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5 Conclusions: Germany U21 4-0 England U21

By: Jan | June 30th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Before wrapping up the whole tournament again, factoring in the final as Nick suggested in the comments, it’s time for me to collect a few more thoughts on the final itself. Feel free to share your own analysis in the comments.

1. All is well that ends well. Well, at least the comprehensive and dominant victory over England added a glossy finish to Germany’s tournament performance. It was a team that had its’ flaws but discussing them is academic now. They won the tournament and you can’t one up that except for a few style points. It’s nothing to be concerned with for the future either, as this team will never play together again. A lot of players will be too old for the next tournament and Horst Hrubesch will go back to his U20 team, with Rainer Adrion taking over the U21 now.

2. Horst Hrubesch is part tactical genius and part lucky bastard. I have to give credit to Hrubesch for making all the right adjustments to the team’s tactics. Especially playing Hummels in front of the backline. He argued that he wanted to gain aerial dominance over England to counter their strength from set pieces, but Hummels did much more than heading away crosses and corners with his all around excellent defensive display. He also allowed Khedira to go forward, which really helped his game. Though, as far as Özil’s return to his natural midfield position is concerned, we probably have to thank Ashkan Dejagah for his second yellow, which partly forced this adjustment onto Hrubesch.
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Photo: UEFA U21 European Champions 2009

By: Jan | June 29th, 2009 | 7 Comments »

U21 Euro 2009 Champions
Passing accuracy was still lacking, especially in the first half, but we didn’t expect that to magically change in a couple of days. Predictably England enjoyed the majority of possession. Corner kicks still caused trouble. None of that mattered in the end as Germany’s U21 won the final against ... [read]


U21 Euro 2009 Wrap-Up

By: Jan | June 27th, 2009 | 6 Comments »

Germany\'s U21 CelebratesWell, it’s not time to wrap up the whole tournament yet, but at least everything that happened since the opening match against Spain. In short: Germany made it to the final (against England) after beating Finland (2-0), drawing England (1-1) and beating Italy (1-0). Following the good performance against ... [read]


Bernd Schneider Retires

By: Nick | June 26th, 2009 | 2 Comments »


When Franz Beckenbauer announced following the World Cup victory in 1990 that a united Germany would be unstoppable for years to come, he was as mistaken as Pele in his prediction. Aside from brief moments of hope in Euro ’92 and Euro ’96 the expected push coming from the integration of East ... [read]


Kevin-Prince Boateng Out - Dennis Aogo In

By: Nick | June 24th, 2009 | 3 Comments »

Sport Bild has reported that Kevin-Prince Boateng (22 Berlin) has opted to play for Ghana in the future. The nephew of legendary Germany striker Helmut Rahn stated that there is no negative reason for his decision, but he believes that there is no chance for him to play for the national setup anymore.
I am glad that he took the ... [read]


Arsenal Want Who ?!

By: Nick | June 16th, 2009 | 5 Comments »

Arsene Wenger is in talks to sign Stuttgart midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger (27). Apparently Joachim Löw and Wenger are drinking the same water. In all honesty, Arsenal has been in need of an experienced central midfielder and despite my reservations about “The Hammer” he has made some classy contributions to the Germany setup. Hitzlsperger is a team player and has ... [read]


Spain U21 - Germany U21 Highlights

By: Nick | June 16th, 2009 | 5 Comments »

The video speaks for itself, but I must say our U21 would give our senior team a run for their money. I honestly have not seen a German defense so well organized since 1996. There will be at long last no more Huth or Westermann (who in my mind is squarely at fault for dropping points to Finland). Even ... [read]


2009 UEFA U21 European Championships in Sweden Preview

By: Jan | June 15th, 2009 | 5 Comments »

This blog’s coverage of German youth teams consists of a sum total of one post. The one about this year’s U17 Euro victory. We could have written another one about last year’s U19 Euro victory, I guess.
So we are admittedly looking like glory hunting youth football bloggers, who only ever wake up every other major trophy won. To shake off ... [read]


Helmes Injured

By: Nick | June 12th, 2009 | 3 Comments »

Patrick Helmes will be out for about six months after he tore ligaments in his knee while playing sports on vacation. He underwent surgery Friday and will likely miss all the rest of Germany’s World Cup Qualifiers and a good half of the 2009/2010 Bundesliga season. All the best to him for a full recovery.
Now the pressure is all ... [read]


Goodbye Jones

By: Nick | June 12th, 2009 | 9 Comments »

Jermaine Jones (27) is the first player to take advantage of the new rules established by the FIFA Congress coming into effect this August. The dual-nationality Schalke midfielder had felt his chances of breaking into the German setup were limited and thus has officially opted to switch allegiances to US Soccer. The DFB has basically said good riddance.
It’s not that ... [read]


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