Selection Shenanigans: Jogi’s Dilemma

I had promised to just watch every match as it comes and not get too involved in the ongoing discussions regarding the selection choices and tactical decisions being made by Nationaltrainer Jogi Löw, but as the tournament enters the knockout stage I just can’t help myself. There are a number of topics that have been hashed, rehashed and done to death, and here’s my take on some of them ahead of tomorrow’s second round meeting with Algeria in Porto Alegre.

Just keep those comments coming in.

Sami Khedira v Bastian Schweinsteiger

This discussion actually takes us back to well before the World Cup, and even well before the current situation where the coach has had to juggle with two players who have not been at the top of their game for a considerable time. Some of the discussions among German fans in some of the dark recesses of the Internet have been rather intense, with two definite camps being formed around the two players and the role they play in the side.

In a perfect world with both players being 100% fit, it is highly likely that we would have seen them start together. It is indeed the perfect defensive midfield partnership, with the metronomic distributor Schweinsteiger sitting behind the tireless box-to-box specialist Khedira. However, with neither player guaranteed to last the full ninety minutes we have reached the situation where the coach has ended up rotating the two, with the other two midfield positions being occupied by Toni Kroos and reassigned skipper Philipp Lahm.

Khedira would start in the opening match against Portugal and would last the entire ninety minutes – completing an astonishing recovery from what had looked like a season-ending knee injury. However the heat and humidity of Fortaleza in the second game against Ghana would see the Real Madrid man fade rapidly in the second half, and his replacement – none other than Schweinsteiger – would play a major part in rejuvenating the team as they fought back from a goal behind to snatch a valuable point.

Schweinsteiger’s impact against Ghana and the need for additional control in the defensive midfield would lead to the FC Bayern man getting the nod in the final group game against the United States, and in a rain-sodden Recife he would play his part in blunting the opposition threat and bringing a sense of stability.

With the Nationaltrainer looking to implement some of FC Bayern coach Pep Guardiola’s ideas in the national team – Lahm’s move from the back four into the defensive midfield is perhaps the biggest indicator of this fairly recent tactical revolution – the Bavarian trio is arguably the perfect combination. But while this does offer far more stability, one could argue that it is far more predictable and a little stagnant. The German midfield trio would string together more passes than the entire United States team combined, but the fact remains that possession and a higher passing quotient doesn’t necessarily win football matches.

Khedira’s charges up the middle of the field clearly add an extra dimension to Germany’s play, and his commanding presence also allows Kroos to utilise his creative powers far more freely. Against the US Kroos would be sucked into the passing game, and while maintaining his passing accuracy would offer little threat to the opposition defence.

I have always been a fan of the “Schweini-Sami” combo, but I think we all know there is little chance of that happening in Brazil. As a Bayern fan I’d want to pick Schweinsteiger, but for the additional pace through the middle of the park and as a complement to Kroos I’d pick Khedira. However against fast-faced opposition the stability offered by Schweinsteiger may be a better option.

Perhaps we should just leave this one to the coach.

Philipp Lahm: Where should he play?

During the warmup games before the World Cup we would see skipper Lahm play in midfield for the Nationalmannschaft, after having made the majority of his one-hundred plus appearances at left or right back. Lahm’s redeployment in the Schwarz und Weiß would follow his being being moved into the defensive midfield for club side FC Bayern München as part of coach Guardiola’s tactical revolution, and after initial doubts he would take to his new role with ease.

This would be just the fillip – or should we say Philipp – for Jogi Löw, for whom Lahm’s move away from his recognised position would be integral to his new 4-3-3 system.

Apart from a slightly iffy performance against Ghana Lahm has generally fitted well in the role, gelling perfectly with club team mates Kroos and Schweinsteiger against the United States. So why move him? The answer becomes obvious as soon as one looks at the current back four, which is composed of four specialist centre-backs.

While Jérôme Boateng has slotted in well in the role of right back, all three group games have resulted in questions being asked about the suitability of Benedikt Höwedes out on the left. While the Schalke 04 defender has not made any significant mistakes, his lack of pace and laboured performances would immediately identify him as a possible weak link. BBC television pundit Mark Lawrenson would describe him as “caravan man” on account of his looking like he was dragging the sort of thing seen pootling up the Autobahn A1 towards the flatlands of Schleswig-Holstein.

The alternatives to Höwedes at left back have discussed. The most obvious is the one specialist left-back in the squad, Erik Durm. But while the Borussia Dortmund man has impressed many this season and would make his way into the final twenty-three on the strength of this, he is one of the most inexperienced members of the squad with just a friendly appearance against Cameroon to his name. After taking a little flak for the inclusion of Shkodran Mustafi as first choice replacement at centre-back for the first two matches, it is unlikely that the coach will risk playing another inexperienced player in such a sensitive position as left-back.

Then we have the option of Durm’s BVB colleague Kevin Großkreutz, a versatile player who can slot in anywhere on the pitch. While not a specialist left-back, he can cover the role or even switch out to the right with Boateng out on the left. There are of course a number of problems with this: Großkreutz is truly a jack of all trades and master of none, while it would be tactical suicide to switch Boateng at this stage of the tournament.

Which of course leaves the option favoured by many: drop Höwedes, and bring Lahm back into the Viererkette. With Boateng sticking to his new role at right-back, Lahm would simply replace Höwedes out on the left, a position where he has played for both club and country.

The problem is of course that right now the removal of Lahm from what is already a weakened defensive midfield just adds to the coach’s problems. With both Khedira and Schweinsteiger less than 100% fit and with only one of them guaranteed to be on the pitch at the same time, the only choice the coach has is another inexperienced player in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Christoph Kramer to play along side Kroos and one of Khedira and Schweinsteiger. Again, this is unlikely to happen.

The coach has made it abundantly clear that Lahm will remain in the defensive midfield, and only a serious injury to one of the experienced members of the back four is likely to elicit any change of mind.

Is there a place for Podolski?

After a number of indifferent performances, Arsenal winger Lukas Podolski – a “veteran” in the context of this young squad – would work his way back into the reckoning, showing of some fine form in the Mannschaft’s final warmup game. Podolski would score one goal and make three in the 6-1 thrashing of Armenia in Mainz, and for many would be right back in the picture for a starting spot.

After an eight minute cameo in the opener against Portugal Podolski would get the nod over the more talented but physically weaker Mario Götze for the game against the United States, but after a bright start would look one-dimensional and all too predictable. To many many it would be the same old Podolski, a man who would have plenty of energy and enthusiasm – only to keep running into brink walls or down blind alleyways. A ordinary performance would result in his being replaced at half-time by Miroslav Klose, and – perhaps conveniently for the coach – a slight knock in training means that he is unavailable for the second round tie against Algeria.

So, it there a place for Podolski? While many have pointed to his poor forty-five minutes against the US and argued that his time in Brazil – and arguably the national team – is now done, I still think there is a role for him to play. For a long time I have argued that Podolski is best suited as an impact substitute or “disruptor”, the man perfectly suited to inject energy and pace and take advantage of tiring defences – even more so in the energy-sapping Brazilian conditions.

Podolski’s absence from the starting lineup against Les Fennecs is likely to see a return to the starting eleven for Götze, though I would start with the player should arguably have lined up against the States – Chelsea’s André Schürrle, who offers a more balanced combination of skill and tenacity.

Klose the Joker

I think everyone is agreed that given his age and fitness Miroslav Klose is best suited as a second-half “joker”, and so far he has played the role pretty well. After scoring a record-equalling goal less than two minutes after coming on against Ghana, the thirty-six year old would add another dimension to a stagnant offense against the United States with his pace and movement off the ball.

However, with the Algerians susceptible to high balls in the box and the aerial threat in general, it might be an idea – just to pull something out of the box here – to start with Klose. With the game being played in Porto Alegre the conditions are also not likely to be as oppressive as any of the three previous venues, which will make life just a little easier for the veteran.

I doubt that Löw will wander far from his strategy, but a front line of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller and Klose certainly has a bit of an edge to it.