Germany Squad Report: Team has a plan for Messi, Argentine defense
Yesterday, the team trained at their home base in Campo Bahia, and also conducted a brief press conference in which Miroslav Klose and Benedikt Höwedes spoke to the media. Today they will train again and conduct a brief presser before saying goodbye to their prefabricated home for the last month, flying to Rio to prepare for the final against Argentina on Sunday.
The question on everyone’s mind is how Germany will overcome a strong Argentine defense whilst also ensuring one of the greatest players in the world doesn’t strike on the counter.
Jonathan Wilson wrote on the dilemma today, and also notes how Messi’s influence in forcing Wesley Sneijder to play deeper to help defend indirectly took Arjen Robben—robbed of a link up player—out of the game:
The final will be a test of how far Germany’s development has come, whether those last two games really do reflect the discovery of the perfect blend of solidity and fluidity, or if they were more about the flaws of their opponents. Argentina will sit deep and force Germany to come at them; if they do so without appropriate care, Messi will pick them off on the break.
Germany assistant coach Hansi Flick assured the press the team had already come up with a plan to deal with the number 10:
"Of course we all watched closely as the Netherlands managed to keep Messi in check," Flick said. "We have also played Argentina several times and most certainly have a plan, one that I won't be revealing."
The temptation here, and one this author has previously given way to, is to infer from this a negative game. Yet one early set-piece goal could change the course of events quickly. Games speak for themselves, and sometimes even the best laid plans go awry (or, as witnessed against Brazil, work a little better than expected). Flick has the right idea:
“We’re looking forward to meeting a compact, organised team and in Messi, they have one the outstanding players of the tournament. We know plenty about Argentina, Germany has to accept the role of favourites, but the final will write it’s own script.”
Fixtures/Results
Group G — June 16 — Germany 4-0 Portugal
Group G — June 22 — Germany 2-2 Ghana
Group G — June 26 — United States 0-1 Germany
Round of 16 — June 30 — Germany 2-1 Algeria aet.
Quarterfinal — July 4 — France 0-1 Germany
Semifinal — July 8 — Brazil 1-7 Germany
Final — July 13 — Germany vs. Argentina
Squad News/Rumors/Injury Report
No news out of the team camp.
Four Quick Notes
1. Paul Hayward on Germany’s quest to be the first European team to win a World Cup in South America.
2. Miroslav Klose is wary of losing another World Cup final.
3. Finals always turn up unexpected events, even bad ones, writes Jere Longman.
4. Argentina’s stingy defense leads the way.