Franz Beckenbauer. Lothar Matthäus. Jürgen Klinsmann. Jürgen Kohler. Thomas Häßler. Miroslav Klose. Lukas Podolski. Philipp Lahm. Bastian Schweinsteiger. A mix of legends and, potentially, legends-in-waiting. Nine names to have graced the Nationalmannschaft. But can you guess who comes next in
Four Rabbits out of the Hat
The gradual build up to this summer’s FIFA World Cup finals begins next week, with South American opposition providing the entertainment in Stuttgart’s Mercedes-Benz-Arena. The opening fixture of 2014 pits Joachim Löw’s side against Chile, a team that has improved
England v Germany: Match Analysis and Player Ratings
The Nationalmannschaft would round off their calendar year in satisfactory style against England at Wembley, a ground that has become home from home. With a place in the World Cup safely in the bag Nationaltrainer Joachim Löw would use the
Merte is the Master at Wembley
It’s a dry but slightly chilly evening in North-West London, with England taking on a German side described by many as a B-Team in front of a crowd of just under eighty-six thousand. The home team are in their white
Italy v Germany: Match Analysis and Player Ratings
Joachim Löw’s side would close out 2013 with two prestige friendlies, the first of which would take place in Milan’s famous San Siro against old rivals and tournament bête noire Italy. The encounter would give the Nationaltrainer the perfect opportunity
The Long Wait Continues
Having been unable to watch this game live – it would not be broadcast in the United Kingdom and I would be in Edinburgh having dinner after a long walk in the city – I would return home to watch
Not just one, but two…
A fixture that can be called a “Klassiker” is a rare thing – outside of the major tournaments, you may be lucky to get one in a year. However as the year comes to a close the Nationalmannschaft have got
2013/14 Kicks off in Kaiserslautern
It’s difficult to believe how quickly the last few months have gone – maybe it has been the exceptionally decent weather. When I last looked at the match countdown there would be more than ninety days until Germany’s opening friendly
A Weird Encounter in Washington
It’s a warm and humid afternoon in Washington DC, and both teams make their way out into the RFK Memorial Stadium for what is the Nationalmannschaft’s final game of what has been a fantastic season for German football. The game
Fastest Goals and Florida Flattery
The two teams walk out to a sparsely-populated stadium in Boca Raton, where most of the support appears to be for the yellow-shirted South Americans. It is a cloudy and somewhat humid afternoon in Florida, with a slight breeze and
Retained, Recalled, Recruited.
So, we have our squad of twenty-three players for the two-match tour of the United States, numbered from one to twenty-four with no number nineteen. Weird. Maybe Paul Hardcastle had something to do with it. With the entire core contingent
Germany v Kazakhstan: Match Analysis and Player Ratings
Five days after returning from the Kazakh capital Astana, Joachim Löw’s side would line up against the same opposition in the more familiar environs of Nürnberg’s Frankenstadion, albeit with the weather being more like Siberia as opposed to Franconia at