GERMANY: Can Loew’s side finally conquer the demons?

It’s not every year that an event of the magnitude of a FIFA World Cup comes around; and this time the Holy Grail travels into the heartland of football: Brazil. With barely a month to go before the big kick-off, SportzWiki brings to you an analysis of all the 32 teams that will feature in this summer’s showpiece event. Our next stop is hot favourites Germany. Germany have been on an outstanding international run; perhaps the fact is put into the shadows by Spain’s marginally better record and trophy haul. Germany have bottled it in the penultimate rounds since World Cup 2006, once beaten in the final by Spain in Euro 2008. They are currently ranked second, behind Spain, and they have all the ingredients to make the crown their own this term. Labelled as the new generation chokers, Jogi Loew’s Germany has a lot to achieve but little to prove as they set sail to conquer it all.
Germany’s World Cup squad has all but been decided, and familiar faces galore in the travelling party. Germany’s strength over the years has been their discipline and clinical ruthlessness; invention and improvisation has been added to the usual steel and substance and this could prove to be the very mix required for them to cross the proverbial line. Their defence might look shaky at the outset owing to their greater attacking wealth, but the presence of a rock in the form of Manuel Neuer could yet prove to be the big difference in the bigger games. Germany’s initial 30-man shortlist has seen only two proper forwards in the veteran Miroslav Klose and a man almost half his age in Kevin Volland. Klose remains one of World Cup’s most prolific marksman but will the 35-year-old have the legs to carry his nation? The lack of proper forward options could make this German team extremely one-dimensional, and it would be interesting to see how they play out against teams intent on parking the bus. Only two strikers mean that Germany are focussed on playing football with the likes of Marco Reus and Mesut Ozil doing most of the work, but leaves them predictable enough.
Miroslav Klose is on the brink of breaking Ronaldo’s all-time World Cup goalscoring record of 15 goals, and will be one of the flagbearers of Germany. He’ll probably play his last World Cup, so will hope to have a fitting swansong. Marco Reus has it in him to take the World Cup by storm, so does 2010 top-scorer Thomas Muller. Both are young and exciting, and it will be a treat to watch both in tandem. Mesut Ozil floundered at Arsenal towards the season’s end, but is very much the vital cog in Loew’s star-studded unit. Everything good that Germany produce normally come through Ozil, and he’ll be one to watch out for after what he did last time around in South Africa.
Second in the world, and with an almost untarnished passage to the finals, Germany are well and truly one of the heavy favourites for the title. And the fact that much of the focus and attention have turned to hosts Brazil and champions Spains has done a world of good to them. Germany will hope to build on their impressive performances in the previous tournaments and look to cross the finish line this time around. Most of their stars are at their career peak, and it would be a shame to not see this generation of players not lifting the World Cup.