Image Courtesy: Wikipedia
Gdansk witnessed much more than a
political satire a week ago, in the second quarter final match between Germany
and Greece. In UEFA Euro 2012, the world saw the premonition to the rise of another
dictator, after almost a hundred years, this time in the most beautiful of all
sports, as the Mannschaft. An overwhelming German attack left behind a familiar
Greek tragedy, and Germany coach Joachim Low signed off with an epilogue “today
it was the time to bring in some fresh faces and different types of players who
could do a job and I think it worked very well.” The incessantly chanting Greek
fans found a Prometheus when Samaras cancelled the lead secured by German
skipper Phillip Lahm, but their hopes were soon blown off by the acrobatic Sami
Khedira. It is mind-blowing to see the multi-faceted yet united march of the
German team, and the fact that the team is rich with men from 11 different
nationalities is an unbelievable fact to comprehend.
Low had much surprise in store
when he declared the starting eleven without Mario Gomez, Thomas Mueller and Lukas
Podolski. Miroslav Klose impressed by standing up to his coach’s expectations with
excellent ball control and a goal - another feather to his cap. He is now just four goals
short of the legendary Gerd Muller who tops the list of the all-time highest
goal-scorers in German football. The classic German formation of 4-2-3-1 was
again a success. The old 4-1-2-1-2 formation in FIFA World Cup 2002 where Kevin
Kuranyi shared the front row with the Klose is long gone, and the breath-taking
attacks set a new definition to the game.
As a result of the shock exit of
the Germans from the Euro 2000 group stage, the whole system of football in
Germany underwent a revamp, and a system was established to spot and train
talent from kids. And from then Germany has produced numerous young world class
players, many of whom feature in the present day Mannschaft, a powerhouse of
talent. Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels, Lars Bender and Andre Schurrle
are not just fresh young blood, but they are the ones who extend the depth of
the German team.
Image Courtesy: www.bbc.co.uk
Only time stands between Germany
and the title of the best football team in the world. Three cheers to Germany
before the semifinal clash against Italy.
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