Germans - With just a touch of English!

The German national team coach Joachim Low has revealed that he picked the best bits of English, Spanish and Italian football to create Germany's impressive new style of free flowing counter attack football. I couldn't tell you which bit was the English influence as the Germans have yet to look inept, old, sluggish and passionless...maybe that all happened in the defeat to Serbia earlier in the competition - I didn't see that game.

Low said "I've seen a lot of international football, I have soaked it all up and taken away many aspects. In England the tempo is incredible and something to be emulated. In Spain, there is the free-flowing style, technique and skill and you can see that's something that is second nature to them, even to their youth teams."

"In Spain the game is not just played or worked at, but celebrated. It impresses me how easy it looks even though, of course, it isn't easy at all. I like combination passing football and that is what I work towards. Italy won the World Cup in 2006 with perfect defensive play but the game has moved on in the last four years. The teams in the final four have solid defences but you have to have a more than that, a more versatile style of play," Low added.

Interesting that tempo was the thing he highlighted from England - you might be able to win a world cup with good defence - Italy did - and you certainly can with free-flowing style, good technique and skill - just ask many a Brazil team in years gone by - but I don't think you could ever win a World Cup with good 'tempo'! Perhaps that is another reason why it could be another 44 years before England wins another World Cup!  

On Germany's chances of gaining revenge for their Euro 2008 final defeat to Spain in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final and then going on to meet the Dutch in the World Cup Final, Low said: "In 2008, there is no doubt that Spain were the best team at the tournament. They were also very good in the final. But now the situation is different. We too have a good team and we have every reason to believe that we can succeed."

What price a repeat then of the 1974 World Cup Final between Germany and Holland?  I can't make my mind up on picking a winner - sometimes I think that Germany can't possibly play as well again, but then I also think that Spain have yet to hit top gear and yet they are in the semi-final. Spain were my pre-tournament pick, so I'm going to stick with them...which has pretty much just guaranteed a German victory!  Although Paul the psychic octopus has also picked Spain, so maybe I'm onto something??

 

Spain v Switzerland!

How can I not mention Switzerland upsetting Spain, my pick to win the tournament  today!  What this result should do is put England's draw against the US in perspective. The US is ranked just 6 places below England in the FIFA rankings (8th and 14th) - Spain are ranked 2nd in the world, the Swiss are 24th. This is an upset; England drawing against the US was not.

 

The Spanish press has bemoaned the country's "nightmare" start to the World Cup in South Africa in which the European champions received a "lesson in humility" from unfancied Switzerland.  "Huge disappointment in Durban. Spain blew up against Switzerland and its iron defence," the country's leading daily El Pais opined on its website. "A nightmare has started," said  El Mundo. 

 

It was a one-sided affair, but football is a great game because only one stat counts Switzerland 1 - Spain 0.  Here are some interesting facts from ESPN Stats and Information:

• No team has ever won the World Cup after losing its opening match. Only three teams have ever won the title after losing ANY match, most recently Argentina in 1978.
• Spain completed more passes (574) and created the second-most chances (18) of any team thus far in the tournament. The Red Fury failed to net a goal against a Swiss team that now has five consecutive World Cup clean sheets, a streak of 484 minutes that dates back to 1994.
• Switzerland's 480 touches were the second-fewest of any side to win a World Cup match since 1966. 
• Switzerland's 163 completed passes were the second-fewest of any side to win a World Cup match since 1966. Spain's 574 completed passes were the most of any side thus far, and the most of any side to lose a match in the World Cup.
• Spain outshot Switzerland 24-8 and held a 63-37 percent edge in possession, which matches Brazil for the largest margin at the tournament thus far.

So the First round of games is in the books, and the goals per game ratio that I talked about in a previous post has not yet improved. All 32 participating nations have now played one game, and the 16 matches produced just 25 goals at a rate of 1.56 goals per game. In 2006, we would have had 37 goals and in 2002, more than 40 goals by now; so in terms of encouraging Americans towards the beautiful game, it's not going well for FIFA!

 

ESPN have a nice summary of the first round of games; read it via the link below...

 

First Round Highlights and Lowlights from ESPN