As a fan it was hard to go back to watching the German national team get back to playing football. It brought a smile to my face, however, when the Ivory Coast came out of the dressing room reminding us all of the common noble spirit of football and human compassion. Over their brilliant orange jerseys were black armbands and white shirts in honor of Robert Enke.

The German team also emerged with black armbands in addition to their new 2010 home jerseys. The team seemed for the first quarter hour cohesive and galvanized. They were rewarded with a penalty that Lukas Podolski duly converted – dedicating it to Robert.

Then things truly reverted to normalcy. Perhaps the players were still shaken by the events and lost focus, perhaps it was too early to play football again, whatever the reason Germany sat back and let the Ivory Coast into the game. The truth may be that the Ivory Coast had a much better midfield on the day. The German defense was repeatedly carved open exposing Phillip Lahm’s shaky mindset and recent unfamiliarity with playing at left back.

The players still had the best of intentions and tried their best to remind themselves the significance of the match. Podolski, Trochowski, and Özil all had great chances on goal, but it was the Ivory Coast who struck next. Actually, it was Heiko Westermann who made an all too familiar poor choice in central defense. Under pressure Westermann hit a dangerous backpass to Manuel Neuer with other options open. Neuer in turn made a horrific clearance that struck an onrushing forward and the Schalke keeper watched helplessly as the ball rebounded into the net.

A good while of last-minute defending for both sides ensued along with a number of substitutions including the dejected exit of Jerome Boateng and the late debut of Aaron Hunt. Again it was Westermann who broke the stalemate. He was predictably caught out of position watching, as two forwards combined to daze Lahm for the 1-2 in the 85TH minute. The team at least didn’t give up and the substitutions brought a bit more life into the game. It was finally Westermann who charged forward and threaded a pass to Podolski who showed great skill with his left foot to equalize.

All in all the players did well. The team tried to win it. Wiese was rarely bothered. Neuer will have have better days. Westermann clearly would make a better midfielder than central defender. Lahm needs to learn being a left back again. Boateng needs to be more careful in the penalty area. Kiessling deserved his callup. Hitzlsperger once again did not.

As for Löw, he has become so predictable since Euro 2008 that BILD correctly predicted his lineup and formation a day before it was released. He now has the pool of players to potentially win the trophy in 2010. He just does not seem flexible enough to do it. His substitutions were once again ineffectual, but what can be expected of players introduced in the 80TH minute of a friendly in unfamiliar positions? Why position players whose strengths are predominately elsewhere, why choose players who are better left on the bench if not home, why not nominate players who have actually achieved something as of late?

These are all questions to be answered in the next few months in the next international year. So here is hoping to 2010… a year where a player like Marin can at least play instead of watching Hitzlsperger for 90 minutes from the bench.

Wir spielen heute für Deutschland, wir spielen für die Fans. Aber wir spielen vor allem für Dich. Für einen guten Freund, durch dessen Tod wir alle noch ein Stückchen näher zusammengerückt sind.

We play today for Germany, we play today for the fans… but above all else we play today for you… for a good friend whose passing has brought us all a little bit closer. We are one team… and you will always remain a part of it.

“German international goalkeeper Robert Enke has been killed after being hit by a train at a level crossing, police said on Tuesday. Police said that the death could be a suicide.” – AFP

Words fail me.

Aaron Hunt has been rumored to be pursued by England. When was the last time you saw a volley like that? Right here. No wonder even England wants him – an accolade that has never been given to our players. Furthermore, Werder has had a great season thus far thanks to the creative triumvirate of Hunt, Marin, and Özil. These players have an understanding of each other extending from their club and it should be natural to play them together in a friendly – that is if they get a chance to play at all.

Maybe you have to just be consistently in form so that you can’t be ignored. Certainly that seems the case for Stefan Kiessling. After missing out for the last qualification match in October, Kiessling remains the Bundesliga’s top scorer and has finally made it back to the fold. Let’s hope this time his outing is not as unimpressive as the one against Norway.

Perhaps you need an unmistakeably impressive name like the one Thomas Müller has. Of course it also helps that Müller has living up to his name and performing consistenly whenever he is not suspended. Müller has a lot to learn, but he can be just the element of surprise sorely needed by Bayern at least.

Finally there is the strange case of Thomas Hitzlsperger. It has often been said that some of the best players do not visibly contribute to the team, but their presence somehow effects a better result. Dietmar Hamann for example for Liverpool in the miraculous 2005 Champions League Final did this. Hitzlsperger on the other hand has lately been benched because of his lack at form at Stuttgart. Considering that he is the team captain the action was quite an understatement. Maybe players like Mats Hummels have not been impressive as of late, but surely they deserve the nod over Hitzlsperger? Apparently not…

Let’s hope in any event the players selected redeem their nomination, contribute to the team, and live up to the jersey they are wearing….

For the friendly matches against Chile (Köln) and the Ivory Coast (Gelsenkirchen) Löw has nominated the England prospect Aaron Hunt, the mercurial Thomas Müller, the Bundesliga topscorer Stefan Kießling, and of course the ever present Thomas Hitzlsperger.

Overall this is a good selection, but one wonders why a player like Hitzlsperger merits a call up when he as captain of his club was benched because of his form? Also adding to this questionable selection are his fellow Stuttgart teammates Cacau and Sedar Tasci who were likely not picked at the last moment because of injury.

Unfortunately, injury has also sidelined Simon Rolfes, Torsten Frings, and Sami Khedira. One wonders still why Benedikt Höwedes nor Mats Hummels have not been selected despite the obvious sore lack of quality in central defense. There are also other players who deserve a dishonorable mention concerning their nominations chiefly the misfiring Mario Gomez, but let’s focus on the positives…

Tor

Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen), Manuel Neuer (FC Schalke 04), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Abwehr

Andreas Beck (TSG Hoffenheim), Jerome Boateng (Hamburger SV), Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC Berlin), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Marcel Schäfer (VfL Wolfsburg), Heiko Westermann (FC Schalke 04)

Mittelfeld

Michael Ballack (FC Chelsea), Christian Gentner (VfL Wolfsburg), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Aaron Hunt (Werder Bremen), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen), Thomas Müller (FC Bayern München), Mesut Özil (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV)

Angriff

Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München), Stefan Kießling (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern München), Lukas Podolski (1. FC Köln)

The crowd was right to jeer a hapless first-half performance by an “experimental” German side in Hamburg in the final DFB 2010 World Cup qualification fixture. With a ninth win the 2010 qualification campaign would have been Germany’s most successful ever. Thanks to a determined Finnish side and some horrible performances by a team arranged in a hopelessly incoherent Euro 2008 style 4-2-2-2 the game ended 1-1. It was a fair reflection of the match even though Germany had several chances to win it in the dying minutes.

Adler was the only reason we did not lose. He could do nothing about the goal where Westermann watched and Lahm was simply too short to make a difference.

Beck had perhaps the most promising performance of the entire team. He was still surging forward at the end. He provided some great runs, a hard shot, and some deep crosses. He was caught out a couple of times, but his high work-rate throughout the match was commendable.

Friedrich did all right for this match. He made no glaring errors, played a very intelligent offside trap, and got out of some very dangerous situations. He should not have been playing so close to Adler, but that is more of a failure from the midfield that he could not compensate for. Overall he is still useful only in the substitute central defender capacity.

Westermann played like usual. He was caught rooted to the ground and nowhere near a Finland player for the goal. If he starts during the World Cup then he will cost us. His redeeming quality was that he was good going forward and some credit has to be given to him for the goal. The verdict is he should not be playing central defense!

Lahm was the most likely player to score a goal it seemed. During the first half he was essentially turned into a left-midfielder. He tried his best to cut in and break through the Finnish defense, but every time he passed the ball one of Hitzlsperger, Trochowski, or Cacau managed to lose it.

Trochowski was a twelfth man for Finland in the first half. He lost about every ball played to him. After he shifted to the right wing in the second half he was far more reliable, but nothing inspiring. He wasted his chance to shine at home in Hamburg.

Hitzlsperger should never be called again. Not only was he ineffective in his passing and retention, but also he might as well have not been there defensively. His performance is absolutely inexcusable as a defensive midfielder and even his pal Löw had to yank him off at half-time

Gentner didn’t really shine. He had a goal-shy performance probably because he didn’t want to be booed. Defensively he was better than the other midfielders, but that’s not saying much.

Ballack was not meant to be played in his old role or the entire match. He was stretched thin by his teammates. To compensate for the lack of Özil he had to go forward, create, and distribute in addition to defend the back four with the invisible Hitzlsperger.

Özil had an average game by his own standards. He lost the ball several times and wasted a few clear cut opportunities. He needs to work on his finishing. Still, without him the tying goal would not have happened. He is here to stay and will start guaranteed from now on along with Ballack.

Podolski at least saved us from a loss. His goal was fortunate and he had blown a few shots earlier. He was by no means spectacular in the unbalanced 4-4-2, so average that Lahm was often found in front of him during the game.

Klose missed the chance to one win it after a cross from Beck. His awareness and quick reaction was critical in creating the goal chance.

Cacau was ineffective and to be honest I am not sure what position he played. He was roaming around the length of the pitch putting in a mediocre touch here and a mediocre pass there. Maybe he would have played better with coordination around him, but on this showing he should not be called up again seeing as how there are much better striking options available.

Gomez is now in crisis. He had a few chances from set pieces, but his psychosis began to tell. Once again Klose showed him how it is done. Gomez is a target man who can’t finish, he does not have the ability to provide chances and his depression after spurning a chance ruins whatever rebound or subsequent chance he has. He needs to work out his problems, but not on the time of the national team.

Löw should be sent to Turkey for free after this display. The lineup was wrong and he was too scared to compensate once again. He could have given Marin some running time, but instead he selected his old favorites with disastrous effect. To be fair there was no way he could correct his faulty starting eleven. In order to prevent aggravating an injury Ballack had to come off in favor of Gentner. To save some face Özil and Klose had to be put on thus leaving Marin on the bench. I honestly wanted us to lose, because that way even he cannot forget the burn of picking his useless Stuttgart pal Hitzlsperger.

1. All is well that ends well. Well, at least the realization that this team can up its’ game when needed is encouraging. In previous games there had always been a little bit of uncertainty over whether the team just couldn’t care less or just can’t do it any better. That being said, to see a Germany team under Löw that is playing well for the whole 90 minutes, we’ll have to go all the way back to the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Yet, Germany keep their 100% on the road record in World Cup qualifiers and Russia lose theirs on home soil. That Germany needed the referee to misjudge Arne Friedrich’s late tackle in the box is one of the things, that doesn’t end up in the statistics.

2. Guus Hiddink can change a game. Jogi Löw has beaten Guus Hiddink twice now, and both times it came by virtue of a good first half performance. Löw certainly deserves credit for his ability to figure out a good initial line up and tactics for a match. Yet, when it comes to reading a game and adjusting your tactics and making the right substitutions as the game progresses, Hiddink is one head and shoulder above Löw. In both games Russia managed to turn the table on Germany and in both cases the only answer Germany had, was riding out the storm and grinding out the victory with a bit of luck. I’m not sure whether this is something where Löw can still improve until 2010. Maybe we should rather put our hopes on Löw assembling ever better teams, that are less vulnerable to other coaches tactical interventions…

3. Germany can’t counter attack. At least not via the wings and with pace. Overall there just aren’t enough players available, who can burst through the defense and open up the required space. One Podolski on the wings doesn’t cut it. With that option unavailable though, Germany can’t afford to lose control of a match, like they did in the second half in Moscow. That doesn’t necessarily equal always enjoying the majority of possession and passing the ball around aimlessly. Germany’s midfield just needs to remain in a position, where it can push up field and move the offense into position at any time. At that point we have the players, who can break most or even any defense, both through the center or from the wings with some clever through balls and one-twos. The Ribbery and Robben type of winger are still something that the German FA might want to put on its’ youth center’s to-do lists for the future. Can’t hurt to have them.

4. The door isn’t closed on Germany’s U21 European Champions. Looking back at Germany’s qualification campaign, I’d give it one out of two possible points. The one point is for getting the job done and qualifying. The missing point is for failing to build a World Cup ready team. For that the majority of games were just too lackluster, uninspired and flawed by enduring problems in Germany’s defense and offense. In that respect it’s good to hear that Löw intends to use the three remaining matches this year, to test a few younger players. The instant impact Mesut Özil had on the team, certainly helped opening the door for other talents as well. I presume defenders and creative midfielders will receive preferential treatment. Some fresh blood may also help to shake things up a bit in the team. Players like Özil certainly can lift the mood, as his team mates see that he can really make a difference and is not just a player for the depth charts. At the same time there’s more competition for the available starting spots, which might help dealing with some of our more complacent fellows.

5. I’m not entirely sold on Germany’s one striker tactics. The game against South Africa showed some promise with Özil and Marin supporting the lone striker, so it’s a matter of having the right creative players available to make those formations appear more positive and attack minded and less destructive. I’m still secretly hoping to see a glorious return of the Euro 2008 qualifying Germany complete with its’ original 4-4-2 though.

Adler – 8.5 : Adler was as good as a second goal. He was absolutely solid when called upon with a crucial one-on-one save and a string of excellent parries to deny Russia.

Boateng – 5.0 : By far not his best performance. Although both his yellow cards were key tactical fouls, he put the team in a perilous situation just when Russia were coming into the game. Nonetheless, this was his debut and hopefully Löw can use him correctly in the future as a CB.

Mertesacker – 6.0 : Job done not much else. He was good in the air and dealt with a few dangerous situations to his credit. Made a big flopping fall when he was out of position that nearly gifted a goal.

Westermann – 6.5 : Made a credible match. He was the better central defender. He started the game with a good Carsten Ramelow like run-and-shot to shake up the Russians a bit early on. He was imperious in the air and positioned well throughout most of the game. Of course he did make a poor decision in one of his clearances that nearly resulted in a goal, but that’s just classic Westermann.

Lahm – 7.0 : Solid display overall. Lahm is simply better on the left. He closed down the opposition well and made some good runs forward. The Russian attack adjusted by attacking on the flank where Lahm was not. Lahm had a good effort wide on goal after a trademark cut-ins from the left.

Schweini – 7.5 : Must have confused Russia with Portugal. Schweini put in a very attractive performance in a position he usually does not play so well in. He showcased some wonderful individual movements, combined well with the team, and most importantly held possession when needed. Maybe he thought he should actually live up to his potential for once. I am glad he picked this game to do it.

Ballack – 7.0 : Still the undisputed captain. Lead by example seems to be Ballack’s credo. After a really nasty looking foul it seemed Ballack needed to be replaced and Germany’s hopes for the night substantially lowered. Instead he clenched his teeth, walked it off, and harried his team to victory. He had a good chance to put the result beyond doubt near the end. Ballack is still the focal point of Germany hopes for 2010.

Rolfes – 7.0 : Replicated club form. It seems Löw is always bent on choosing one of Hitzlsperger or Rolfes for DM when better options like Hummels and Kehl are in waiting. Since the Hitzlsperger has less tacking ability than Rolfes, Löw made the right decision for this game. Rolfes has been in great form for his club lately and did a good job irritating Russia’s attack and breaking up play.

Podolski – 7.0 : Good passing for a striker. Löw might have gotten something right here on first try in playing Poldi in midfield in important games. Podolski provided a wonderful precision pass to Özil who then drew the Russian keeper. Otherwise he needs to improve his finishing ability.

Özil – 7.5 : Awake when it mattered. He drifted in and out and was pretty useless defensively, but provided the goal with great vision and his usual nimbleness. He was a bit unlucky not to get on the score-sheet with his drive from distance. An ever-improving Özil is crucial for 2010.

Klose – 7.5 : Did his usual thing. Klose is such a paradox. You wonder if he is even on the pitch for half the game and then he scores that crucial goal out of nowhere. Perhaps that explains his goal record of 48 in 96 appearances. That’s half isn’t it? Not bad. Now he is just a few goals away from being second only to Gerd Muller. As a reward he’ll have a nice warm place on the bench at Bayern

Friedrich – 5.5 : Brought his club along. Friedrich was not in form for this match as he was probably thinking about his relegation bound club. His frightening lack of pace showed and it nearly cost the team in a pretty clear penalty not given. He’ll be a better substitute in central defense for future reference, but even then he needs to get better. Then again, it wasn’t his fault Löw sent Beck to the stands.

Löw – 6.5 : Lucky. Löw fielded a good starting eleven in a good 4-4-1-1 tactical setup. On the flip-side, he chose to retain the lately mediocre Cacau and ever so Hitzlsperger while sending his two most potent offensive weapons of Beck and Marin to the stands. His first mistake led to his second. Boateng could not be substituted off at the half because Friedrich was not in shape as a right back. This showed as Löw hesitated to bring Friedrich on even after Boateng got sent off. Perhaps at that moment he fully realized he had shot himself in the foot by not retaining Beck. Unfortunately, it hasn’t dawned on Löw that he needs a real defensive midfielder. Rolfes was credible this time, but Hummels or even Westermann are better long term options. I honestly hope we lose to Finland so he finally sees that too- and does something about it.

With his 48TH national team goal Miroslav Klose (in 96 appearances) has not only secured Germany’s ticket to South Africa, but has also climbed to 3RD in the all time German goal table behind Gerd Müller (68) and Joachim Streich (52). Klose celebrated his 1-0 goal by somersaulting in the air and landing awkwardly – undoubtedly because of lack of practice at Bayern.

Germany has never lost a World Cup Qualifier away from home.
Germany has always qualified for every World Cup it has entered.
Germany’s biggest margin of victory ever was 16-0 against Russia in 1912.

Finally, a hard fought qualification campaign has always been a good omen for Germany – often foreshadowing the arrival of a great player.

1970 – Germany 3-2 Scotland – Gerd Müller
1990 – Germany 2-1 Wales – Thomas Häßler
2002 – Germany 4-1 Ukraine – Michael Ballack

The nominations…

Tor: Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen), Manuel Neuer (FC Schalke 04), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Abwehr: Andreas Beck (1899 Hoffenheim), Jerome Boateng (Hamburger SV), Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Marcel Schäfer (VfL Wolfsburg), Serdar Tasci (VfB Stuttgart), Heiko Westermann (FC Schalke 04)

Mittelfeld: Michael Ballack (FC Chelsea), Christian Gentner (VfL Wolfsburg), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Sami Khedira (VfB Stuttgart), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen), Mesut Özil (Werder Bremen), Simon Rolfes (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV)

Angriff: Cacau (VfB Stuttgart), Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München), Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern München), Lukas Podolski (1. FC Köln)