There has been much said about the Confederations Cup, a tournament that creates mixed feelings for football fans. For some, it is a summer gathering, a FIFA indulgence that holds no real value and provides little more than an annoying
When the draw was made for the Euro 2016 qualifiers, nobody would be questioning Germany’s dominance. Even before their World Cup triumph in Brazil, their place in France would be more or less guaranteed. There would be little to fear
On the evening of 13th July 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, the victorious German team were proudly showing off their recently-acquired World Cup trophy. It was the result of a masterful campaign by the squad and Nationaltrainer Joachim Löw, and
In the wake of Germany’s last home game – in early June against Armenia in Mainz – everything would be still up in the air. The team had overcome a sluggish start to defeat their opponents 6-1, and days that
So, it’s the start of a new international season, and a World Cup final rematch between the Nationalmannschaft and Argentina in Düsseldorf. It’s a new-look German team with some new combinations as Nationaltrainer Joachim Löw looks to build for the
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
It has now been over a month since Germany’s historic victory over Argentina in the World Cup final in Rio, and it still seems like yesterday. The memories are still warm, but the time has come for the start of
The victorious German team are back home or on holiday, the World Cup trophy is safely in the locker for another four years, and it’s now time for what will be one of most memorable tournament post-mortems. The recent retirement
When the World Cup began more than a month ago, the thought of Germany being in the final would be little more than a dream. Placed in the toughest half of the draw with a possible quarter-final against France and
It’s a warm and bright late afternoon in the city of Rio de Janeiro, and the day has arrived. After over a month of competition, the two best teams are here compete for football’s biggest and most famous prize: the
Coming into the semi-final against Brazil at the Estadio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte, Germany would be the bookies’ favourites. But only just. When the match kicked off the first ten minutes saw Brazil edge the opening tussles, with Jogi Löw’s
We’re all set in Belo Horizonte, with Nationaltrainer Joachim Löw keeping things simple and my pre-match tittle-tattle short by naming the same side that had beaten France four days earlier. Confidence is high and the defensive midfield duo fit and