict them.

I am happy Poldi scored. He is getting back on form.

Sh*t first half, the team looked lost out there with so many new faces. Romania should have been up by two at least at ht. The second half was better, Löw made some good subs.

A shame Odonkor scored, this should guarantee him a roster spot for the remainder of the season. God, send him to the track and field team.
This should have been Trochowski's last call up for a while, he was awful again.

Overall it was a good match and showed the pool of nt quality players has improved dramatically since the last WC. Ballack, Frings, Klose, Lahm and Mertesacker are the backbone of the team but that we can still win games with all of those guys missing against quality opposition is impressive.

that we can still win games with all of those guys missing against quality opposition is impressive.

Very true, and win convincingly. Agree with you on Odonkor.. Aren't the Olympics next year? Glad the little bugger is playing in Spain.

Yeah, the first half was not good, but we picked up the match in the second half. Yeah, I agree with you on Odonkor. He is very fast, but that is pretty much all, lol.

No Comment on the Czech game I see, let alone the fact that you qualified on the Saturday (H)

http://football.guardian.co.uk/europeanfootball/story/0,,2191564,00.html

"If Germany start miraculously losing their last remaining qualifiers, you'll know what's going on."

Pot 2 it is then, nice. I'd love to face Austria and destroy them on their own turf. (H)

Well, they lost....sort of....their last few. They lost...REALLY....the group. I enjoyed the double digit win and the other late May/early June blowout, but what a terrible way for this team to end the campaign.

I'm surprised you couldn't beat us last night! :junior:

Germany will win Euro 2008 .... they play the best football .... Hail Deutschland ! :junior:

http://football.guardian.co.uk/europeanfootball/story/0,,2191564,00.html

Pot 2 it is then, nice. I'd love to face Austria and destroy them on their own turf. (H)

In Zürich, they've not taken kindly to this slur. "Bierhoff is arrogant," wrote the respected Neue Zürcher Zeitung. "He considers Austria and Switzerland inferior."

(H)

Never put your money on Germany when the game doesn't matter. Avoiding pot 1 isn't too bad though. These last games came in handy to try out some new faces in midfield due to the absence of Ballack, Frings, Schneider and Schweinsteiger. Especially Hitzlsperger was able to impress.

JJ, your countrymen chanting "Are you England in disguise" made me giggle. (H)

Yeah I heard that when I was watching the game last night made me laugh, our boyos who travelled out gave a good account of themselves by outsinging 50,000+ Germans by belting out "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau". (H)

Well my German buddies we'll be seeing you again next qualifying campaign!

World Cup 2010 Qualifying - GROUP 4
Germany, Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

Wow, Russia - Germany will be a classic tie.. :D
Can't wait to watch the games.

Holy cow, we would've been in Group C if we had beat Wales.

The Austrians should be pushovers, regardless of the home advantage. They just have too little quality.

The other two shouldn't be underestimated though. I'd probably drop Podolski against the Polaks, he clearly didn't feel comfortable the last time we played them.

Considering what happened in Group C i say we were the luckiest bastards in that draw. Its time to pay the Kroats back for what they did us in 1998.
Poland and Austria should be affordable.

Great article on the first weltmeister captain. :)
Courtesy of UEFA.com

http://www.uefa.com/multimediafiles/photo/assocweeks/onthisday/233434_mediumsquare.jpg

Germany's captain marvel

To help mark UEFA's Jubilee, each national association was asked to nominate its most outstanding player of the past 50 years. In the latest in a series of articles looking at the Golden Player selected by the nations who have qualified for UEFA EURO 2008™, uefa.com remembers the career of Germany's Fritz Walter.

He played for only one club, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, making his first-team debut at the age of 17. He scored a hat-trick on his international debut two years later. And on 4 July 1954, he captained West Germany to their first FIFA World Cup triumph, as they beat Hungary 3-2 in Berne. Indeed, had his national-team career not been interrupted for eight years between 1942 and 1950, Fritz Walter would likely have become the first player to win 100 caps for his country.

Decisive operator
Walter was a hugely gifted footballer. His brilliant ball control meant he was always two steps ahead of his opponent. His ability to read the game, combined with his natural agility, allowed him to act immediately and decisively upon a situation.

'Right-hand man'
Soon 'Friedrich', as his team-mates called him, developed from mere goal-getter to playmaker as his authority grew. He was no orator, yet his word carried great weight – and not just on the field of play. Long-serving national coach Sepp Herberger considered him his "right-hand man" on the pitch. In discussions that sometimes went on for hours, they worked out tactics. And if the opposition produced an unforeseen response, it required minimal eye contact between the captain on the park and the coach on the bench for the necessary adjustments to be made.

Prisoner of war
Walter was also proof of the game's universal appeal. Towards the end of the Second World War, he was taken prisoner by the Russians and held in a camp on the Romanian-Russian border, where both prisoners and guards played football. When the soldiers saw Walter play, they told their commanders and the next day he was in the guards' team against another Russian team.

Back home
The general in charge of the camp turned out to be an ardent football fan, and when the camp was dismantled, with the prisoners due to be transported into the Soviet interior, the general decided that Fritz could go home: "Fritz comes from Kaiserslautern and that's in the French-occupied zone, so he's French and can go home." Home he went, to rebuild his club. He served Kaiserslautern as coach, player, executive committee, groundsman, cashier and general help. It was at this time that he also met his future wife, an interpreter for the French occupying force.

Carry on Walter
Walter missed West Germany's first match after readmission to FIFA in 1950 due to injury, and two years later chose to retire from the international stage aged 32. The decision was prompted by headlines like "What's this old man doing in the team?" following a 3-1 defeat in Paris. However, Herberger coaxed him into a re-think and Walter agreed to carry on.

Final victory
And carry on he did, leading the side to the World Cup final against Hungary. The Hungarians had beaten West Germany 8-3 earlier in the tournament and were runaway favourites. Another walkover looked likely when the Magyars took an early 2-0 lead. But Max Morlock narrowed the gap, Helmut Rahn equalised, and six minutes from time, Rahn made it 3-2. West Germany were world champions and the victory gave the country renewed self-confidence nine years after the end of the war.

End of the road
Walter retired twice in the years that followed, but was back for the 1958 World Cup. However, a serious injury suffered in the semi-final against hosts Sweden ended his international career after 61 caps and 33 goals. In 1959, he also played his last game for Kaiserslautern, with whom he had won national championships in 1951 and 1953.

Family man
Walter's popularity never waned. He worked tirelessly for the Sepp Herberger Foundation, visited young prisoners in jail and, until his death in June 2002, was a devoted father to his family as well as to the family of the 1954 world champions.

©uefa.com 1998-2007. All rights reserved.

This seem to be the away jersey. I find it hideous. WTF is wrong with the kid designers? Why would they make a striped kit anyways?

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/3107/alemanhaawayme2os8rd1.jpg

I love the home one. Looks real nice! That one looks OK... not very good at all.

EYQQP8ClakQ
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=EYQQP8ClakQ



Not funny...:(

Who ever said they were peeing on Poland? They lost thier car FFS! (H)

You're blind!(H)

Yes I am f*cking blind. I can't see it for the life of me. Did Stasi make up phantom Poles? (H)

Yes I am f*cking blind. I can't see it for the life of me. Did Stasi make up phantom Poles? (H)

I don't want to talk about it loud.

Wyswiadom-mi to presz PW. (H)

The German list.

Goalkeepers
Jens Lehmann (Arsenal FC), Robert Enke (Hannover 96), Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)

Defenders
Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid), Per Mertesacker, Clemens Fritz (both Werder Bremen), Philipp Lahm, Marcell Jansen (both FC Bayern), Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC), Heiko Westermann (FC Schalke 04)

Midfielders
Michael Ballack (Chelsea FC), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Torsten Frings, Tim Borowski (both Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV), Jermaine Jones (FC Schalke 04), David Odonkor (Real Betis), Marko Marin (Borussia Mönchengladbach)

Strikers
Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski (both FC Bayern), Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), Kevin Kuranyi (FC Schalke 04), Oliver Neuville (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Patrick Helmes (1. FC Köln)

Neuville? Damn it!:swear2:

Neuville? Damn it!:swear2:

And he is not in the starting 11 either. :rofl:

It's 2:0 at HT. How come Poland's sparing partners not foul Roger so sharply as Belorussians? I'm disappointed.:(

Meh after that game, I'd rather see Neuville with Klose than Podolski.

There are some young guys desperate to get into that squad. But man that's a sorry fragile looking defence. Who wants to bet it'll all end with Loew being fired?

Meh after that game, I'd rather see Neuville with Klose than Podolski.

Don't forget Gomez and Kuranyi weren't available today. Gomez is the best German player at the moment, without a shadow of a doubt. The only question is who's going to be his partner, Klose or Podolski.

Marin looks promising, Odonkor with skills.

edit: Marin, along with Jones and Helmes, was cut from the squad. Odonkor and Trochowski are going. Oh dear.

I don't feel as confident now after remembering the group list. Austria, Poland, Croatia seem a lot better now. NONE of these teams are bad, they're consistent. And I wouldn't be surprised to see a Euro 2004 repeat although we should get at least one win. The squad's probably worrying about the possibility of facing Portugal though who tbh will have more creativity. Problem is that the Portuguese like to keep the ball, they don't give it up, and our defence isn't exactly the best when we don't have the ball so this will be up to Ballack/Frings...if we get that far.

Also is Clemens Fritz going to be the right winger in the tournament in place of Schneider or will he be a sub?

With your style of play, you guys should be thinking positively about facing Portugal/Turkey.

I'd like to see this

----------------------Lehmann----------------------
---Lahm----Freidrich-------Mertesacker----Jansen---
----Fritz-----Frings---------Ballack------Schweini----
---------------Klose----------Gomez----------------

Sadly Metzelder will start in defence, depends on how he looks in training, maybe he just isn't match fit yet and should start from the bench. It'll be the usual 4-4-2, diamond probably. Gomez > Kuranyi and I know they'll try putting Poldi in but at left midfield, it's not the answer.

German team against Liechtenstein

Name Geburtstag Verein Spiele Tore

Tor
Robert Enke 24.08.1977 Hannover 96 2 -
Tim Wiese 17.12.1981 Werder Bremen - -

Abwehr
Clemens Fritz 07.12.1980 Werder Bremen 19 2
Andreas Hinkel 26.03.1982 Celtic Glasgow 17 -
Marcell Jansen 04.11.1985 Hamburger SV 28 1
Philipp Lahm 11.11.1983 FC Bayern München 48 3
Christoph Metzelder 05.11.1980 Real Madrid 47 -
Christian Pander 28.08.1983 FC Schalke 04 2 1
Serdar Tasci 24.04.1987 VfB Stuttgart 1 -
Heiko Westermann 14.08.1983 FC Schalke 04 4 -

Mittelfeld
Michael Ballack 26.09.1976 FC Chelsea London 87 38
Thomas Hitzlsperger 05.04.1982 VfB Stuttgart 39 5
Marko Marin 13.03.1989 Borussia Mönchengladbach 2 1
Simon Rolfes 21.01.1982 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 13 -
Bastian Schweinsteiger 01.08.1984 FC Bayern München 57 16
Piotr Trochowski 22.03.1984 Hamburger SV 13 -

Angriff
Mario Gomez 10.07.1985 VfB Stuttgart 15 6
Patrick Helmes 01.03.1984 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 6 -
Miroslav Klose 09.06.1978 FC Bayern München 82 41
Kevin Kuranyi 02.03.1982 FC Schalke 04 51 19
Lukas Podolski 04.06.1985 FC Bayern München 55 28

Actually we should beat them 7 - 0 or something, but I predict a lame 2 - 0.

There is a new commercial made by DFB for immigration in Germany.
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=DIRCLbsIeb8

It actually ended 6 - 0
Not bad at all, although with that type of opponent i don't think we should be proud of the lads. I mean business as usual at the office.

Although look at England and Italy struggling against Andorra and Qyprus. All in all we were the 'most' convincing side of the big names.

I am going to the match against Finland on Wednesday, as I am currently in Finland. Hopefully we will play well. Finland are missing some key players, like Litmanen and Tainio.

You're in Finland?

Well, welcome, I guess. (H) I'm not too optimistic about the match. We have won maybe one or two matches with Baxter as our coach, so even drawing against you - even at home ground, with you missing Ballack - is a long shot. I just hope that we can play well, and show some improvement.

Yep, I'm in Finland. I am leaving to the match very soon.

We have to be careful, Finland can be tough.

Have to bring this up again.

Our line up for our idiotic Asia trip.

Tor : Robert Enke , Manuel Neuer

Abwehr : Arne Friedrich, Andreas Hinkel, Robert Huth, Philipp Lahm, Marcel Schäfer, Christian Träsch, Heiko Westermann

Mittelfeld : Christian Gentner, Thomas Hitzslperger, Marcell Jansen, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Piotr Trochowski, Tobias Weis

Sturm : Cacau, Mario Gomez, Lukas Podolski

Robert Huth? WTF?

^ haha Huth ... ye, seriously, wtf is Jogi Löw thinking ...


and I can't believe Mesut Özil is being overlooked ...

That seems like a really weak squad.

^ haha Huth ... ye, seriously, wtf is Jogi Löw thinking ...


and I can't believe Mesut Özil is being overlooked ...
Some young players like Özil are missing because of the U21 Euro. Neuer is just there as he won't get as exhausted as the field players.

Some young players like Özil are missing because of the U21 Euro. Neuer is just there as he won't get as exhausted as the field players.
ah, that explains it ...

I forgot another reason of why lots of players are missing, this tour starts before the DFB Pokal final, so all players from Leverkusen and Bremen are missing.

No one mentioned that the U17 won the EC. I am not very keen on the youth systems before they reach the U21 level but beatting the Dutch feels always right. (H)

Yep our U17 is really good, I see some of these players having a bright future.

No one mentioned that the U17 won the EC. I am not very keen on the youth systems before they reach the U21 level but beatting the Dutch feels always right. (H)

oh. I watched their game (some mins) against Holland. They were just fantastic. :(

I wanted to ask how many of them are Bayern players coz they seemed to be very talented.

I don't think any of them was from Bayern unfortunately. We are not a team that promotes youth. Although that player from Liverpool would have been nice to have. I forgot his name but he was a winger i think.

Yep, no Bayern players.
http://www.dfb.de/index.php?id=500117

1-1 against China, not surprised. Germany didn't want to play better, China couldn't.

Yeah, we made it! 1:0 victory in Russia. Russia should have gotten a penalty a few minutes before the whistle blew, but Arschawin should have been sent of a minute earlier.

Russia-Germany 0-1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW4Zzf7sKL8

Mesut ÖZIL! hope Mourinho and Guardiola were watching ... basically, I want to see Inter and Barcelona each pick one between Mesut Özil and Luis Suárez ...

KB0c9ZG44Lw
I am not surprised that they didn't show Arschawin hit Ballack.

On a side note our U20 team lost against Brazil AET. What they have done is incredible as this was basically a C-team as they were missing 24 players.

It was a big blow for Putin and Medvedov in a crowd. cool.

Holtby is one of the brightest wonderkids Germany has. I really think the kid is a lot better than the other hyped ones (Kroos, Marin).

Also i must say the Bender twins have not impressed that much and i don't know why they are regarded that high.

Björn Kopplin was awesome (espcially against Nigeria :()!

Holtby is one of the brightest wonderkids Germany has. I really think the kid is a lot better than the other hyped ones (Kroos, Marin).

Also i must say the Bender twins have not impressed that much and i don't know why they are regarded that high.

Holtby's problem is that he never plays for Schalke.

There is another guy, Ömer Toprak, who was awesome, but his career is in jeopardy now as he had a horrible accident this summer which left his legs burned.

One cool pic:

http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/gif/20091010/0mund4.jpg

He should do this for Bayern more often. :(

Our squad against Cote d'Ivoire and Chile. First time nominees in bold.

Tor: Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen, 8 Länderspiele/kein Tor), Manuel Neuer (FC Schalke 04, 1/-), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen, 1/-)

Abwehr: Andreas Beck (TSG Hoffenheim, 5/-), Jerome Boateng (Hamburger SV, 1/-), Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC Berlin, 69/-), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München, 62/3), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen, 58/1), Marcel Schäfer (VfL Wolfsburg, 6/-), Serdar Tasci (VfB Stuttgart, 9/-), Heiko Westermann (FC Schalke 04, 16/2)

Mittelfeld: Michael Ballack (FC Chelsea, 97/42), Christian Gentner (VfL Wolfsburg, 4/-), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart, 50/6), Aaron Hunt (Werder Bremen, -/-), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen, 7/1), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern München, -/-), Mesut Özil (Werder Bremen, 6/1), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München, 71/19), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV, 27/2)

Sturm: Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München, 30/11), Stefan Kießling (Bayer 04 Leverkusen, 2/-), Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern München, 93/48) Lukas Podolski (1. FC Köln, 68/35)

Muller will only be summoned for the Ivory Coast game due to u2 duties.

Robert Enke died today. Supposedly he was hit by a train.

Holy sh!t Holy sh!t holy sh!t.. It is said to be a suicide.
Unfvcking belivable.

The team made the decision not to play against Chile on Saturday.

Is the right decision! Agree

David Alaba in the Bayern locker room before the match against Germany: “I grinned and said we'd blow them away. But they just laughed."

Welcome back Deutschland thread.

So Germany qualified for Euro 2012 with 6-2 victory over Austria.

1. Özil was fantastic in WC 10 but he is very improved since that time, I guess that's why he was the first pick in our draft. He was very impressive and he's still very young. Good news for Real and Germany.

2. Löw need to find a decent partner for Hummels. Hummels-Badstuber didn't work this time and I think they conceded both goals to Badstuber bad positioning.

3. Lots of credit to Klose to still play at highest level for German NT. He was very effective today. Btw, who scored the first goal?

4. Müller and Schweinsteiger played well. Kroos was good but I like to see him more effective in defending section as well.

5. Although Podolski scored but he is not as fast as his compatriots in forward. I don't know whether Özil and Götze can play together but if yes, below lineup will be untouchable.

Müller-Özil-Götze
Klose

If Germany can solve their defensive problems, they are maybe the favorite for Euro.

For me I'd probably put Muller up top, Gotze on the right and Schurrle on the left. If Poldi doesn't lose his spot to Schurrle or Gotze before Euro 2012 at least it will be very sad. They are both ahead of him at this point. Then obviously there's Gomez, but Low didn't spend 35m on his transfer fee, so he doesn't have to play him.

For me I'd probably put Muller up top, Gotze on the right and Schurrle on the left. If Poldi doesn't lose his spot to Schurrle or Gotze before Euro 2012 at least it will be very sad. They are both ahead of him at this point. Then obviously there's Gomez, but Low didn't spend 35m on his transfer fee, so he doesn't have to play him.

so you should leave either Klose:blush: or Ozil:icon_spin: on the bench!!!!!

Muller can perform best as a provider not as a target man. I think my formation was better.

Gotze played for 5 min and scored a goal. That's how ******* awesome he is ! (H)

tmMPj2xCZCs

good for someone in our draft ;).

so you should leave either Klose:blush: or Ozil:icon_spin: on the bench!!!!!

Muller can perform best as a provider not as a target man. I think my formation was better.

Klose on the bench, yeah. Muller's best asset is his movement. I think when you have guys like Ozil and Gotze you need someone creating space for all of them, and in that respect Muller is wasted a little on the right wing. Obviously he won't beat Ozil and Gotze out for AMC, but in a fluid system like Germany's I think he could take them from reallllly good to the best team in the world as the striker.

Now, let me get back to the defense; I ignored it because I didn't even want to mention Boateng's name, I was so worried someone would pick him in the draft.

For me, the defense seems beyond clear. Boateng-Hummels-Howedes-Lahm. Those are the 4 best Germany defenders, period, and they all play positions that can fit them on the pitch at the same time. Low seems to have this weird fascination with Badstuber, who I agree should make the team, but he is very clearly not as good as those other 4 guys. He's slow too. Howedes has some pace, Hummels can distribute from the back a little, they seem like an ideal pair, but I guess Low sees something I don't.

This Badstuber thing is a bit weird. Van Gaal and Low both seem to rate him real high. What about Heynckes?

Now that Sven Bender has been picked, I can finish my thoughts. Poet, it's not really clear what Heynckes thinks of Badstuber, because he's the best option to pair with Boateng. Beating out van Buyten and Breno isn't much of an accomplishment.

Sven Bender, for my money, is the guy that needs to be in the middle with Schweinsteiger. I think he's great. Real smart, big and strong, but also technical. He's a better version of Khedira, and he doesn't think he's a box-to-box like Sami does. He would provide a platform for Schweinsteiger to get forward. Rolfes, Khedira, Kroos, and everyone else all have flaws in their game, but I really think Bender is everything Germany is looking for in that position. Here's what someone else on the internet had to say about him:

He is not a “destroyer” in the classic sense and focuses more on intercepting the ball rather than going in for crunching tackles. He has started 8 games this season but has not been booked once, which is very impressive because he is the ball winner in a very aggressive Dortmund midfield. His reading of the game is excellent and he understands his role in the team, being content to plug the gaps while everyone else pours forward(Dortmund often attack with seven players). The Bundesliga is filled with quick technical attacking midfielders playing in “the hole” and it is usually Bender’s job to mark these players out of the game. He has done a great job so far and Dortmund have the best defensive record in the league.

[...]

[T]he role of central midfielders is changing and Bender is part of this new breed. He is not just an excellent defensive player but comfortable in possession too. Dortmund play a quick one touch passing game and Bender complements this perfectly as he has a great touch and awareness of space, usually preferring to play the short simple pass rather than trying something high risk. Some people may criticize him for “sideways passing” but a good possession team needs this kind of player to keep things ticking along.


http://defensiveminded.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/sven-bender-the-beast-to-nuri-sahins-beauty/

was willst du mit müller??? GÖTZE bester spieler

What will you do with müller???? GÖTZE is better than him

Can play together.

Just being a fanboy and looking through Thomas Muller's facebook pictures:

http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/270104_249130471767654_249113725102662_1178244_327 4143_n.jpg

"Kennst mich jetzt"

Muller is probably my least favorite player at both Bayern and Germany, but i got to admit his erratic style of play is a b!tch for opponents to deal with. He is truly the xfactor.

He's my favorite for sure. His awkwardness makes him an underdog even though he's like 21 years old and already world class.

EDIT: He's not on great form now though, it should be said. It's the difference between him and a true superstar like Arjen Robben who doesn't take these kinds of extended breaks.

Witsel looks like Fellaini's Mini-Me.

Wow. 2-0 in a flash. Stunning strike from Ozil, and then Schurrle on a counter attack after a corner on the opposite side.

Very exiting Euro Cup is coming. Germany, Spain and Holland are damn good + France and Italy can't be worse than last World Cup.

Very exiting Euro Cup is coming. Germany, Spain and Holland are damn good + France and Italy can't be worse than last World Cup.yup, really looking forward to it (Y) ...

I remain optimistic of an Italy-Holland dream final ...

Would love to see Germany beat Spain in the final. I think it's clear that those are the two best sides in the world. Holland's attack (with Robben) might be better than either of them, but the defense is lacking.

I don't think France will be great TBH, but I'm dreading an Italian side with a coach who isn't senile.

Very exiting Euro Cup is coming. Germany, Spain and Holland are damn good + France and Italy can't be worse than last World Cup.

Poland is going to win the whole thing though. (H)
















:(

Witsel looks like Fellaini's Mini-Me.

Haha! (H) Also, Coruja's sig.

Germany 3 - 0 Holland

Damn.

Superior to the Dutch in every aspect of the game. Kroos is far becoming one of the most important pieces of the team. The kid got game.

Kevin-Prince Boateng retired from International Football. I imagine it's mostly because he's not Ghanaian, but rather German. I wouldn't keep playing for them either with all the travel, not to mention all the horror story logistical problems that still plague African Football. And he has no national pride to press on.

Wait until the World Cup comes around and he will reconsider IF Ghana is in it. He is an idiot on my book. He wanted to play for Germany but wasn't willing to wait for a chance. I think his move to Pompey was also seen as a downgrade in his career. Once there he opted to play for Ghana instead. Once the Milan opportunity came along he realized he had made the worst decision of his life. Playing for Milan would have at least boosted his chances to be considered for Germany. However, he also might have considered the competition in the midfield stiff to say the least. If there is one area where Germany can feature several superstars that is the midfield.

Eithr way i could give a royal fvck about him at this point. I mean good luck at Milan but as far as his international career goes, i could care less. I am more concerned with how another Milan player develops. I hope Merkel gets back from his Genoa loan and is given a chance in Milanelo.

I think he'd look good next to Schweinsteiger. Sahin too.

So do Khedira, Kroos, the Benders and the many German youngsters awaiting their chance. Again the midfield is not an area where we need much improvement. Had he been a world class defender that i would have agreed with you.

Schweinny makes anyone look good next to him, he is that type of player (H)

True :)

And as much as I like Sven Bender, I actually think Lars might be the better option for Deutschland. More of a complete player.

Ricken (H)

(H)

Sven has been the most courted by top European clubs of the two surprisingly. He has that Ballack like aura about him.

Although i love it in here gotta admit BS has a lot more traffic :)

I'd like to see Germany A vs. Germany B

http://this11.com/boards/abBAGJZagO.jpg

Just saw the third goal... oh man that's the Klose I used to really like. Somewhere he got the reputation of a limited poacher who's good in the air, but I remember him passing up shots to pass to an open teammate for an easy goal all the time. Love to see it.

I can't wait till the GERMAN'S invade Brazilian soil. (H) btw what oranje Machina?

Bored. All Time XI

http://this11.com/boards/abBJss1ana.jpg

We never had Sammer.

We never had Sammer.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nUV5eSLB6oc/TTHinenIXoI/AAAAAAAAAD0/-l9PLRV8c2M/s1600/sammer.jpg

"LÜGEN!!!"

We never had Sammer.

Best player at Euro 96 bro. Most recent dude on the list!

I thought you were talking Bayern players. My bad.

Fritz Walter never played for Bayern! Boo this man!!!

Easy there tiger.

BTW it appears Ozil has fallen out of favor in Madrid and crazy scenarios have emerged regarding where he could fit well. I could see him well in Manchester. United that is but i also read reports they want BOTH Hummels and Gotze.8|

Well, here's the 27 man provisional squad

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Tim Wiese (Hoffenheim), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Moenchengladbach).

Defenders: Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Mats Hummels (Dortmund), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Bendikt Howedes (Schalke), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Marcel Schmelzer (Dortmund).

Midfielders: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Sven Bender (Dortmund), Lars Bender (Leverkusen), Ilkay Gundogan (Dortmund), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Julian Draxler (Schalke), Marco Reus (Moenchengladbach), Mario Gotze (Dortmund), Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid).

Forwards: Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Cacau (Stuttgart), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Andreas Schurrle (Leverkusen), Lukas Podolski (Cologne).

Can't believe Cacau is still making squads, Klose is dubious enough. Would expect the cuts to be Draxler, Gundogan, prooooobably Gotze because of fitness, and either Zieler or ter Stegen.

Squad pretty much picks itself:

Gomez
Podolski-Ozil-Muller
Schweini-Khedira
Boateng-Badstuber-Hummels-Lahm

Only spots up for competition IMO are striker between Gomez and Klose (Low has always preferred Miro), right wing between Muller and Reus (Muller will probably get the nod from experience, but Reus is the superior player), and the other fullback between Boateng and Schmelzer (because Schmelzer is a natural left footed player).

Second team (which is seriously really damn good):

Klose
Schurrle-Kroos-Reus
Bender-Bender
Schmelzer-Mertesacker-xxx-Howedes
Wiese

Bender-Bender (H)

http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/bender.jpg

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/9831/xifiofry2bender.png

(H)


And **** Germany. Their depth is insane.

Can't you take Poldi out for Kroos or Reus?

Bender-Bender (H)

Whenever one of them scores, they both do the robot. :33vff3o:

Can't you take Poldi out for Kroos or Reus?

It's not going to happen. Poldi isn't as dynamic, but he's a good player. Really improved the last 2 years.

And he has been always good in the NT

Can't you take Poldi out for Kroos or Reus?

Poldi seems to be a Low favorite.

And i seriously hope he plays Klose up front instead of that worthless clot Gomez.