Time for the second video blog, and what should have been just a simple review of the final warmup game against Armenia in Mainz. Instead, the news of the Mannschaft’s (in the end) emphatic 6-1 win and Miroslav Klose’s goalscoring
Plucked from the mind of the Maharishi Jogi…
OK, over this last couple of years I have become increasingly disappointed with Jogi Löw, who these days is more like the “Maharishi Jogi” – somewhat smarter than the average bear. Or so some would think. From bizarre squad selections
The Classes of 1990 and 2014: A Comparison
Much has been said about the current crop of German players, who have been described by a number of pundits and commentators as the Nationalmannschaft’s “golden generation”. There is certainly an abundance of rich talent in Joachim Löw’s squad that
The final squad cut, Cameroon and the Maharishi Jogi.
Welcome to the first Schwarz und Weiß World Cup video blog. Nothing spectacular, no bells and whistles, no snazzy editing and fades to black, just something simple recorded using the iPhone in the bedroom. OK, I will probably use the
Germany v Cameroon: Match Analysis and Player Ratings
After a successful ten-day training camp in the South Tyrol, the squad of twenty-six players would head to Mönchengladbach via Düsseldorf for their penultimate pre-tournament friendly against fellow finalists Cameroon – the final match before the announcement of the final
The Final Twenty-Three
After all of the speculation, we now have our final squad of twenty-three – and the expected surprise. While one of the three players not making the cut would come as no great shock, the other two would generate more
More questions, no answers
It’s a pleasant afternoon in a packed Borussia-Park, and the crowd are in good voice as the two teams make their way out of the tunnel. In the absence of skipper Philipp Lahm and Miroslav Klose, Per Mertesacker takes the
The Countdown Continues…
Two days ahead of the friendly against Cameroon in Mönchengladbach, it’s time for another training group report – and finally some positive news as Joachim Löw’s squad of twenty-six go are put through their paces looking to make the final
Ironing out the creases
With just four days to go before Germany’s next World Cup warm-up game against Cameroon in Mönchengladbach and five days before the announcement of the final squad of twenty-three who will be flying out to Brazil, things are certainly hotting
Another man down
The squad of twenty-seven players taken to the training camp in Italy is now down to twenty-six, following the withdrawal of gritty midfielder Lars Bender thorough injury. The absence of the Bayer 04 Leverkusen defensive midfielder leaves Nationaltrainer Joachim Löw
Germany v Poland: Match Analysis and Player Ratings
Ostensibly billed as a World Cup warmup, what might have been an interesting and testing fixture for the Nationalmannschaft at Hamburg’s Imtech-Arena would be defined by the long list of absentees. With some clubs unable or unwilling to release players
A Cure for Insomnia at the Imtech
Earlier today I described the German side for this evenings meeting with Poland as a C-Elf, and it appears that Kicker Online agrees, calling tonight’s lineup a Dritte Anzug. In my last pre-match post I would name a side with