Quarter-Final: France Vs Germany

By the way, the DFB PK should start any minute now (in German): http://tv.dfb.de/livestream/pk-der-nationalmannschaft-aus-brasilien/8796/

Manuel Neuer, André Schürrle and Andreas Köpke will be there to answer the questions of the media.

That's not very accurage though.  Lahm has played the DM role all season for Bayern... so his natural position now is really in the midfield.  Also, Ozil plays on the right with the midfield being Arteta-Ramsey-Cazorla or Arteta-Ramsey-Wilshere.  When Wilshere was healthy and Ozil came, Cazorla was left and Ozil right.  It scrambles a bit during the game...  but he has always naturally drifted to one side or another.  That's why he had such a hard time transitioning to CM at Madrid (along with his defense).

Muller also tends to play a lot of second striker at Bayern since Robben and Ribery cover the wings.  

i don't think those are the issues.

Playing 4 CBs is crazy when you you're playing a forward line consisting of two AMs and a SS.  No width or speed.  That's where i really criticize Low.

By the way, interesting stuff from the PK:

- Shkodran Mustafi is out of the World Cup with a muscle tear, but he will stay with the team
- Christoph Kramer is slightly ill and has "Schüttelfrost" (some flu-like symptoms). Je will accompany the team to Rio, though.
- Jogi Löw's interview where he insisted on Lahm playing in midfield was given before the Algeria match; the coach staff is still discussing who plays where and the last decision will be made short before the France match.
- Andi Köpke is fine with Manuel Neuer playing the libero, but he expects that against France he will have to play the more normal tasks of a keeper.


Andreas Köpke, goalkeeper coach

Hope our boys can do this, what a game it will be


Aves les bleux!

rwo power wrote:Well, looks like we are taking the "false whatever" thing to new heights. So we have a false nine, false wingers (who are sort of 10s in their own right), false FBs (who are actually CBs), a false 1 (who doubles as sweeper, CB and wing back), a false 6 (who should be an FB) and a false coach. Did I miss something here?

That's fun to read but it's a very valid observation at the same time. It's crazy to think a top team is playing so many players out of position.

André Schürrle only said some general stuff, nothing really new. Oh, he said that last he saw Per Mertesacker, he was sitting in his ice barrel.




- Manuel Neuer was asked about his sweeper play. He replied that he is aware it is risky, but so far it usually worked.
- He doesn't mind where Philipp Lahm is playing as he is good both as defender and as midfielder.
- The free kick was indeed planned like this by Thomas Müller and during training the trick actually worked.
- He liked Per Mertesacker's interview and he would probably have replied similarly.  
- He was asked whether the Battiston incident could happen again today.  Neuer said he hoped not and he was trying not to hurt anyone when he ventured outside the box.

rwo power wrote:Well, whsat annoys me most at that is the fact that Italy and Spain were already eliminated. Now that we wouldn't have to worry about them, Löw decided to eliminate Germany by doing the wildest "let's play our players out of position" imaginable...

That's so true. Both of Germany's bogie teams gone and the world cup there to be won and to throw it away like that.

The bookies rate Germany much higher than France unlike this forum. Germany is 9/2 to win the world cup while France is 8/1 .

Tomwin Lannister wrote:Hope our boys can do this, what a game it will be


Aves les bleux!

'aves les bleux' what is that 'aves'? 'Romanes eunt domus'?

Ain't got a clue

Cheeky tactics from the German players, trying to cause internal problems within the French squad and their ladies.

Yes Lahm plays DM for Bayern but there's a bunch of reasons why.

Bayern has 2 compotent fullbacks which allows them to do so, Germany don't.

Bayern has two quality CFs, Germany don't. Also Bayern has Robben and Ribery.... Germany don't

See where i'm going with this? Germany has one quality fullback and his name is Philip Lahm, its moronic for them to play him anywhere else. The fact they don't have the quality of striker and winger Bayern has doesn't help matters either.

Low has to start him at RB, Khedira must start alongside Kroos and Schweignsteiger and Schurrle must also start.

If not they are going home, we'll see if Low for once in his tenure will learn from his mistakes.

Nah, he will die with his ideas and keep playing with Lham in midfield. Not that it's his idea to play Lham in midfield in the first place, i saw it on telly, but now he is doing it and that's it. If vdb rode on pep's ideas to win stuff, surely Low can as well.

Germany playing Lahm in midfield is just pointless change for the sake of change

How any top coach in their right mind could think that playing your only full back out of position and lining up with 4 fkn CBs in your back 4 is beyond me.

What do Germany have a LOT of? Midfielders

What are they severely lacking? full backs.
I know, let's turn our full back into a midfielder.

Lahm will play in midfield, that is as sure as France's qualification. Lahm asked Löw before the World Cup where he wants to play him because he needs good preparation, he was told in midfield and that's where he will play as long as everyone else is fit.

VDB at least had the large majority of Pep's key players (Messi and Alves aside) what Low is doing is just insane.

What i love is that France has typically had easier times with slower/more technical wing players and tougher times against fast/strong wing players.  Debuchy and Evra can't handle speed much; but if they are on top of you, the don't let you go.  So the Germany matchup of Goetze and Ozil is a good one.  Debuchy smothered Shaqiri just as an example.

There's + and - to playing Khedira as the right side B2B.  On the + side, you get Lahm at fullback.  But on the - side, it frees up Matuidi to take a lot more liberties since he doesn't have to worry about Piggy. Khedira is not a big threat since he's slow and Matuidi can recover on him.

I also feel that Kroos is going to have a tough, tough time with Pogba.  

In any case, i think the matchups work really well for France.  Only player that is not a good matchup is Mueller since he's the tricky type and Sakho prefers stronger CFs.  Hopefully, Varane handles him more.

Should be a great game.  I like our chances.

Tomwin Lannister wrote:Hope our boys can do this, what a game it will be


Aves les bleux!

Actually "Aves" means nothing in french, you probably meant "Allez" which is the equivalent of the famous "vamos" or you meant "Avec" which means "with"

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Yes Lahm plays DM for Bayern but there's a bunch of reasons why.

Bayern has 2 compotent fullbacks which allows them to do so, Germany don't.

Bayern has two quality CFs, Germany don't. Also Bayern has Robben and Ribery.... Germany don't

See where i'm going with this? Germany has one quality fullback and his name is Philip Lahm, its moronic for them to play him anywhere else. The fact they don't have the quality of striker and winger Bayern has doesn't help matters either.

Low has to start him at RB, Khedira must start alongside Kroos and Schweignsteiger and Schurrle must also start.

If not they are going home, we'll see if Low for once in his tenure will learn from his mistakes.

Yes exactly. It really is very simple, Lahm is our only top fullback in the squad. Period.
Everyone gets it, only still Löw does the opposite.

He is also wrong if you go into detail, but with that simple observation there's no need to go into detail.

I wouldn't agree it's near certain we go out if Löw doesn't change it, but it is sure much more likely.

It makes common sense to play Lham at right back. Everyone can see it, pundits, fans, americans... Every can see it gives more balance to the team because you have at least one side of your wings play that will become active.

And modern footy is about wing play and transition. Cut this possession crap to the side, unless you are pep, you are worthless playing that stuff. Even Van Gaal has ditched "nice footy" of the dutch to play a more pragmatical and functional football. Sometimes i secretly wish he win the world cup to teach the dutch and cryuff a lesson.

Just as i want Germany out, because so far they have won on talent more so than the quality of the team as a whole. How does it not find an issue with the fact that Gotze and Ozil are both very underwhelming in this world cup? Mustafi and Howedes are beaten consistently into space and if not for the lack of technical qualities of their opponent, they would have been whooped sideways.

Insoucious wrote:

Tomwin Lannister wrote:Hope our boys can do this, what a game it will be


Aves les bleux!

Actually "Aves" means nothing in french, you probably meant "Allez" which is the equivalent of the famous "vamos" or you meant "Avec" which means "with"

I completely made it up

Forza francois

Insoucious wrote:

Tomwin Lannister wrote:Hope our boys can do this, what a game it will be


Aves les bleux!

Actually "Aves" means nothing in french, you probably meant "Allez" which is the equivalent of the famous "vamos" or you meant "Avec" which means "with"

lol yes he meant to write avec, I was just trying to be extra petty and obnoxious

Nah Götze won't play against France, one of the few good things Löw does is change his underperforming attackers. Podolski and Götze both got subbed and benched after disappointing performances.

I imagine the team will be like this:


Unless Hummels is out which means Boateng replaces him and Großkreutz starts as RB. Knowing Löw he will rather play Ginter there (another CB)

Tomwin Lannister wrote:Hope our boys can do this, what a game it will be


Aves les bleux!

You got a call from your uncle in Paris too?

It's just stupid.

Schweinsteiger-Khedira is a good central/defensive midfield. It was so for the national team in the pst few years. Not perfect maybe, but it is what it is.
Lahm has been just plain BAD so far in this WC, which really is something because Lahm usually is never really bad.

That's because, for the national team, he's playing out of position.

Löw has NOT used him in midfield for the past year, he's used him there since a couple of months.
Add that to the fact that he's missed at RB as we all now said 5 times over.

Löw has NOT played Mustafi anywhere in the past, the guy has joined the team three months ago.
Löw has NOT played Höwedes as LB before, he started with this nonsense in the last preparation game, begiining of June

It just does not make any sense. The guy has lost it, he thinks he is a genius for some reason.
Well the reason of course is that he's been untouchable and inexplicably revered as NT coach by the media and DFB.

I think the most frustrating part about this Low formation is that he took everything he has done in the past 6 years and thrown it in the trash and built a new (worse) team in a couple of weeks.