Sunshine Regime

Often here on the Germany blog we sound cynical and pessimistic about the German national team, the players, and especially the Bundestrainer. So now for something completely different…

First off in a recent interview with Kicker, Löw complemented a trio of three promising young players: Marcel Schäfer, Marcell Jansen, and Andreas Beck. Löw admitted that these three will retain their positions in the coming future.

Schäfer debuted against England and for the ten minutes he was on he showed that he could fill in for Phillip Lahm anytime. His phenomenal form was also present against a luckless Bayern – carved up last week by his crosses. Schäfer’s opposite number Beck debuted as a substitute for a resurgent Andreas Hinkel against Norway, Beck has since made the right-back position his own. He has continually showed his good linking play with the midfield and his speed in defense. Before the recent qualifiers, Marcell Jansen was often used as a substitute for Lahm. Since then he has reinvented himself as quite an good goal-scoring winger for HSV. Jansen, though not the best in defense, presents a more balanced alternative to Lukas Podolski – who hopefully has learned a big lesson about authority.

Not to be left out, Arne Friedrich will be tried out in central defense in the coming friendly fixtures. Neither Sedar Tasci nor Heiko Westermann has given a good performance in the position. Friedrich’s solid form at Hertha has thus merited his chance – if only he does not luck out again due to injury.

In European action Chelsea’s Michael Ballack showed in the CL away game against Liverpool why he is still the captain of the Nationalelf. Who else but Ballack could have the vision and class to craft such effortlessly placed passes? Meanwhile Piotr Trochowski showed why he has since the EM become a constant in the starting lineup. Although Manchester City stunned HSV with an early goal, Trochowski’s fine corner and excellent cross helped the team recover in emphatic fashion. As for Werder Bremen, it was Mesut Özil who provided two assists and Tim Wiese who made some dramatic saves to keep Werder in front against Udinese.

Finally, Robert Enke might have the dubious task of keeping Hannover 96 afloat week in and week out, but he looked solid in both qualifiers and seems to communicate well with the defense. The struggle between Adler, Wiese, and Enke continues, but Enke has recently through fortune and skill come out on top.

Although we still have a long road to South Africa 2010, in the past fortnight alone we have reasons to believe that not only will we get there, but also we have a good chance to win it. Löw may not be Guus Hiddnik but at long last we have found viable alternatives in defense, new avenues to carry the team forward in midfield, the services of world-class goalkeepers, and as always Michael Ballack. More good news to come…