Germany Schedule & Results | Scouting Report | Road to Euro 2004

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Style of Play:
Like the great German teams of the past, the current squad makes up for a lack of flair with discipline, technical procession and resiliency. Possession is the name of game for the Germans, as they use short but quick passes to spread the ball around the entire width of the field, keeping their opponents chasing the game and running them ragged. Once they wear you down, they hit you with a quick attack. Coach Rudi Völler employs a safe 4-4-2 formation, with the four defenders supported by a pair of holding midfielders (Dietmar Hamann and Torsten Frings) who line up just as a defensive screen. In front of them are two midfielders (Michael Ballack and Bernd Schneider) who engineer the attack as the playmakers in the centre of midfield. Coach Völler could also employ Ballack just behind the pair of strikers (Kevin Kuranyi and either Fredi Bobic or Miroslav Klose), serving as the lone playmaker with three midfielders playing behind him in a straight line across the width of the field. Regardless of where he lines up, it's the job of Ballack to lead the attack by running straight at the defenders and carry the ball deep into the offensive zone before making a diagonal pass to the onrushing strikers or taking a shot on goal himself.

Strengths:
Midfield - Germany is spoiled for choice in the middle of the field. In Michael Ballack, they have one of the most exquisite and dangerous playmakers in the game. Bernd Schneider is a constant attacking threat, Fabian Ernst provides a physical presence and Dietmar Hamann and Jens Jeremies are proven, veteran players on the international scene.

Discipline - Germany plays a disciplined brand of soccer that sees them take very few chances. They wear opponents down, and pounce when a mistake is made. Even when they're losing, they never stray from their game plan and commit silly fouls; instead, they remain focused on the task at hand, confident that they can comeback through their technical expertise.

Reputation - The Germans have owned Euro over the years, winning the tournament three times and losing in the finals on two other occasions. Two years ago, few expected them to do anything at the World Cup, but they proved everybody wrong when they advanced to the finals for the seventh time. The Germans' daunting reputation strikes fear into a lot of teams and gives them a decided psychological edge at Euro.

Weaknesses:
Key Injuries - A series of key injuries see a weakened German side making its way to Euro. The loss of gifted playmaker Sebastian Deisler (suffering from depression) is massive. Christian Rahn (thigh) and attacking midfielder Paul Freier (knee) had to withdraw from the team due to injury. Other promising players such as defenders Tobias Rau (torn thigh muscle) and Christoph Metzelder (Achilles problems) are huge losses, further robbing a German team of some much-needed depth.

Tough group - Don't let Germany's unbeaten record (five wins, three draws) in the qualifying round fool you. Germany struggled - they were held to draws by Lithuania, Iceland and Scotland - and had to fight for every point they earned in a group they should have totally dominated. Their flat performance doesn't bode well considering they're in a group with the Netherlands and Czech Republic.

Lack of leaders - Aside from goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, and Ballack, the Germans lack a general on the field, a take-charge kind of player that can inspire his teammates to victory. The German side is made up mostly of hard-working silent types. What they're missing is an imposing player that can rile the rest of the team up with his personality and character.

Key Players to watch:
Fredi Bobic - Germany's main scoring threat, Bobic is a crafty striker that can score with his head and score goals out of the simplest of chances. After a four-year absence from the national team, Bobic proved his worth in gold during the qualifying round when he scored four goals in five games to help Germany win their group and gain automatic qualification to Euro 2004.

Michael Ballack - An elegant midfielder who carries the ball with style and grace, Michael Ballack is one of the most dangerous players in soccer today. The midfield playmaker is strong with both feet, makes darting runs into the penalty area with the ball, and can score goals with the best of them. The backbone of the German attack.

Andreas Hinkel - One of the rising stars of German soccer, the 22-year-old defender is coming off a breakout season in the German Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart. Hinkel boasts a world of athletic ability and plays with a confidence that belies his age. A very strong tackler who loves to get forward and join the attack at times.

Key injuries/squad omissions:
In a big blow for the Germans, gifted playmaker Sebastian Deisler ruled out making a return to the national team as he spent much of the past season on the sidelines suffering from depression. The most glaring omission from the German squad has to be Oliver Neuville. The veteran forward is coming off a poor season in the German Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach, leaving the door open for striker Thomas Brdaric to take his place. A pair of surprise selections was 18-year-old forward Lukas Podolski and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger. Defender Christian Rahn was originally called up for duty, but he had to pull out because of a thigh injury. He was replaced by veteran midfielder Christian Ziege, a curious choice because he is coming off a poor season with Tottenham Hotspur in the English premiership and hasn't played for Germany in close to two years. A much more suitable replacement would have been defender Marko Rehmer or midfielder Jorg Bohme. Attacking midfielder Paul Freier also had to withdraw from the squad after sustaining a knee injury. Midfielder Carsten Ramelow announced his international retirement in mid-May, ruling him out for selection.

Prognosis:
This is a tough one. Two year ago, nobody expected Germany to make a statement at the World Cup. With everybody writing them off, the Germans displayed that resolve and resiliency they're famous for and made it all the way to the finals. This year, the critics have again written Germany off, but this time the pundits may have it right. This is not the all-conquering German team of times past; instead, it's a tired, banged up bunch that struggled in qualifying and all too often loses to teams it should have no problem beating. Had it been drawn into another group, Germany would have been a lock to progress to the next round. But because they have to play against the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, two of the tournament favourites, their passage to the next round is not assured. Are they capable of finishing in one of the top two spots in Group D? Yes. But they'll have to scrape it out, and for a team lacking leadership and that is a shell of its former self, they'll have to be happy with a third-place finish.

Current FIFA Ranking: #8

First-round matches:
June 15 vs. Netherlands (Porto)
June 19 vs. Latvia (Porto)
June 23 vs. Czech Republic (Lisbon)

Euro 2004 qualification route:
Finished 1st in qualifying Group 5 (18 points) ahead of second-place Scotland (14 points).

Record in qualifying: 5 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses
Goals for: 13 Goals against: 4

Qualifying results:
09.07.2002 - Germany 2 Lithuania 0
10.16.2002 - Germany 2 Faroe Islands 1
03.29.2003 - Germany 1 Lithuania 1
06.07.2003 - Germany 1 Scotland 1
06.11.2003 - Germany 2 Faroe Islands 0
09.06.2003 - Germany 0 Iceland 0
09.10.2003 - Germany 2 Scotland 1
10.11.2003 - Germany 3 Iceland 0

Number of Previous Euro Appearances: 8
All-time record: 35 GP -- 18 W, 9 D, 8 L
Goals for: 54 Goals against: 37
Biggest defeat: 0-3 vs. Portugal in 2000
Biggest victory: 3-0 vs. Russia in 1996 and 1972

Euro History:
(1968 - 1988 competed as West Germany)
1960 - did not compete in tournament
1964 - did not compete in tournament
1968 - did not qualify
1972 - CHAMPIONS
1976 - finalists
1980 - CHAMPIONS
1984 - first round
1988 - semifinals
1992 - finalists
1996 - CHAMPIONS
2000 - first round

Other Achievements:
World Cup Champions: 1954 in Switzerland, 1974 in West Germany, 1990 in Italy
Olympic Gold Medal: 1976 in Montreal
Olympic Silver Medal: 1980 in Moscow
Olympic Bronze Medal: 1964 in Tokyo, 1972 in Munich, 1988 in Seoul

Greatest Players:
Franz Beckenbauer: Nicknamed "Der Kaiser," Franz Beckenbauer earned 103 caps and captained West Germany to the 1974 World Cup on home soil. Beckenbauer revolutionized the position of the attacking sweeper (known as the libero) and is one of the greatest players of all-time.

Gerd Müller: Müller netted 14 goals for West Germany in the 1970 and 1974 World Cup, and is the all-time leading scorer in the competition. Nicknamed "Der Bomber," Müller earned 62 caps and scored 68 goals during his international career, still one of the most amazing strike records in international competition.