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10 Conclusions: Germany 0-1 Spain

June 29th, 2008 | By: Jan | 28 Comments »

Spain European Champions 1. Congratulations Spain! A well deserved victory and about time really.

2. Congratulations Jens Lehmann. I made a lot of jokes and cynical remarks about you over the past few weeks, but at least in your last game as Germany’s #1 you did a great job and kept Germany in the game often enough.

3. For as much people wanted to make this Michael Ballack’s tournament – Premier League bias(?) – it really wasn’t. He wasn’t there when games didn’t go Germany’s way, whether it was against Croatia, Turkey or in the final against Spain. It’s a bit sad that he’ll keep his perennial runner-up tag, but he probably also didn’t do enough himself to shrug it off. So it was league runner-up, Champions League runner-up and World Cup/Euro runner-up in one season twice for Ballack. Cruel.

4. The ref could have handed out two red cards, one for Silva after a head-butt and later in the game one for Lehmann after handling the ball outside the box.

5. This time around Philipp Lahm’s mistake gave Spain the lead, but different to the Turkey match he couldn’t make up for it, as he had to be substituted due to injury. But then again, Marcell Jansen did a good if not better job. And in the end, Spain could have punished a lot of other defensive mistakes, so you can’t really just blame Lahm. But discussing the defence and what went wrong in general will be material for another post.

6. 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 doesn’t really matter. The change might have worked well against Portugal, but probably also had a bit of a placebo effect in giving the team some confidence back. Again this whole patch-work team and tactics building during the tournament is something that needs to be discussed.

7. There were bursts of German dominance in the game, where we got an idea of what could have been possible if the team hadn’t approached most of their games in such a lethargic manner but with aggressive fore-checking and fast attacking moves.

8. Either all of Schweinsteiger’s crosses and corner kicks are spot on or they are all rubbish.

9. Former Stuttgart striker Kevin Kuranyi and current Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez were on the pitch at the same time, and for a moment I was really worried what kind of future could lie ahead for Mario Gomez…

10. I had the feeling Spain won most of the headers. So much about being so much taller. But then again all set pieces were executed pretty poorly in the first place.

OK, I’ll reserve the rest of my thoughts for some in depth Euro review posts. Enjoy the rest of your evening. I think there’s no need to be overly sad, as this Spanish side and Spain in general really deserve to both overcome their history and finally win a big trophy again after so many decades. And we won’t have to play the stupid Confed Cup. Yeah!

Tags: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Euro 2008, Germany, Jens Lehmann, Kevin Kuranyi, Marcell Jansen, Mario Gomez, Michael Ballack, Philipp Lahm, Spain

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Comments

Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 28 comments.

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By Karl | June 29th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

Lahm was out because he was injured.

Posted from Germany

By FengFeng | June 29th, 2008 at 5:06 pm

The man who dies in the gate of heaven. It’s his destiny, he can’t resist it… Micheal Ballack.
Anyway, he is my hero. But he is born without a lucky star, that’s what he missed for greater success. Ballack, it’s time to step down and give someone your post, maybe without you, other players will become much mature.
We will miss you, but it’s time, Ballack!

Posted from Australia

By tan | June 29th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Why did you change Phillip Lahm out? Ha Clin Love
Who do you thing caN pass ball to open this game?
He didn’t do anything wrongs
since 50 – 90[2nd part of this game]
It’s a dead game because you change three player wrong
you should give chance for your player to do better,
shouldn’t change anybody.
However I still love Germany Football Team.
Expectially Phillip Lahm. He ’s a good player.

Posted from Australia

By Thierry | June 29th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

So should Mario Gomez be recalled or is he finished with the national team?

By mohammad | June 29th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

hard luck germany
but really they didn`t play well
if they played well and loose i would kill my self
EAST OR WEST……….GERMANY IS THE BEST
BUT WE STILL KING OF EURO WITH 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Posted from United Arab Emirates

By Michel-Olivier | June 29th, 2008 at 5:34 pm

the german team miss schneider. poldi is not a winger. klose had a bad tourny. ballack and frings were not 100% fit. gomez just had a bleep, next season he will regain top form and will be the strike partner along side poldi in the euro qualifies.

Posted from United States

By FengFeng | June 29th, 2008 at 6:30 pm

The higher the hope, the deeper the sorrow )

Posted from Australia

By Beethoven | June 29th, 2008 at 6:55 pm

From Germany :

Germany not too bad. Spain so very much better.
I think that sums it up.

But our boys added another bonus to the all-time record of national teams
attaining 1st,,2nd, and 3rd place (I am leaving out pos. no. 4) in Eorld Cup and EuroChamp tournaments.

By Jan | June 29th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

11. There should be a court ruling that specifically prohibits Christoph Metzelder to cross the half way line.

By Luke | June 29th, 2008 at 9:32 pm

I went back and forth the whole tournament between thinking Jogi was a genius and that he was just cluelessly making it up as he went along, and today’s substitutions (ok, I get it about Lahm, but I still think there were ways to keep Jansen off the pitch) convinced me of the latter. You need goals, you add strikers–I get that, but Kuranyi showed immediately that the only possibility of his scoring was with his head (though honestly he did nearly head one in, I’ll give him that) and Hitzlsperger does have that ability to fire a lightning strike from long distance-he wasn’t great, but he wasn’t given enough respect for that particular quality. And bringing on your weakest player of the tournament and hoping he turns around a final in 10 minutes?? It screams “Well, I gotta try something, anything!” Well, see you in Vaduz, boys!

Posted from United States

By ELPA | June 29th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

CONGRATULATIONS SPAIN.
SPAIN was THE BEST……..

By bunchapooha | June 29th, 2008 at 11:54 pm

I’d rather would’ve seen Odonkor than Gomez in that last sub.

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | June 30th, 2008 at 12:09 am

At least that would have added some more comedy value. Agreed.

By julien | June 30th, 2008 at 9:35 am

Now this is class:
“German media full of praise for victorious Spain”
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=552683&sec=euro2008&cc=5901

So many other countries’ media have been sore losers in the past.

Posted from United States

By elisa | June 30th, 2008 at 11:44 am

Germany such a class act. Your future is so bright.

Posted from United States

By jackpot games | June 30th, 2008 at 1:48 pm

Spain did it really good, I am so happy, CONGRATULATIONS!!

By Beethoven | June 30th, 2008 at 5:13 pm

To tan:

Lahn had got an injury – media said a 5cm-long open wound that had to be stitched. No playing with that. Unfortunately.

Otherwise he would probably have made every effort to compensate for his failure that led to Spain’s goal -like he did in the match against Turkey.

By diana | June 30th, 2008 at 7:53 pm

julien, thanks for the link. I had seen it already but still, at least the German media acknowledged that Spain were the worthy winners.

Nick, regarding Gomez…when I saw that he was on, I know it’s going to be interesting. Apart from that he’s half-Spanish… Well, what is clear though, he is in the dubious ‘Top of the Flops’ list of the tournament for both news agencies Reuters and AFP. Well, I can’t argue with their lists.

Reuters’s list – http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/06/27/toni-the-natural-choice-to-lead-tournament-flop-xi/

AFP’s list – http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=afp-fbleuro2008flops&prov=afp&type=lgns

Posted from Singapore

By Michel-Olivier | June 30th, 2008 at 9:33 pm

wc 2010 prediction

——-neuer—–
lahm-mertesacker-metzelder-pander
schweini-rolfes-kroos-marin
—gomez-podolski—-

Posted from United States

By Jan | July 1st, 2008 at 12:29 am

I like the neuer – kroos – marin combo. They could make a big difference but kroos and marin might still be a bit young. You also seem to be optimistic about pander being less injury prone in the future.

By Arminius | July 1st, 2008 at 8:22 am

Just remeber the name “Kroos”. He is a wunderkind.

By harriet | July 1st, 2008 at 8:55 am

Oh yeah Kroos. As long as he doesn’t collapse from German media pressure, we can count on him. Seriously.

Posted from Australia

By PoorMe@Work | July 1st, 2008 at 9:36 am

They need Klinsmann…

Posted from United States

By Danna | July 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 pm

From Spaniard:
Germany did an amazing job.
They deserved to be in the finals with Spain more than any other team.
I predict they will go far in the World Cup this coming 2010.
Good luck Germany!

By elio | July 29th, 2008 at 5:46 am

i love germany

Posted from Germany

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