Merry Christmas

Germany agree bonus for qualification

German national team players have agreed a bonus of €18 000 per match for the Euro 2012 qualifiers to be paid if they reach the tournament in Ukraine and Poland.
The bonus is a rise of €3 000 per match paid for the Euro 2008 qualifiers, the German football federation DFB said Monday.
The Euro 2012 bonus will thus be worth €180 000 for any player who is called up by coach Joachim Loew for his squads for all 10 of Germany's qualifiers.
Qualification for the 2010 World Cup was worth €20 000 per player per match.
Six players earned the maximum €200 000 bonus for the 10 World Cup qualification matches - Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Mario Gomez, Piotr Trochowski, Heiko Westermann and Thomas Hitzlsperger.
Germany heads Group A in the Euro 2012 qualifers with a maximum 12 points from four matches, followed by Austria (seven points) and Turkey (six).

Ballack hits out at rival Lahm

Germany midfielder Michael Ballack has hit out at captaincy rival Philipp Lahm, claiming that the defender was wrong to go public on the matter ahead of the World Cup and should have spoken to him personally.

GettyImagesBallack, Lahm and Low: To be reunited

A serious knee injury saw 34-year-old Ballack ruled out of the World Cup, with Lahm taking the captain's armband and leading his side to a third-place finish, but questions have now been raised over who will take charge when Ballack returns to the fold.

The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, who returned to the club after leaving Chelsea in the summer, feels that the issue of the Germany captaincy has been badly handled.

"It is a question of respect towards the captain," Ballack told German daily Express. "I have a clear opinion on this: to focus attention on the issue publicly at that time was wrong.

"If he had spoken to me, it would have left me with a very different impression. We have since spoken briefly. I still maintain you shouldn't do something like that.But we are professionals and something like that should not ever play a role."

Ballack also slammed coach Joachim Low for only announcing in September that the ex-Chelsea star will resume as national captain when he returns for injury next month.

"If he had made the announcement three months before, we would have avoided any unnecessary discussions," he said. "I was hurt, I could not do anything. But I am glad that the national coach made the position clear after the event."

With Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira forming an excellent partnership in his absence, Ballack also admits that he may struggle to assert himself on the side again.

"I will prove myself again, but I feel that at 34 years of age, it will be harder to reach the level to be able to play at the top again," he said. "This is a huge challenge. I also have a commitment to my club Bayer Leverkusen and the fans who expect a lot from me. I will return some of the faith they have placed in me."

Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel -- Youngest F1 World Champion

Low backs Ballack return

Germany coach Joachim Low believes midfielder Michael Ballack  k will return to form and regain the captaincy of the national side after the Germans were held to a goalless draw by Swedeb.

In their final game of 2010, Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsterger led an inexperienced Germany to a dull draw in Gothenburg on Wednesday with four players making their debuts.

Having missed the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ with an ankle injury, 34-year-old Ballack fractured his leg just below the knee on only his third game back for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this season and will not play again until 2011.

In his absence, Real Madrid's Sami Khedira has filled Ballack's position in the heart of Germany's midfield and after the side finished third at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Ballack will have to fight to win his place back.

But with 42 goals for Germany and with 98 caps behind him, Low is backing his former captain to return with the Germans set to host Italy in Dortmund in February 2011 in their next friendly.

"It always happens that when a player gets injured, others come through and start playing and that is what we have seen with Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos  (Bayern Munich)," said Low. "We haven't written off Michael and I am convinced he will make it back it into the team."

Germany are top of their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying group and are undefeated after four matches with a five-point lead over their closest rivals.

Sweden draw with Germany as coaches experiment

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Germany and Sweden drew 0-0 in Gothenburg on Wednesday in an international friendly where both coaches took the opportunity to experiment with personnel and tactics.

Germany coach Joachim Loew fielded a young side with an average age of 23 while, still smarting from a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the Dutch last month, Sweden started with a five-man midfield to try and smother the visitors' short-passing game.

Despite Sweden's numerical advantage in midfield, it was the experienced German pairing of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira who held the upper hand in the first half on a chilly evening.

It took until the 36th minute to register the first shot on target for either side when Sweden keeper Andreas Isaksson parried Schweinsteiger's drive from distance.

Sweden's only chance of the half came when Christian Wilhelmsson pulled the ball back in the box only for Ola Toivonen to miscue his shot from seven metres.

"It was difficult, the weather was extreme and the pitch was not very good, so it was difficult for us to create chances," Germany striker Mario Gomez told Sweden's TV10.

With both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Johan Elmander given the night off by coach Erik Hamren, it fell to Toivonen to lead the Swedish line alone. But all too often the PSV Eindhoven player came deep to collect the ball, adding an extra body to an already overcrowded midfield.

Real Madrid's Khedira almost gave the Germans the lead on the stroke of halftime as he latched on to a looping ball only to stick his lob over the crossbar.

Loew's decision to substitute his central midfield pairing on the hour mark allowed the Swedes a little more room to get forward and Lyon's Kim Kallstrom fired a volley wide in the 64th minute. 

Germany substitute Toni Kroos forced another fine save from Isaksson as he hit a rising drive from distance.

Hamren handed a debut to Helsingborg's Alexander Gerndt, but the top scorer in the Swedish league had little time to make an impression.

THe Swedesh coach was happy to see his side come away with a draw.

"Defensively we looked very good, offensively we had a few problems but in general I think we played a very good game," he said.

Germany coach picks four newcomers for Sweden friendly, leaves out some regulars

FRANKFURT — Germany coach Joachim Loew left Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Oezil and acting captain Philipp Lahm of Bayern Munich out of Germany's squad to play Sweden in a friendly next week while inviting four newcomers.

Oezil and Lahm were left out in agreement with their clubs, as well as forward Thomas Mueller of Bayern Munich.

The four newcomers picked Thursday are midfielder Mario Goetze and defender Marcel Schmelzer of Borussia Dortmund, and midfielders Andre Schuerrle and Lewis Holtby of Mainz.

Striker Miroslav Klose and defender Holger Badstuber, both of Bayern Munich, are out with injuries for the Nov. 17 match in Sweden.

Loew also picked two more players form Bundesliga leader Borussia Dortmund, defender Mats Hummels and midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz, both of whom have made one previous appearance for Germany.

"The match in Sweden is a good opportunity to give a chance to some players who are still developing," Loew said. "They have recommended themselves by playing constantly well in the Bundesliga and are likely to move up to the international level in the near future.

"We expect that some of them will make their debut in Goteborg."

The match concludes a successful season for Germany, which finished third in the World Cup in South Africa and has had a strong qualifying campaign for the 2012 European Championship so far.

The 22-man squad includes 10 players from Germany's World Cup team.

___

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen), Manuel Neuer (Schalke)

Defenders: Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim), Jerome Boateng (Manchester City), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Sascha Riether (Wolfsburg), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund), Heiko Westermann (Hamburger SV)

Midfieleders: Mario Goetze (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Lewis Holtby (Mainz), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen), Lukas Podolski (Cologne), Andre Schuerrle (Mainz), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Christian Traesch (Stuttgart)

Forwards: Cacau (Stuttgart), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Patrick Helmes (Bayer Leverkusen)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAPITAN

Herzlichen Dank für die vielen Glückwünsche zu meinem Geburtstag. Ich habe gesehen, dass ich von Euch sogar einen Kuchen bekommen habe! Gestern Abend habe ich mit meiner Familie im kleinen Kreis gefeiert. Heute hat mir auch noch ein kleiner Fan, der Felix gratuliert, wie Ihr auf dem Bild sehen könnt. Sonntag geht’s gegen den Club. Da werden wir keine Geschenke verteilen. Grüße, Philipp!

No Bayern Munich pressure on Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bayern Munich general manager Christian Nerlinger insists the club will not pressure Bastian Schweinsteiger into signing a new contract.

Having tied defender Philipp Lahm to a new long-term contract last week, Bayern are keen to hold on to Germany international Schweinsteiger, whose current deal expires in 2012.

The 26-year-old said last week that Lahm’s decision to re-sign would not force him into making a rash decision over his future, and Nerlinger maintains the club will give the reported Real Madrid target time.

He told the club’s official website: “In regard to Bastian, the most important thing for us is that a new contract is signed.

“The concrete date of seeing him sign new terms is not that important for us.

“He has told us that we are his first option. We are not in talks just yet, we are not going to put him under any pressure.

“He is an important player for our team, though, and we are looking forward to speaking with him.”

Bayern Munich delighted with Lahm

Bayern Munich’s director of sport Christian Nerlinger is delighted that Philipp Lahm has agreed a contract extension to tie him to the club until the summer of 2016.

The 26-year-old Germany wing-back had been a reported target for a number of top clubs across Europe, but Nerlinger says that Lahm was adamant that he was happy to stay put.

Nerlinger told the club’s official website: “It was all done and dusted very quickly.

“We’ve been aware for a long time that a number of top European clubs have shown an interest in signing him, so it was particularly pleasing to hear from day one that he said ‘I want to extend my contract at Bayern Munich’.

“That was at the time we were getting off to a tricky start in the Bundesliga. We were all very pleased and impressed by that.

“I think he feels at home here, both from a personal and professional point of view and that he’s satisfied with the developments at the club.

“Philipp is a great role model and an important personality within the club.”

Philipp Lahm Concedes That Bayern Munich Title Hopes Are Fading

Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm has admitted his side's title hopes are slowly disappearing after a 3-3 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

Lahm salvaged a point for the Bavarian giants after being down 3-2, with his team having missed a penalty and hitting the post twice.

"We are so many points behind that we cannot afford to drop any more, and we have dropped some here," the German international told AP. "We lost the ball too easily at the start of the second half and this is not the first time this has happened.

"It happened also against Cluj when we just slept for the first 15 minutes of the second half. The same thing happened, only this time we have been punished," he bemoaned.

Mesut Ozil Believes Real Madrid Is the Best Club In The World

German World Cup star Mesut Ozil believes he is playing for the best club in the world and is backing himself to continue improving as the season goes on.

Ozil joined Real Madrid in the summer to work with new coach Jose Mourinho he is also targeting titles.

He said on the club’s official website: “My goal, obviously, was to play with the best team in the world, and Real Madrid is. I’ve worked very hard to reach this far and I hope to win titles with the Club. I wanted to be part of Mourinho’s Real Madrid. I am very happy. I believe we are on the right path. The whole team supports me; we are all united and we will fight to achieve our objectives.”

“I’ve got German discipline, but also the Turkish way of letting people do their thing. I’ve felt comfortable on the team since the day I arrived. Everybody helped me adapt. We are all very young and we continue to improve. There is a great atmosphere on the squad; we joke around all the time.”

“I’m a person, not a robot. You can’t play a perfect game, but I always give 100% on the pitch. It’s important that we succeed as  a group and I personally want to continue to improve because I’m still very young.”

Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid in the league on Sunday and Ozil is mindful of what their opponents can do.

He said: “Atletico Madrid have very good players, but we will face them at our stadium and we want to win. It will be an aggressive game. We will have to watch out or Diego Forlan because he is very dangerous. His shots are strong an powerful, but we will try to play our game.”

“I started to play football because of my older brother. I always went to see his games and I once told my dad I also wanted to play football and join a team. I’ve loved this sport ever since. It’s part of my life and I always enjoy myself on the pitch. Football is part of our lives in my family.”

A Good Defence Is Key To Winning Titles - Sami Khedira

Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira feels that a solid defensive unit is crucial in order to win titles, and suggested that the back-line Jose Mourinho has constructed since joining the club could be critical to their season.

Los Blancos have been notoriously miserly this season, particularly in the Champions League, where they have yet to concede a goal in their three victories so far.

Speaking to journalists today ahead of the clash at San Siro against Milan, Khedira, a summer signing from Stuttgart, is of the opinion that success in the match against the Rossoneri, and indeed across the season as a whole, will be built upon conceding as few goals as possible.

He stated: “If we can keep a clean sheet, we will win the game. That is our goal. If you look at the big teams who have made it far in the Champions League, they have almost always been the ones who have conceded the least goals.

“That is the key to success. A good defence wins titles, and so far that is what we have. We have let teams create very few chances, while we have a very good offence and our style of play is fast and attractive."

Khedira was also asked who he considers to be the favourites for this season’s premier club competition.
“Barcelona are a very strong team. I had the pleasure of playing against them last season with Stuttgart and their game is very colourful, and very fast.

“But there is also Inter and Bayern [Munich] who reached the final last year and managed to keep most of their players. But the Champions League is a marathon, and we must be prepared to the fullest.”

The German international is also in no doubt that he made the right decision in swapping the Bundesliga for la Primera in the summer, adding: “With Germany and Stuttgart I have had a great time, but being able to wear the shirt of Real Madrid is great. For me it is without doubt the best club in the world.

“Every day I am aware that I wear this shirt with great pride.”

Philipp Lahm: I See No Reason To Leave Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich full-back Philipp Lahm has indicated his desire to sign a new contract with the Allianz Arena side.

Speaking to the media after die Roten’s comfortable 4-2 victory over Freiburg on Friday night, the German national team captain announced once again that no-one has come forward to offer him a fresh deal, though at the same time he is not pushing for a move away from the club.

“I see no reason to leave the club,” the 26-year-old declared. “There are currently no negotiations with the leaders; we still have time.”

Presently, Lahm is contracted to FCB until the end of 2012, but if he wasn’t to sign a contract before the summer, then clubs could begin to circle the defender with thoughts of offering him a pre-contract agreement in January 2012.

Regarded widely as one of the most talented full-backs in the world game and versatile enough to play on either flank, the diminutive tackler is seen as a prized asset.

Sami Khedira Reveals He’s Having No Problems Communicating With Spanish Speaking Team-Mates

Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira says that even though he doesn't speak Spanish very well, he can still communicate with his team-mates on the pitch.

Khedira admits that neither he nor compatriot Mesut Oezil can speak fluent Spanish yet but insists that this doesn’t impede them in matches.

"Oezil and I are ready to help,” Khedira is quoted as saying by Madrid’s official website. “We are creative and we can help Xabi Alonso.

“We don't speak Spanish very well at the moment, but we communicate well with our team-mates."

The defensive midfielder went on to speak about the upcoming match against Hercules.

"We have a good chance to win titles this season. If we play well as a team we will have chances to win in Alicante.

"We know our match against Hercules will be difficult. We faced them in the pre-season. They are dangerous and strong in attack.

"They have [Nelson] Valdez, whom I knew in the Bundesliga, and [David] Trezeguet, who always finds room in which to score."

Khedira concluded by stating he is confident that he will score sooner rather than later for the Blancos.

“I'm sure I will score soon. I've had chances to but was unlucky. I come closer to netting a strike each day. I've analysed my team-mates on the pitch, which will help me score."

Spain, Germany dominate Ballon d'Or nominations

FIFA World Cup champion Spain had seven players nominated for the FIFA Ballon d'Or, followed by Germany with five, as the two countries combined for 12 of the 23 selections announced Tuesday.

Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, David Villa and Xavi were nominated from Spain, while Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger were picked from Germany.

Klose, Lahm, Muller and Schweinsteiger also appeared in the Champions League final for Bayern Munich, a 2-0 defeat to Inter Milan. Milan's Wesley Sneijder as well as Dutch teammate Arjen Robben - who led the Netherlands to the World Cup final - of Bayern also made the list.

Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo - the last two FIFA World Players of the Year - also made the list but are not favored to capture the award this season.

No English player made the list, and just three from the Premier League - Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba and Asamoah Gyan - were nominated.

All of the nominations played in the World Cup, and nine of them also appeared in the UEFA Champions League final.

The FIFA Ballon d'Or will be awarded for the first time, as the former FIFA World Player of the Year award and Ballon d'Or were combined. Three finalists will be announced on Dec. 6, with the winner announced Jan. 10.

Brazil's Marta and Germany's Birgit Prin, who have combined to claim the last seven women's FIFA World Player of the Year awards, are among the 10 finalists again this year.

Awards for the best men's and women's coach were also be given this year, with Spain's Vincente del Bosque, who led his team to the World Cup title, and Jose Mourinho, who led Inter to the Champions League title, among the nominations on the men's side.

Following are all the men's FIFA Ballon d'Or nominations:

Argentina - Lionel Messi; Brazil - Daniel Alves, Julio Cesar, Maicon; Cameroon - Samuel Eto'o; Germany - Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Ghana - Asamoah Gyan; Ivory Coast - Didier Drogba; Netherlands - Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder; Portugal - Cristiano Ronaldo; Spain - Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, David Villa, Xavi; Uruguay - Diego Forlan.

Mental burden destroying Bayern Munich - Philipp Lahm Accumulated games played catching up with German giants

Bayern Munich may have beaten rivals Werder Bremen in last night's DFB Pokal second round clash, but die Roten continue to struggle domestically. In an interview, vice-captain Philipp Lahm revealed that the Bavarians' woes are being compounded by the mental burden of an ever-increasing gap between them and leaders Mainz.

"It is the mental effort that is destroying us, because the distance to make up is 12 points," Lahm told Sport-Bild.

Lahm also admitted his personal shortcomings thus far: "I am not playing up to the level I can reach."

As reigning champions and traditional powerhouses of Bundesliga football, Bayern are in the uncharacteristically low table position of 11th place. Their next match will be on Friday as they host Freiburg.

A special player for the Special One

BARCELONA -- Jose Mourinho's fiercest critics reckon that the Real Madrid manager only falls in love every time he looks in the shaving mirror. But it's not true.

Sometimes footballers make him fall head over heels, and one of the last times Cupid hit home was when the Special One's heart had just been broken.

Roll back to 2007, when Mourinho and Roman Abramovich spectacularly divorced. Chelsea's Champions League draw with Rosenberg was enough to make Abramovich sack the man who, just a few weeks previously, had completed a record 64 home games undefeated.

Sitting at home nursing an expensive payoff from Chelsea's Roman emperor, Mourinho naturally tuned in to watch "his" team play Schalke 04 -- even though Avram Grant was now in charge. Mourinho was instantly brought into full attention by the play of a strangely named 18-year-old German, Mesut Ozil.

Substituted just after the hour, Ozil couldn't have been aware that he had already changed his life.

But the Special One knows a special talent, and he reached for a pen to scribble some notes, the gist of which read: Buy this guy soon.

At the time, the petit playmaker didn't look like a world-class talent the way, say, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney did when they were younger. But the best coaches get joy from discovering kids with raw talent and molding them into top-class players.

Ozil, of course, went on to inspire Werder Bremen to victory over Mourinho's Inter Milan, and to push Germany to the gates of the World Cup final. A creative, quick-footed and agile No. 10 had emerged on the international scene.

So when Mourinho took over at Madrid, he couldn't believe that Ozil was available on the transfer market for $19 million this summer. It mostly had to do with the fact that the player had twelve months left on his contract with Werder Bremen, after which he could sign for the club of his choice on a free transfer.

It was astonishingly bad housekeeping by Werder Bremen. It had planned to sell the player to Bayern Munich for around $30 million, but Ozil refused to go. He warned Werder that he would sit tight and leave for free at the end of his contract unless the right deal with the right club was hashed out. Game, set and match to Ozil and Real Madrid.

Mourinho would have authorized his club to pay at least another $5 million to $6 million to land Ozil. But in the end, he was ecstatic that everything worked out so smoothly.

When Ozil arrived at the Bernabeu, he didn't speak Spanish, looked paler than Andres Iniesta, was tired from the World Cup and lacked the upper-body strength that little guys such as Messi and Sergio Aguero have developed in order to maximize their abilities. In short, you could be forgiven for thinking that Ozil would struggle, at least in his first few months in Spain.

But despite all these things working against him, the German has mesmerized fans, fellow players and the media since the day he arrived.

This season, he has played in every Real Madrid match, scoring three times and notching six assists. He also handled with aplomb the hostility of the Turkish media and fans when Germany faced Turkey in Euro 2012 qualifying earlier this month. Ozil is third-generation German, but some Turks think of him as having betrayed them because of his Turkish ancestry. Although the match was in Berlin, the city's large Turkish community meant that the crowd was heavily in favor of the visitors. Ozil's response? He scored in the 79th minute to help lead Germany to a 3-0 victory.

"Germany is my country and I couldn't imagine playing for any other national team," Ozil told reporters.

Germany coach Joachim Löw said in the postmatch press conference: "I know, from experience, how much Madrid fans are going to enjoy Ozil when he hits top form. He'll be a leader for Mourinho and a rival for Messi."

In order to achieve that, along with Ozil's stated goal to AS newspaper of "winning all three major trophies because we are a hungry squad and Mourinho is the best coach," he has some work to do. His average game time is 68 minutes in La Liga and 69 minutes in the Champions League. If he had more stamina and physical power, Mourinho would use him more. Gym work lies in Ozil's future. He also needs to hit the books and learn Spanish, so he can better communicate with his teammates.

After Ozil strengthens his mind and body, Mourinho will have a world-beater on his hands and a natural replacement for the vision and technique of Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez.

A special player for the Special One.