Germany
Wednesday, 04 Jun 2008 00:00
German fans are heading into Euro 2008 in buoyant mood
Three-time champions Germany come into the tournament off the back of a semi-final appearance in the 2006 World Cup and an impressive qualification tournament which saw them win nine of their 12 games.
Perennial pre-tournament picks, this time round a relatively young Germany team should be considered more of a dark horse for the title than be lumbered with the favourites tag.
Group B fixtures
Germany v Poland
Klagenfurt, June 8th 19:45 BST
Live on BBC1
Germany v Croatia
Klagenfurt, June 12th 17:00 BST
Live on ITV1
Austria v
Germany
Vienna, June 16th 19:45 BST
Live on BBC1
European Championship history
Quite simply the most successful team in European Championship history.
Since the tournament's inception in 1960, Germany or West Germany have appeared ten times - the most of any country. They have also been in the most finals (five), lifted the trophy the most times (three), and are the favourites for this year's event.
In fact, the least successful period for the German team in the Euros has been over the last eight years, with no wins in six group matches at Euro 2000 and Euro 2004.
Before that, though, they were always the team to beat and with a resurgent lineup focused on youth nowadays, those years could be set to return.
The man in charge
Joachim Low worked under former boss Jurgen Klinsmann during the team's impressive run to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup on home soil. And when he stepped up to the top job after Klinsmann departed, few were surprised.
Low was widely credited with the fine-tuning of the tactics during that tournament and, perhaps unfairly on Klinsmann, being the brains behind the operation. Nevertheless, this perception led to little opposition when he took over and the progression was seamless. Germany romped away with their qualifying group early on, with a 13-0 win over San Marino and a mightily impressive 2-1 win in Prague against a strong Czech Republic side.
The Germans eventually finished second to the Czechs but only after letting up on the home stretch, losing one and drawing two of their final four games. Their only dropped points before that was a 1-1 draw in Cyprus, but Low has won over the public with his progressive brand of football and his willingness to select exciting youngsters in his teams.
Team forte
Look no further than the influential Michael Ballack.
While Chelsea fans had to wait 18 months to see the best from the German captain, his countryman have witnessed the midfielder boss games like no other for several years.
His loss of form and difficulty in adapting to the Premier League in his first few months as a Blues player was slightly overstated - but this was because his previous record as the star man for both Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich meant he arrived with such an incredible pedigree.
In the second half of the English season, Chelsea's form improved markedly - in no small part because of the recovery of Ballack from an ankle injury in November.
His form after Christmas was excellent and he looks to have come good at just the right time for Germany. He should also be fresh, having played only two-thirds of a season and he will be surrounded by players in midfield who know his game inside out.
Expect the Germans to be strong in the centre of the park, with Ballack the focal point.
Oh, and I've heard they're pretty good at penalties as well.
Achilles heel
Normally it is difficult to pick faults with the Germans. They are traditionally organised and difficult to break down at the back; blessed with hard-working midfielders and pacey wingers; and usually have the firepower up front to punish teams that give them the chances.
If they lack anything this year then it is in the defensive department. Although their backline is typically strong and will be dominant in the air, left full-back Philipp Lahm is prone to leaving his duties at the back on his marauding forward runs and Arne Friedrich has his moments of nervousness at right-back.
Jens Lehmann could also be seen as a weak link. The former Arsenal goalkeeper is prone to errors in his old age (he's now 38, so no spring chicken) but he is favoured by coach Joachim Low because of the experience he offers.
Stepping into the retired Oliver Kahn's oversized boots is no mean feat. And while Lehmann has done an honourable job in competing with the Bayern stopper for the number one jersey in the last two or three years, he is clearly past his best now and has been given the starting job for Euro 2008 as much for nostalgia as for his recent form.
Arsene Wenger clearly didn't trust him between the sticks at Arsenal last season, to such an extent that he feared for his place in the Germany squad at this tournament. His tantrums about being on the bench for his club also showed up his petulant character, which can be disruptive among team-mates.
He's undoubtedly the best option among the goalkeepers in Germany's squad, but this says more about the competition for the place than Lehmann. He is certain to make at least a couple of errors in the tournament, and if this turns out to be short of the high standards normally expected from the Germans then he could be made a scapegoat.
Player to watch
Other than Ballack, German fans will be looking towards number one striker Miroslav Klose to fire them to glory in Austria and Switzerland - and with good reason.
The Bayern Munich man is rated as one of the top players in the Bundesliga and, despite a brief slump in form for his country during the qualifiers, he has remained in good touch for Munich throughout their title-winning season.
He also comes into the tournament as the last golden boot winner at a major international summer championships, having scored five goals for Germany in their run to the semi-finals of the World Cup two years ago.
Chances of victory
"Never write off the Germans" is the old slogan, and it remains as true as it is clichéd. While this is by no means the most talented squad in the tournament, German teams usually come good in major finals.
However, on the flip-side of this view, it has been 12 long years since Germany even won a match at the finals tournament of a European Championships - not since their victory in the final of Euro 96 against Czech Republic has a German finished on the winning side in a match. Their combined record in the 2000 and 2004 finals is drawn three, lost three so they are long overdue for a win.
On the face of it their group looks straightforward enough. Hosts Austria are the poorest top seed ever seen at a championships, Poland are solid but unspectacular, and Croatia minus main striker Eduardo are not the same force they were when qualifying above Russia, England and Israel.
Most would expect them to progress to the knockout stages, especially as they are as close as possible to being on home soil as they can be without being a host nation (they play all three group games in neighbouring Austria, where the historic and cultural ties to Germany are substantial). But past this it is anyone's guess which Germany will turn up – the one that swept aside all before them early in qualifying, or the lacklustre bunch that lost 3-0 to Czech Republic and drew 0-0 with Wales at home in the autumn.
With most bookies listing them among the favourites, but many pundits undecided, it's perhaps best to have a punt on another team that offers better value. Don't be surprised, though, to see Low's men riding high in the last week of the tournament.
Squad
Goalkeepers
1 Jens Lehmann
12 Robert Enke
23 Rene Adler
Defenders
2 Marcell Jansen
3 Arne Friedrich
4 Clemens Fritz
5 Heiko Westermann
16 Philipp Lahm
17 Per Mertesacker
21 Christoph Metzelder
Midfielders
6 Simon Rolfes
7 Bastian Schweinsteiger
8 Torsten Frings
13 Michael Ballack
14 Piotr Trochowski
15 Thomas Hitzlsperger
18 Tim Borowski
Forwards
9 Mario Gomez
10 Oliver Neuville
11 Miroslav Klose
19 David Odonkor
20 Lukas Podolski
22 Kevin Kuranyi