Germans still hold high ground in bid to be last country standing again
THE following question was thrown to the floor over a brew the other night: Who is the only man to lose a World Cup final as a player and as a manager?
After much head scratching, and a few incorrect stabs, the riddle was resolved – Franz Beckenbauer.
‘Der Kaiser’ was a tricky answer because he has also won World Cup finals both as a player and as a manager.
Such an accomplishment is unique, but it benefited Beckenbauer that his career, on and off the pitch, coincided with a golden era for the Die Mannschaft. It wasn’t always like that. For much of the early World Cup history, the Germans existed in the shadow of the then established European footballing powers of Austria, Italy, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
In the coffee houses of pre-war Vienna, the talk was of great players and great coaches, of Matthias Sindelar, Vittorio Pozzo Hugo Meisl; no German got a mention.
While West Germany won the World Cup in 1954 against all expectations, it wasn’t until the national professional league kicked off in 1963, the year Beckenbauer turned 18, that the seeds of German success took root.
Three years later in England, they reached the World Cup final, a feat they repeated in 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 2002 and 2014, more than any other nation. That’s seven finals in 52 years, which compares to four by Brazil, Argentina and Italy in the same span.
It is a strike rate without parallel in international football and many expect Jogi Low’s team to rule in Russia and become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962.
On the face of it, the Germans hold the high ground. They are the world number one team, they won the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia, and qualified for the finals with 10 wins out of 10.
As they prepare for today’s opener against Mexico in Moscow today, all appears to be motoring as smoothly as the engine of a new Mercedes-Benz for tousle-haired Low.
Manuel Neuer, arguably the No 1 goalkeeper in the world, is fit, as is Marco Reus, who missed the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 through injury.
Such is the depth of the Teuton ranks that Low has been able to leave out such stars as Leroy Sane, Emre Can, Andre Schurrle and Mario Gotze, who scored the winning goal in the 2014 final against Argentina.
Overseeing players who are technically outstanding, driven and resilient, Low is entitled to be optimistic.
Even should a knock-out game go to penalties, as happened in the World Cup finals of 1982, 1986, 1990 and 2006, Low knows the Germans have the mental toughness to hold their nerve.
Incredibly, they have had one penalty saved in 19 in those four shoot-outs, scoring with all 18 others. ‘I want 23 players who not only can deliver on the pitch but who put the group first, even when on the bench. As the world champions, we are there to be hunted,’ said Low.
‘The pressure is always present. In Russia, it will help us raise our game. As holders we have a lot to lose. Others can only win. That’s not a simple starting position.’
For many observers, Germany are the rightful favourites. Others are not so sure. Didi Hamann is one of them. A perceptive ana- lyst for RTé, the former Liverpool midfielder played in the 2002 World Cup final.
For all the quality in the ranks, a lot of senior players have exited the stage since 2014 – Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Per Mertesacker, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski among them. The exodus concerns Hamann, as their replacements are not as battle-hardened.
‘They have lost a lot of experience and experience counts for a lot because they have got a lot of young players who need to be led. I’m not sure they have the players to do that,’ he warned.
‘I think people got a bit carried away with the Confederations Cup last year when quite a few (first-choice) players had been left out of the squad.
‘Probably the best team apart from Germany in that tournament was Chile and it was a great effort to beat them in the final.
‘But Chile didn’t even qualify for the World Cup, so I think it puts into perspective what they beat last summer. This is why I am slightly cautious about their chances,’ he added.
A further concern is the mental state of Ilkay Gundogan, the midfielder of Turkish lineage, who was jeered by German fans in the warm-up win over Saudi Arabia in Leverkusen.
Should they win their groups, the draw is set up for Germany and Brazil to meet in the final although they could clash in the last 16 if one of them wins their group and the other is second.
Gary Lineker’s quote about football being a simple game and at the end, the Germans always win, sums up the fear in Germany’s opponents.
Others prefer the observation of 1954 World Cup-winning coach Sepp Herberger that ‘the ball is round and the games last 90 minutes. That’s fact. Everything else is pure theory.’
Most times, the theories which Germany implement in battle serve them well.
Once again, they seem certain to be one of the last teams standing.
Just as they were when Der Kaiser was at his imperious best.