Starting The Year On A Low

Congratulations to Norway for a quick and aggressive game. Now where does that leave the German team? Today it left us 0-1 down in the last quarter and frustrated till the end. If this sort of form continues we will be looking at a playoff against France.

I really wonder what is going on in Jogi’s mind. He says things like we will learn from this experience, but then goes on to field his predictable 4-2-2-2. When the Norwegians figured out our system, he went so far as to pretty much do nothing. His style of managing reminds me of FIFA 98, where each half was four-minutes and the tactics only changed when the game was paused. Of course, stopping the game threw off hand-eye coordination. The Germans players are not that unresponsive – they can adapt if prompted (maybe not Westermann).

We obviously needed a tactical change during the game, but Jogi as usual just swapped players and crossed his fingers. What’s more is that the players he selected were wrong. Since it was a friendly there was no point in playing a team of regulars for more than a half. I was surprised Marin and Özil got to play at all. Did Jogi really believe Özil could change things in less than a quarter?

The problem is even deeper than that. The fact is that his system needs to be reworked. The type of players he has now in Marin and Özil are not the same as Hitzlsperger and an-injured Ballack or bruised Frings. Whereas players like Marin cannot maximize their ability in a rigid one-pass video-game formation, players like Hitzlsperger can get burned playing such a fast paced one-touch game – if at all. The formation and play has to be designed around the next-generation, not the already fading one.

The restructuring might have to wait, but at least Jogi should actually use friendly matches more to experiment with formations than to play promotion tours with (frankly crap) teams in Asia. If he had during the game changed into a 4-1-4-1, a 4-1-3-2, or even his recent discovery 4-2-3-1 (at the half) the result would have been different. Even if we had lost worse, we would have gained something more. Who knows I might be wrong. Maybe Jogi has finally learned that Westermann can’t play as centerback. Maybe Jogi will plan ahead next time and get a real centerback like Höwedes.

Now, it’s not all Jogi’s fault.

Adler: Extremely shaky at first and lucky on more than a couple of occasions. He produced at least one superb reaction save and had good positioning. Nonetheless, the jury is still out on who the Number 1 will be for 2010.

Hinkel: Was more effective than Lahm and played with heart. He showed very quick offensive and defensive runs and good ball control. Jogi was right to call him up time and time again, it’s just a shame Jogi has not had the guts to use him over Friedrich.

Mertesacker: Indispensable and made few mistakes. He provided some good through balls and as usual made some great last-minute tackles and recoveries.

Westermann: How many goals does it take for Jogi to realize that Westermann is no good as a centerback? I am all for player development, but clearly we have other options. Watching Westermann play is a fright. He was culpable of losing the ball, hesitating, and naturally caught sitting during the goal. It’s time he is benched or played someplace where he actually normally plays. Centerback is too important a position to have someone who cannot be trusted.

Lahm: It’s one of those days. Lahm was not up to his usual standards. Save for a classic run and shot from the left, he had a relatively quiet game. Maybe it’s time Jogi gave him a well deserved rest and played someone like Schäfer? Admittedly neither would be much use in dealing with high-crosses into the box, thus all the more reason we need a dependable centerback.

Frings: Not horrible and not brilliant. He had a poor first quarter, but afterward distributed the ball all right. Nonetheless, his lack of pace showed and did not help our scoring opportunities. This might be his last call.

Ballack: OK. Despite everything we still need Ballack. He gave an effort, distributed the ball, and was generally present at least for the first-half. He may want to work on set-pieces along with the rest of the team though.

Schweni: Good not great. He played a very good possession game, caused trouble on the right, and was dangerous in front of goal. When he was forced to overtake Frings’ role he was more subdued, but still present.

Trochowski: Silent through most of the game. He should have been replaced at halftime or placed on the opposite flank later on. He did make some crosses and had a good shot blocked.

Gomez: Whistled off the pitch. Below the frustration I actually felt sorry for him. He just seems unable to score. He was incorrectly adjudged offside more than once and presented a few windows of opportunity. Still he simply isn’t world class yet or so we keep telling ourselves.

Klose: I am sorry did he play today? Made one good pass and left the rest of his form back at Bayern. Then again we don’t have Ribery do we?

Helmes & Kiessling: Both substituted on with little impact. I guess there was not much they could have done, though sticking the ball in the back of the net might have helped.

Marin & Özil: As it turns out we do have Ribery type players or at least Messi like ones! Now, if they had been allowed to play from the start or at least a half, the score-line would have been very different.

Beck: Good, but not any better than Hinkel. Despite the glowing reviews, Beck was clearly caught watching during the goal. He failed to communicate with Marin at times, but by that point the German team was frantic. Nonetheless, it is good to know we now have a quicker alternative to Friedrich. Our rightback problem may be solved. Who knows, we might also have solved our centerback problem. Friedrich can play as centerback. Hold on, my mistake, that is Westermann’s guaranteed spot!

In conclusion, we need to find a cure to this chronic illness of poor form. It appears to be a psychological problem and thus, be it Ballack or Jogi, someone needs to motivate the team throughout the game. After all this is not FIFA 98 – players are human and I am not Bundestrainer.