Just a quick one for now – the report on the last game in Astana is to be posted shortly, time has finally caught up with me with loads of other things going on. This report will need a little
Germany v Kazakhstan: Team News Update
Kazakhstan v Germany: Match Analysis and Player Ratings
Having suffered the ignominy of blowing a four-goal lead in Berlin against Sweden at the end of 2012, Joachim Löw’s German side would look to get the 2013 leg of their campaign off to a winning start against Kazakhstan in
A Strikerless Mannschaft?
Fritz Walter. Uwe Seeler. Gerd Müller. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Rudi Völler. Jürgen Klinsmann. Oliver Bierhoff. Miroslav Klose: over the years, Germany has always been blessed with a centre-forward that anyone can call world class. For as long as we all can
France v Germany: Match Analysis and Player Ratings
As had been the case in 2012, Germany would kick off their footballing year against France – the second in two pre-arranged friendly encounters between the two sides. In Bremen the French had gone away with a 2-1 win against
Netherlands v Germany: Match Analysis and Player Ratings
This was billed as a prestige friendly to end the calendar year, and seen by some as the third chapter in a three-part series that had started with the Mannschaft’s 3-0 win in Hamburg a year previously. Given the almost
Germany v Argentina: Match Analysis and Player Ratings
A new start to a new season, and the Nationalmannschaft’s fourth defeat of 2012 – the most reverses in a calendar year since Joachim Löw wook over as Nationaltrainer in 2006. But it was not all bad news. Despite the
Frustration in Frankfurt
Generally speaking nobody cares too much about the August early season friendly, but this was Argentina – and Frankfurt’s Commerzbank-Arena would be packed to the rafters to see Joachim Löw’s side take on the Albiceleste in what was their first
I’ll have a Danish, please.
Two games out of two, six points, and one more needed to guarantee a “home” quarter-final in the Mannschaft’s base in Danzig. Next up, Denmark – northern neighbours and recent rivals who have provided some entertaining moments in recent European
Switzerland v Germany: Facts, Ratings & Analysis
Now that everyone has had time to discuss yesterday’s experiment/disaster/wake up call in Basel, it’s time for my analysis of the match, the players and where everything stands – or in my view should stand – with the selection of
Blamage in Basel
Joachim Löw’s German side started their penultimate match before the European Championship finals without their FC Bayern München contingent – and it showed. In what was a fractured, chaotic performance defined by a particularly poor defensive display
Build-up in Basel
So, the Euros are fast approaching, and the first of the pre-tournament friendlies is upon us. With Nationaltrainer Jogi Löw needing to trim his preliminary squad of twenty-seven down to the final twenty-three, the time has come for some of
Pick four from twenty-seven: The Preliminary Euro 2012 Squad
With just over a month remaining until the big kick-off in Poland and the Ukraine, the preliminary group of twenty-seven players have been named by Nationaltrainer Jogi Löw.