Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Goal.com 50: Mesut Oezil (22)
Welcome to the Goal.com 50! In this special series, Goal.com editors worldwide vote for the top 50 players of 2009-10. We count down to the announcement of the winner on August 10th with profiles of each and every player who made it into the top 50...
Long considered a potential superstar, Mesut Oezil sprung to prominence during the 2009-10 season. Fresh off a European Championship-winning campaign with Germany’s U-21s, the Gelsenkirchen native was entrusted with the “Diego role” at Werder Bremen. As the cornerstone of coach Thomas Schaaf’s attacking machine, the 21-year-old took over where his No. 10 predecessor left off, and flourished.
In the first four Bundesliga matches of the fall term, Oezil scored three goals and assisted two more, earning high praise from national team coach Joachim Loew. In early September, the youngster was awarded his second Germany cap in a friendly match with South Africa, and took his chance with aplomb. Oezil was influential in setting up Mario Gomez’s opener, and later scored his first international goal to cap off a 2-0 win. From that day onward, Oezil was a shoo-in for the playmaker role in Loew’s squad.
Oezil’s impressive form continued throughout the campaign, and was highlighted in Bremen’s 6-0 demolition of Freiburg, in which the rising star scored once, and provided a hat-trick of assists. Sadly, a string of five consecutive defeats in the Bundesliga effectively ended Bremen’s chances of competing for the league title before February. Later in the spring, Bremen were eliminated by Valencia in the Europa League, and lost the DFB Pokal final to Bayern Munich.
While he failed to earn silverware with Bremen, Oezil managed to lead his club to a third place finish in the league — and with it, a return to Champions League play — and ended the season with 24 assists and 11 goals in 46 appearances.
During Germany’s pre-World Cup warm-up games, Oezil failed to convert several sitters, but did well as the mastermind of Loew’s offence, and retained his starting role. At the finals tournament, the versatile attacker became a household name thanks to a series of dazzling performances. His brilliant, long-range strike against Ghana — his only goal of the tournament — put Germany through to the knockout rounds at a time when it seemed that all hope of winning Group D was lost. Although fatigue hindered Oezil’s performance later in the tournament, his Germany side managed to take third place. The Schalke youth product finished his World Cup campaign with a goal and three assists, and was shortlisted for the golden ball award.
Following his stellar performances for club and country, it is no wonder that Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona have shown interest in acquiring his services. Oezil is a natural playmaker, with uncommon precision in his crosses and trademark through-balls. But what makes him truly exceptional is his brain. Without exaggeration, Oezil just might be the most intelligent footballer on the planet. He somehow knows exactly where to go, when to go there, and what to do in order to break down an opposing defence. He then acts upon his prophetic instincts with impeccable precision.
Where Oezil will play next season remains a mystery, but the team that manages to put him on its roster will be a lucky one indeed. Only 21 years of age, Europe has only just begun to see the promise Oezil has to offer.
Long considered a potential superstar, Mesut Oezil sprung to prominence during the 2009-10 season. Fresh off a European Championship-winning campaign with Germany’s U-21s, the Gelsenkirchen native was entrusted with the “Diego role” at Werder Bremen. As the cornerstone of coach Thomas Schaaf’s attacking machine, the 21-year-old took over where his No. 10 predecessor left off, and flourished.
In the first four Bundesliga matches of the fall term, Oezil scored three goals and assisted two more, earning high praise from national team coach Joachim Loew. In early September, the youngster was awarded his second Germany cap in a friendly match with South Africa, and took his chance with aplomb. Oezil was influential in setting up Mario Gomez’s opener, and later scored his first international goal to cap off a 2-0 win. From that day onward, Oezil was a shoo-in for the playmaker role in Loew’s squad.
Oezil’s impressive form continued throughout the campaign, and was highlighted in Bremen’s 6-0 demolition of Freiburg, in which the rising star scored once, and provided a hat-trick of assists. Sadly, a string of five consecutive defeats in the Bundesliga effectively ended Bremen’s chances of competing for the league title before February. Later in the spring, Bremen were eliminated by Valencia in the Europa League, and lost the DFB Pokal final to Bayern Munich.
While he failed to earn silverware with Bremen, Oezil managed to lead his club to a third place finish in the league — and with it, a return to Champions League play — and ended the season with 24 assists and 11 goals in 46 appearances.
During Germany’s pre-World Cup warm-up games, Oezil failed to convert several sitters, but did well as the mastermind of Loew’s offence, and retained his starting role. At the finals tournament, the versatile attacker became a household name thanks to a series of dazzling performances. His brilliant, long-range strike against Ghana — his only goal of the tournament — put Germany through to the knockout rounds at a time when it seemed that all hope of winning Group D was lost. Although fatigue hindered Oezil’s performance later in the tournament, his Germany side managed to take third place. The Schalke youth product finished his World Cup campaign with a goal and three assists, and was shortlisted for the golden ball award.
Following his stellar performances for club and country, it is no wonder that Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona have shown interest in acquiring his services. Oezil is a natural playmaker, with uncommon precision in his crosses and trademark through-balls. But what makes him truly exceptional is his brain. Without exaggeration, Oezil just might be the most intelligent footballer on the planet. He somehow knows exactly where to go, when to go there, and what to do in order to break down an opposing defence. He then acts upon his prophetic instincts with impeccable precision.
Where Oezil will play next season remains a mystery, but the team that manages to put him on its roster will be a lucky one indeed. Only 21 years of age, Europe has only just begun to see the promise Oezil has to offer.
Goal.com 50: Thomas Mueller (15)
World Cup golden boot winner was the 15th best player of the 2009-10 season, according to a panel of Goal.com experts...
By Peter Staunton
30 Jul 2010 13:40:00
Welcome to the Goal.com 50! In this special series, Goal.com editors worldwide vote for the top 50 players of 2009-10. We count down to the announcement of the winner on August 10th with profiles of each and every player who made it into the top 50...
From the Bayern Munich reserves to a league and cup double, a Champions League final and the World Cup Golden Boot in the space of a year; that is the remarkable progress made by Thomas Mueller during the 2009-10 season.
What began as a potential season of further development in the long process of becoming a rounded player ended with Mueller being one of the most coveted commodoties in the European game after 52 games and 19 goals in all competitions.
Although the 20-year-old had been part of the first-team picture at Bayern during 2008-09, making four Bundesliga appearances and scoring once in the Champions League, he had to wait for Louis van Gaal to appear for his time to truly come. And he seized his chance with aplomb during a dominant season for FC Hollywood.
The Dutch coach has been renowned for his faith in youth and wasted no time in promoting Holger Badstuber and Mueller to full-time first team duties last summer. Such was the startling ability shown by the pair, new signings like Edson Braafheid, Danijel Pranjic and Alexander Baumjohann were quickly deemed surplus to requirements.
The Bavaria native proved himself to be a versatile player throughout his 'breakout' season, featuring in all Bundesliga matches across a number of positions as well as ending up as top scorer in the DFB Pokal.
Initially a substitute, Mueller powered his way to a brace against Borussia Dortmund in a September hammering and was quickly promoted to starting duties, earning a Bundesliga Player of the Month award in the process. As Bayern's season gathered momentum he became undroppable and fulfilled a key function in the line-up. Indeed, the only match he missed all season long was against Bordeaux in the Champions League as he was serving a suspension.
At times, in truth, the youngster foundered in continental competition and scored only twice in his 12 matches; that double came in the routine dismissal of Maccabi Haifa. Nonetheless the experience he accrued against some of the world's best teams will only serve to enhance his progress. He will however, mull over the chance he missed in the final against Inter that could have put FCB back on terms.
On home soil though, Mueller, and Bayern, were untouchable as they romped towards a record 22nd German title. Mueller netted vital goals against Werder Bremen and Schalke to help steer Die Roten to the top of the table. He was rewarded for his effervescence and maturity with a call-up to the national team, first in November, and then in March for the friendly against Argentina. That game served little notice of what was to come in the national colours on a poor night for the Nationalmannschaft.
Once club duties were wrapped up though, and a place on the BuLi team of the season assured, Mueller did enough to merit inclusion in Joachim Loew's World Cup panel, in which he filled the lauded No.13 jersey once worn by his namesake, Gerd, and Michael Ballack. After falling off his bicycle early in the pre-World Cup training camp, Mueller dusted himself off to become a starter for the tournament proper.
An outstanding display against Australia yielded a goal and a highly effective outing against England, in perhaps the team display of the tournament, brought two more. The quarter-final against Argentina saw him net again but a booking during the 4-0 win meant that he was ruled out of the semi-final against Spain. Had he been available, then the Germans may have come closer to the eventual winners.
The third-place play-off saw Mueller use his anticipation and composure to clean up Bastian Schweinsteiger's drive and put Die Elf in the ascendancy. His fifth goal of the tournament put him level on strikes with Wesley Sneijder and David Villa, but his three assists earned him the prize of Golden Boot winner. Mueller also saw off Andre Ayew and Giovani Dos Santos for the Best Young Player award.
Physically, Mueller still has a way to go to reach his peak; at times he can seem rangy and ungainly but there is no doubting the maturity and diligence of this outstanding prospect. Mature for his age, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lisa, in December but perhaps his response to being asked whether he proposed on bended knee will tell you all you need to know about the voracious learner and serial winner. "You only go on your knees when you celebrate a goal." There'll be more of that next season.
By Peter Staunton
30 Jul 2010 13:40:00
Welcome to the Goal.com 50! In this special series, Goal.com editors worldwide vote for the top 50 players of 2009-10. We count down to the announcement of the winner on August 10th with profiles of each and every player who made it into the top 50...
From the Bayern Munich reserves to a league and cup double, a Champions League final and the World Cup Golden Boot in the space of a year; that is the remarkable progress made by Thomas Mueller during the 2009-10 season.
What began as a potential season of further development in the long process of becoming a rounded player ended with Mueller being one of the most coveted commodoties in the European game after 52 games and 19 goals in all competitions.
Although the 20-year-old had been part of the first-team picture at Bayern during 2008-09, making four Bundesliga appearances and scoring once in the Champions League, he had to wait for Louis van Gaal to appear for his time to truly come. And he seized his chance with aplomb during a dominant season for FC Hollywood.
The Dutch coach has been renowned for his faith in youth and wasted no time in promoting Holger Badstuber and Mueller to full-time first team duties last summer. Such was the startling ability shown by the pair, new signings like Edson Braafheid, Danijel Pranjic and Alexander Baumjohann were quickly deemed surplus to requirements.
The Bavaria native proved himself to be a versatile player throughout his 'breakout' season, featuring in all Bundesliga matches across a number of positions as well as ending up as top scorer in the DFB Pokal.
Initially a substitute, Mueller powered his way to a brace against Borussia Dortmund in a September hammering and was quickly promoted to starting duties, earning a Bundesliga Player of the Month award in the process. As Bayern's season gathered momentum he became undroppable and fulfilled a key function in the line-up. Indeed, the only match he missed all season long was against Bordeaux in the Champions League as he was serving a suspension.
At times, in truth, the youngster foundered in continental competition and scored only twice in his 12 matches; that double came in the routine dismissal of Maccabi Haifa. Nonetheless the experience he accrued against some of the world's best teams will only serve to enhance his progress. He will however, mull over the chance he missed in the final against Inter that could have put FCB back on terms.
On home soil though, Mueller, and Bayern, were untouchable as they romped towards a record 22nd German title. Mueller netted vital goals against Werder Bremen and Schalke to help steer Die Roten to the top of the table. He was rewarded for his effervescence and maturity with a call-up to the national team, first in November, and then in March for the friendly against Argentina. That game served little notice of what was to come in the national colours on a poor night for the Nationalmannschaft.
Once club duties were wrapped up though, and a place on the BuLi team of the season assured, Mueller did enough to merit inclusion in Joachim Loew's World Cup panel, in which he filled the lauded No.13 jersey once worn by his namesake, Gerd, and Michael Ballack. After falling off his bicycle early in the pre-World Cup training camp, Mueller dusted himself off to become a starter for the tournament proper.
An outstanding display against Australia yielded a goal and a highly effective outing against England, in perhaps the team display of the tournament, brought two more. The quarter-final against Argentina saw him net again but a booking during the 4-0 win meant that he was ruled out of the semi-final against Spain. Had he been available, then the Germans may have come closer to the eventual winners.
The third-place play-off saw Mueller use his anticipation and composure to clean up Bastian Schweinsteiger's drive and put Die Elf in the ascendancy. His fifth goal of the tournament put him level on strikes with Wesley Sneijder and David Villa, but his three assists earned him the prize of Golden Boot winner. Mueller also saw off Andre Ayew and Giovani Dos Santos for the Best Young Player award.
Physically, Mueller still has a way to go to reach his peak; at times he can seem rangy and ungainly but there is no doubting the maturity and diligence of this outstanding prospect. Mature for his age, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lisa, in December but perhaps his response to being asked whether he proposed on bended knee will tell you all you need to know about the voracious learner and serial winner. "You only go on your knees when you celebrate a goal." There'll be more of that next season.
Goal.com 50: Philipp Lahm (25)
Welcome to the Goal.com 50! In this special series, Goal.com editors worldwide vote for the top 50 players of 2009-10. We count down to the announcement of the winner on August 10th with profiles of each and every player who made it into the top 50...
There has never really been any doubt surrounding the capabilities of arguably the best full-back of his generation, but this season has been a true testament to what Bayern Munich and Germany stalwart Philipp Lahm can achieve – and why he has played almost every minute of every game for both club and country.
While goals were scarce for Lahm domestically, scoring only one as he left most of the trigger-pulling down the flank to Arjen Robben, 12 assists for his domestic campaign is nothing to be sneezed at. Internationally, the 26-year-old bagged only one as well, however it may have proved to be one of the most important goals of his career – but we'll get to that later.
Swapped from left to right since Louis van Gaal took over at the Allianz Arena in July 2009, many were unsure of Lahm's new role as he had proved time and again that scoring goals cutting in from the left was something he could do with ease.
However, his partnership with Robben has been one of a productive nature, rather than one of flair, ushering Bayern to a domestic double and the Champions League final.
Performances for his club saw Germany coach Joachim Loew turn to Lahm after an injury sustained by Michael Ballack meant he was without a captain. Donning the armband for the first time in Die Mannschaft's final friendly before World Cup 2010, the pressure was on. Especially as former team-mate and former Germany captain Oliver Kahn expressed his unease with handing the captaincy to such a young player.
And things didn't seem to be going his way as, after just 15 minutes, an attempted clearance against Bosnia and Herzegovina ended up in the German net after a deflection from Edin Dzeko sent it goalwards. It was the new German captain who had attempted to clear the ball.
Picking himself up after half-time, Lahm took matters into his own hands. Cutting in as he has done so many times in the past - although this time from the right - Lahm picked up the ball and drove an unstoppable shot from outside the box straight into the top left corner of his opponents' goal.
Lifted by their new skipper's example, Germany went on to win 3-1 and, more importantly, gained the confidence they needed to go on and perform so well as they did in South Africa.
Lahm made history in his opening game at the World Cup as he became the youngest player to ever captain Germany at the World Cup finals.
Heading up one of the youngest teams of the tournament, the little full-back steered his side to the semi-finals and an eventual third place finish, putting the cherry on top of an already impeccable season and sending out a warning to everyone to prepare themselves for this up-and-coming dangerous German side.
There has never really been any doubt surrounding the capabilities of arguably the best full-back of his generation, but this season has been a true testament to what Bayern Munich and Germany stalwart Philipp Lahm can achieve – and why he has played almost every minute of every game for both club and country.
While goals were scarce for Lahm domestically, scoring only one as he left most of the trigger-pulling down the flank to Arjen Robben, 12 assists for his domestic campaign is nothing to be sneezed at. Internationally, the 26-year-old bagged only one as well, however it may have proved to be one of the most important goals of his career – but we'll get to that later.
Swapped from left to right since Louis van Gaal took over at the Allianz Arena in July 2009, many were unsure of Lahm's new role as he had proved time and again that scoring goals cutting in from the left was something he could do with ease.
However, his partnership with Robben has been one of a productive nature, rather than one of flair, ushering Bayern to a domestic double and the Champions League final.
Performances for his club saw Germany coach Joachim Loew turn to Lahm after an injury sustained by Michael Ballack meant he was without a captain. Donning the armband for the first time in Die Mannschaft's final friendly before World Cup 2010, the pressure was on. Especially as former team-mate and former Germany captain Oliver Kahn expressed his unease with handing the captaincy to such a young player.
And things didn't seem to be going his way as, after just 15 minutes, an attempted clearance against Bosnia and Herzegovina ended up in the German net after a deflection from Edin Dzeko sent it goalwards. It was the new German captain who had attempted to clear the ball.
Picking himself up after half-time, Lahm took matters into his own hands. Cutting in as he has done so many times in the past - although this time from the right - Lahm picked up the ball and drove an unstoppable shot from outside the box straight into the top left corner of his opponents' goal.
Lifted by their new skipper's example, Germany went on to win 3-1 and, more importantly, gained the confidence they needed to go on and perform so well as they did in South Africa.
Lahm made history in his opening game at the World Cup as he became the youngest player to ever captain Germany at the World Cup finals.
Heading up one of the youngest teams of the tournament, the little full-back steered his side to the semi-finals and an eventual third place finish, putting the cherry on top of an already impeccable season and sending out a warning to everyone to prepare themselves for this up-and-coming dangerous German side.
Facebook Update by Philipp Lahm 28/07/2010
Claudia und ich sind wieder im Lande und hatten eine schöne Zeit in Griechenland. Ich konnte mich super erholen bei Sonne, Strand und Meer. Bis Montag habe ich noch frei, dann geht’s wieder los beim FC Bayern. Parallel dazu startet auch mein Sommercamp in Hamburg. Jetzt bin ich ja wieder da, dann werde ich mich auch wieder öfters melden. Bis bald! Philipp
Claudia and I are back in the country and had a great time in Greece. I recovered great with sun, beach and sea. Until Monday, I still free, then it starts again at FC Bayern. In parallel, start my summer camp in Hamburg, Germany. Now I'm back again, then I'll report back more often. See you soon! Philipp
Claudia and I are back in the country and had a great time in Greece. I recovered great with sun, beach and sea. Until Monday, I still free, then it starts again at FC Bayern. In parallel, start my summer camp in Hamburg, Germany. Now I'm back again, then I'll report back more often. See you soon! Philipp
Arne Friedrich interviewed Philipp Lahm
Arne: Hello, I’m welcoming Philipp Lahm in the team hotel one day after the game against turkey. Philipp, it was a great game. Congratulations for your goal and win.
Philipp: Thank you.
Arne: I’d like to know, what were your feelings after making that Goal?
Philipp: Just joy. It was just before the end and you know how it is. You’re just happy and all the joy comes out and you did see that through all our cheering.
Arne: Well I don’t know how it feels to shoot a goal for the national team therefore… It’s ok. The elation is huge in Germany and the fans are glad. We’re mutually overjoyed. The next game lies ahead of us. We’ll probably play against Spain or maybe Russia. It’s not certain yet. Which team would you prefer?
Philipp: Both are difficult. It’s the final. There are no easy opponents anymore. That’s why if we can give our best performance with 100% we’ll win. Whoever will come. But it won’t be easy. You could see that against the Turkey yesterday. You had to give it your best until the very end. Yesterday we came off as the winners and now I’m hoping that we’ll get the title on Sunday.
Arne: Recently I saw something on television. In fact that as a young lad you were very shy and that you had to play a tree in a school’s play. Is that correct?
Philipp: Those are rumours. I don’t want to comment those.
Arne: I’ve got them from a reliable source. Your mother told me about it. You don’t want to say anything about it?
Philipp: No comment.
Arne: How is it going with table tennis?
Philipp: No comment.
Arne: Alright! Thank you for this great interview. Keep it up, yes?
Philipp: Likewise.
Sami Khedira moved to Real Madrid
Stuttgart midfielder Sami Khedira is about to become former-Stuttgart midfielder Sami Khedira, with only a positive physical with Real Madrid standing between the German international's move to the Sanitago Bernabeu.
The 23-year-old central midfielder will move to the Spanish titans, with a €15 million fee agreed between the clubs. Stuttgart announced to move on their web site Friday:
With the move to Real Madrid, Khedira is expected to assume one of the deep-lying roles most-often occupied by last season by Lassana Diarra and Xabi Alonso. Diarra has been linked with a move away from the club, but even if the French international stays, Mourinho has always sought to have two players for each position to combat the demands of competing in multiple, simultaneous competitions.
With the acquisition of Khedira, Mourinho now has four players to occupy his two, deep, central midfielder positions. Diarra and Alonso are joined by Argentine defensive midfielder Fernando Gago as holdovers from last year's team.
Khedira joined by (more attacking) midfielders Sergio Canales, Pedro León and Ángel de Maria as summer arrivals at Real Madrid, none of whom are over 23-years-old.
The 23-year-old central midfielder will move to the Spanish titans, with a €15 million fee agreed between the clubs. Stuttgart announced to move on their web site Friday:
"VfB and Real Madrid have agreed on the midfielder's move to the Spanish capital," the German club said on their website. "As soon as the German international has passed a medical exam, he will put his signature on the contract."Khedira is coming-off a breakout season for Stuttgart, winning him a spot in the German national team that made the semifinals of this summer's World Cup. Since making his 2006 debut for Stuttgart, Khedira's made 98 Bundesliga appearances, scoring 14 times. For country, Khedira's made 12 appearances, scoring once.
Stuttgart, where Khedira made his professional debut in 2006, said they were sorry to let the 23-year-old go. "One is always extremely unhappy to let go a player who dictates the game and is easily identified with, such as Sami Khedira," said Stuttgart's sporting director, Fredi Bobic. "On the other hand we were able to fulfil Sami's wishes of furthering his career at Real. We wish him all the success with his new challenge."
With the move to Real Madrid, Khedira is expected to assume one of the deep-lying roles most-often occupied by last season by Lassana Diarra and Xabi Alonso. Diarra has been linked with a move away from the club, but even if the French international stays, Mourinho has always sought to have two players for each position to combat the demands of competing in multiple, simultaneous competitions.
With the acquisition of Khedira, Mourinho now has four players to occupy his two, deep, central midfielder positions. Diarra and Alonso are joined by Argentine defensive midfielder Fernando Gago as holdovers from last year's team.
Khedira joined by (more attacking) midfielders Sergio Canales, Pedro León and Ángel de Maria as summer arrivals at Real Madrid, none of whom are over 23-years-old.
Philipp Lahm, the Magic Dwarf, plays giant role for his country
Philipp Lahm was asked whether he fancied Germany’s chances should Sunday’s clash with England come down to another penalty shoot-out. “Yes, we never miss!” he laughed, eyes widening, like some mischievous schoolboy.
Then he was off, enthusing about how much his team practised spot-kicks and how mentally strong they were. He had just played a blinder to guide his team to victory against Ghana and set up the game of his boyhood dreams, yet responding to each question with immaculate manners and in perfect English, the little guy could have passed for a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed teenager rather than heroic battle-scarred leader.
But then this is a youthful, thoroughly modern, multi-ethnic new German team, the youngest in three-quarters of a century, whose vibrancy is reflected in its dynamic leader.
Many of his compatriots worried whether Lahm could shoulder the burden when chosen to replace the stricken Michael Ballack as captain. Not any more. The ‘Magic Dwarf’, 5ft 7in of tireless, end-to-end explosion, has grown into their giant.
When they watch the 26 year-old, a nation feels that, even with his sense of cavalier adventure at full-back that would have been anathema to a Berti Vogts, he follows an honourable tradition of German footballing excellence.
“Yes, we are young, but mentally we are good,” said Lahm, feeling that his team-mates were built in his image. “Most of us have played in the World Cup and Euros. I think this is the best German team in which I have played, even better than 2006.”
Confidence seems to flood through him. He could have been forgiven for preferring a match against the US in the last 16. Forget it. “This is the biggest match. We’ve all grown up watching these big matches. Germany-England; it is a big history. Every one of us can be happy it’s worked out this way.”
We are talking about confidence, not the near-arrogance which Franz Beckenbauer demonstrated in his German newspaper column with his observation that Joachim Löw’s players were in better physical condition than their “burned out” English opponents. No way is Lahm about to offer Fabio Capello’s men such ammunition to pin up on their dressing-room wall.
“I believe England are favourites for this game,” said Lahm, who like his impressive 20-year-old Bayern Munich team-mate Thomas Müller, admits to being a Premier League TV addict. “They are top players and have a top manager, but we have a good history against England so I hope that the English people and their team will not be so confident.”
Lahm describes his team-mates as “young and hungry”, with none hungrier than Mesut Özil, the young Werder Bremen playmaker who has buzzed through this tournament as its greatest revelation.
Extra responsibility was pumped on to Özil’s young shoulders once Ballack was ruled out of Germany’s midfield. “It’s not easy to fill Ballack’s boots; Mesut is young and doing it his own way,” said Lahm, still purring about his wonderful left-foot strike which booked Germany’s passage against Ghana.
“He’s only 21 but he is already a very important player for us. Mesut has a big future and can become one of the best players in the world.” Özil was one of four starters in Wednesday’s game, alongside Manuel Neuer, Sami Khedira and Jérôme Boateng, who also featured in the German Under-21 side which destroyed England 4-0 in last year’s European Championship final.
Neuer offered an ominous reminder of past English frailties when he noted: “I hope there’s not a penalty shoot-out, but if there is I will be fully prepared. It’s a massive help that our goalkeeping coach is Andy Kopke, who was in goal when we beat England in the semi-finals in Euro 1996. He’ll be giving me plenty of advice.” He sounds fearless enough, and Lahm is the same. “It’s noticeable at every training session the team trains with great enthusiasm and tempo,” he said.
“I have no fear at this World Cup. As a captain, I have to be courageous but I also want to be nice off the pitch.”
Hmm, the last thing England needed to hear. Schumacher, Matthaus, Klinsmann, Kahn – these were captains who were easy not to love. But a German warrior who’s one of life’s nice guys? Lahm is breaking all the rules.
By Ian Chadband
Published: 7:00AM BST 25 Jun 2010
When they watch the 26 year-old, a nation feels that, even with his sense of cavalier adventure at full-back that would have been anathema to a Berti Vogts, he follows an honourable tradition of German footballing excellence.
“Yes, we are young, but mentally we are good,” said Lahm, feeling that his team-mates were built in his image. “Most of us have played in the World Cup and Euros. I think this is the best German team in which I have played, even better than 2006.”
Confidence seems to flood through him. He could have been forgiven for preferring a match against the US in the last 16. Forget it. “This is the biggest match. We’ve all grown up watching these big matches. Germany-England; it is a big history. Every one of us can be happy it’s worked out this way.”
We are talking about confidence, not the near-arrogance which Franz Beckenbauer demonstrated in his German newspaper column with his observation that Joachim Löw’s players were in better physical condition than their “burned out” English opponents. No way is Lahm about to offer Fabio Capello’s men such ammunition to pin up on their dressing-room wall.
“I believe England are favourites for this game,” said Lahm, who like his impressive 20-year-old Bayern Munich team-mate Thomas Müller, admits to being a Premier League TV addict. “They are top players and have a top manager, but we have a good history against England so I hope that the English people and their team will not be so confident.”
Lahm describes his team-mates as “young and hungry”, with none hungrier than Mesut Özil, the young Werder Bremen playmaker who has buzzed through this tournament as its greatest revelation.
Extra responsibility was pumped on to Özil’s young shoulders once Ballack was ruled out of Germany’s midfield. “It’s not easy to fill Ballack’s boots; Mesut is young and doing it his own way,” said Lahm, still purring about his wonderful left-foot strike which booked Germany’s passage against Ghana.
“He’s only 21 but he is already a very important player for us. Mesut has a big future and can become one of the best players in the world.” Özil was one of four starters in Wednesday’s game, alongside Manuel Neuer, Sami Khedira and Jérôme Boateng, who also featured in the German Under-21 side which destroyed England 4-0 in last year’s European Championship final.
Neuer offered an ominous reminder of past English frailties when he noted: “I hope there’s not a penalty shoot-out, but if there is I will be fully prepared. It’s a massive help that our goalkeeping coach is Andy Kopke, who was in goal when we beat England in the semi-finals in Euro 1996. He’ll be giving me plenty of advice.” He sounds fearless enough, and Lahm is the same. “It’s noticeable at every training session the team trains with great enthusiasm and tempo,” he said.
“I have no fear at this World Cup. As a captain, I have to be courageous but I also want to be nice off the pitch.”
Hmm, the last thing England needed to hear. Schumacher, Matthaus, Klinsmann, Kahn – these were captains who were easy not to love. But a German warrior who’s one of life’s nice guys? Lahm is breaking all the rules.
By Ian Chadband
Published: 7:00AM BST 25 Jun 2010
'Liberated' veteran Arne Friedrich is Germany's secret star
Defender Arne Friedrich was the captain of the worst team in the Bundesliga last season. So why is he suddenly having such a terrific World Cup? Ironically, being out of the spotlight has helped him shine.
It may have taken 77 games, but he finally got one. Thirty-one-year-old central defender Arne Friedrich finally grabbed his first ever goal in German national dress in his side's surprise 4-0 thrashing of Argentina on Saturday.
More importantly, though, he anchored a back-four that kept Messi, Tevez and Higuain thoroughly at bay, not allowing the Gauchos a single quality look at Manuel Neuer's goal.
What's more, he's helped Germany's other interior defender, Per Mertesacker, get through some noticeable wobbles at the start of the tournament.
"I spoke to him briefly after he came in for criticism," Friedrich said in an interview with the online edition of the German weekly Die Zeit. "I told him that I could write a novel about criticism and that I would always be standing beside him on the pitch."
If anyone had said two weeks ago that Friedrich would have been Joachim Loew's rock at the back, that person would probably have been put on prescription medications. As Germany headed to South Africa, the defender's place in Germany's starting eleven was anything but sure, and Friedrich himself had just been relegated with his former club Hertha Berlin.
But as Friedrich himself has said, not playing for Hertha is one key to his renaissance.
The defender, whose manner is usually guarded, has had a lot to say to the German press in the past week. And the leitmotif has been liberation.
Friedrich, the not-so-great
"The pressure that I had on me the whole year completely fell away, and I became very relaxed," Friedrich told the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper when asked what it was like coming from relegated Hertha to the national team.
After challenging for the Bundesliga title in 2008-2009, Hertha plummeted to the bottom of the table early on last season and stayed there. The inevitable squabbling commenced, and Friedrich as captain was able neither to bring the team together nor perform up to speed on the pitch.
Friedrich has since transferred to 2008-9 champions Wolfsburg. But the sight of the highly-paid veteran getting nutmegged in front of his own goal became all-too-familiar for Hertha devotees.
"I had a very difficult year and played badly in the first half of the season," Friedrich acknowledged in the Stadt-Anzeiger. "Then I performed better, and we still went down. As the captain, I was under extreme pressure, and I, too, made mistakes."
Rumors also persist that Friedrich was part of a cabal that led to ex-Hertha-coach Lucien Favre getting fired - something Friedrich angrily denies.
And that isn't the only bad press that gets Friedrich's gander up.
Although he's been a fixture in the German national side since 2002, Friedrich has never gotten much love from either fans or the press.
"In 2006, I also had to take a lot of criticism," Friedrich told Die Zeit. "People wrote that I had never been a positive player. I was never considered a savior, and people said I was just along for the ride … It really ticked me off when people wrote things that weren't true."
But there was - and is - an element of truth in what was written. While Friedrich is certainly not just along for the ride, he is anything but a natural-born leader.
Ahead of the Argentina game, while most of the team joked around on the balcony of their hotel in Cape Town, Friedrich was filmed walking alone on the beach staring at the waves. He himself says he's not a buddy-buddy sort of player.
"True friendships are very rare in football," he told Die Zeit.
That's about as personal a statement as any journalist is likely to get from the articulate, but wary defender.
And it may explain why, although Friedrich is one of only two long-time veterans in the squad, coach Joachim Loew chose ever-cheerful Philipp Lahm as his captain and extroverted Bastian Schweinsteiger as his "on-field leader."
Conversely, Friedrich seems to have benefited from being out of the focus - and able to breathe a bit easier.
"Unfortunately, I can't do anything to change the facts and keep Hertha in the first division," Friedrich told Die Zeit. "When I joined up again with the national team, it was like a liberation."
Freed from any responsibilities larger than keeping a tight ship at the back, Friedrich has turned in five fine performances - more than most defenders in South Africa can say. He's even finally gotten that elusive first goal for the national team.
And he may even get a first World Cup title to cap off his unlikely comeback.
Author: Jefferson Chase
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar
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