World Cup 2010: England vs. Germany Preview
By Ty Duffy
History: Since allowed to return in 1954, Germany has qualified for the second round at every World Cup. They have won three (1954, 1974, 1990), reached the final seven times, made the semifinals ten times and failed to reach the quarterfinals only once in 1978. England has qualified for 12 World Cups since 1950 (missing 1974, 1978 and 1994). They won once as hosts in 1966, reached the semifinals twice, made the quarterfinals eight times. They have qualified for the second round every time they participated since 1958.
Form: Germany won group D. They thumped Australia 4-0, lost 1-0 to Serbia with Miroslav Klose sent off and rebounded with a 1-0 win over Ghana. England finished second from Group C, with fewer total goals than the United States. They drew USA 1-1, drew Algeria 0-0 and edged Slovenia 1-0 on the final day to advance.
Matchup: Germany has undergone a reformation. They lost multiple players to injury, including Michael Ballack and starting goalkeeper Rene Adler. Only three players from the Euro 2008 final team, Klose, Podolski and Mertesacker, are starting in the same positions. Joachim Loew has rebuilt the squad, plucking players from the German youth teams that have won championships at U-17, U-19 and U-21 level since 2006. Players such as Mesut Ozil, Jerome Boateng, Sami Khedira, Holger Badstuber and Thomas Muller (all-23 or younger) have filled key roles. The experiment has been successful thus far.
England has been woeful at this World Cup. At no time have they looked like an effective or competent soccer team. Every problem the team had under Eriksson and McClaren has returned. They have no width, no pace, no competent goalkeeper, no fluid strike partnership and an outdated formation. This team is four years older and less healthy than the team that appeared in 2006. The praise heaped on an impotent 1-0 win over Slovenia says everything about how dire this team has been.
Playing a 4-2-3-1 against a 4-4-2, Germany must capitalize on their numerical advantage in midfield. They will hold possession and press England central midfielders and defenders to get it back. The U.S. and Algeria pinned back Ashley Cole to block his runs forward. Germany will try to do the same. If England’s defenders play too high, the Germans could roll through them as easily as they did against Australia.
England needs to be physical, assertive and smart. Rooney must move laterally to stretch the defense rather than vertically to come find the ball. The English need Gareth Barry to mark Mesut Ozil out of the game and break up the German linkup play. They must find their form early to build confidence.
Penalties: Lukas Podolski missed a penalty for Germany against Serbia. It was the first German miss after 18 straight conversions. They have made 27 out of 30 all-time at the World Cup and won all four shoot outs they have played. Since 1990, The English have been eliminated from three World Cups (1990, 1998, 2006) and two European championships (1996, 2004) on penalties. Two of the eliminations came against the Germans. England’s penalty taker list does not exude confidence.
Prediction: I’m a big believer in body language. England players look pressured, petulant and rattled. They seem more likely to soil themselves than rise to the occasion. In no way do they look prepared to heal the national psychosis. Paper points to a German win. My gut feeling points to an emphatic one. Germany 3-0 England.
[Photos via Getty]