After a strange 2015 that saw the Nationalmannschaft clinch their place in next year’s European Championship finals on the last day of their qualifying campaign, they close out the year with two prestige friendlies. First up are Euro 2016 hosts
It has been a long and at times frustrating season for the Nationalmannschaft, and the World Champions end 2015/16 with a trip to Faro in Portugal to take on group minnows Gibraltar. After the disappointing 2-1 home defeat against the
Germany closed off a successful 2014 with a visit to 2010 World Champions and reigning European Champions Spain, and following a series of iffy displays in their opening four European Championship qualifiers they finished the year on a high with
It’s a wet and windy evening on Spain’s Atlantic coast – one might call it “Fritz Walter Wetter”! This prestige friendly and Germany’s final fixture of the year sees the Nationalmannschaft and their predecessors as World Champions Spain meet for
I have always been in two minds about the international season starting so early, particularly during a World Cup year. Despite it being almost two months after the Nationalmannschaft’s triumph in Rio there is still something of a sluggishness, with
After being stretched to the limit in disposing of Algeria in the round of sixteen, the German roadshow moves onto Rio’s famous Estádio Maracanã, and a potentially mouth-watering meeting with another old rival, France. Since their opening 4-0 thrashing of
It happens nearly every time we watch a major international tournament. The first four group games are over, the final two remain, and we all run away back to the classroom and a subject many of us hated – numbers,
It’s a hot afternoon in Fortaleza on Brazil’s north-eastern coast, with temperatures hovering around thirty degrees Celsius at around sixty percent humidity – perfect energy-sapping conditions. Having come through his final pre-match training session centre-back Mats Hummels has managed to
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
Finally, after all the pre-tournament hype, we have seen some football. The opening game would see the hosts Brazil record a 3-1 win over Croatia, but the score would not really reflect what had happened over the ninety minutes. Two
Yes, it’s getting a little boring now. While some seeded teams would get away with some really easy groups – I’m looking at you, Argentina and Belgium – Germany would again end up with a stinker. In short, yet another
The somewhat disappointing 2-2 draw with Cameroon in Mönchengladbach would put plenty of pressure on the team and coach Joachim Löw to deliver in their final match before the World Cup, and after a rather testing first half they wouldn’t