The mere mention of Italy should send shivers down the spine of any Germany fan. No other team has been as successful at dashing Germany’s tournament dreams then the Azzurri (1970 WC Semis, 1982 WC Final, 2006 WC Semis). The fact that Germany has never defeated Italy in a major tournament is not lost on this fan. Then again, history does not dictate the present, but as someone who witnessed one of these defeats in person in Dortmund (2006), the fear is very real.
The thought is that Italy will play its conventional defensive style to withstand the German onslaught may be a little misleading. Look to the Germany-Portugal game for examples of how poorly Germany dealt with such tactics and how many chances Portugal had to score (especially in the last 15 minutes). Keep in mind that the German backline is fresh off conceding two goals to a virtual non-existent Greek attack and could we see the return of Lars Bender for Jerome Boateng? Doubtful.
Germany needs to play with the same ball control attacking style that they displayed in the Greece match albeit with even better finishing in order to finally defeat Italy. So hopefully Marco Reus will remain in the starting 11 at the expense of Lukas Poldolski, keeping a sustained pressure on the Italian defense, quick ball passes and incisive cuts leading to goals. Mesut Ozil played his best game of the tournament by far and while the Greeks conceded ground willingly, the tactic of giving Ozil another skilled playmaker in Reus and Schurrle’s ability to make runs certainly was not lost on this viewer. The latter had some sloppy moments so if Muller returns to the fold and Reus moves to the left side Germany would not be sacrificing anything.
The thought is that Italy will play its conventional defensive style to withstand the German onslaught may be a little misleading. Look to the Germany-Portugal game for examples of how poorly Germany dealt with such tactics and how many chances Portugal had to score (especially in the last 15 minutes). Keep in mind that the German backline is fresh off conceding two goals to a virtual non-existent Greek attack and could we see the return of Lars Bender for Jerome Boateng? Doubtful.
Germany needs to play with the same ball control attacking style that they displayed in the Greece match albeit with even better finishing in order to finally defeat Italy. So hopefully Marco Reus will remain in the starting 11 at the expense of Lukas Poldolski, keeping a sustained pressure on the Italian defense, quick ball passes and incisive cuts leading to goals. Mesut Ozil played his best game of the tournament by far and while the Greeks conceded ground willingly, the tactic of giving Ozil another skilled playmaker in Reus and Schurrle’s ability to make runs certainly was not lost on this viewer. The latter had some sloppy moments so if Muller returns to the fold and Reus moves to the left side Germany would not be sacrificing anything.
The issue of who will be up top remains cloudy as well, as Klose is better suited for this game plan, but his game form is noticeably off. He scored last game, but that was a terrible decision by the keeper and his passes/touches have been off and you can’t just regain form overnight. Gomez is not as good at the 2-man game, but his confidence was high through 3 games and now one is left to wonder what he is thinking. But Gomez might be better off in the starting 11 to provide a physical presence in front of Buffon.
IF Germany were to score early that could lead to a long day because that will force the Italians to push out of a comfort zone and open up even more holes like England & Argentina did in 2010. More holes, equals more Ozil’s ball handling and time to pick apart a spread out defense. But that is no small task; Buffon looks in top form and has the experience of beating Germany in a do-or-die game.
As for Italy, the idea that they are considerable underdogs is laughable. Yes Germany has scored lots of goals, but Italy tied Spain in their first group game in which they were equals on the field in my humble opinion. The Spanish groused about the hard field, but what can’t be denied is that Italy did not sit back and play a completely defensive game. Pirlo is having a fantastic tournament and along with the aforementioned Buffon, they are two of four (or five players) on the current roster that were in Dortmund in 2006 and beat Germany in Germany so the thought of playing them in Warsaw is certainly less daunting (especially with some of the holes that have been exposed in the German defense).
IF Germany were to score early that could lead to a long day because that will force the Italians to push out of a comfort zone and open up even more holes like England & Argentina did in 2010. More holes, equals more Ozil’s ball handling and time to pick apart a spread out defense. But that is no small task; Buffon looks in top form and has the experience of beating Germany in a do-or-die game.
As for Italy, the idea that they are considerable underdogs is laughable. Yes Germany has scored lots of goals, but Italy tied Spain in their first group game in which they were equals on the field in my humble opinion. The Spanish groused about the hard field, but what can’t be denied is that Italy did not sit back and play a completely defensive game. Pirlo is having a fantastic tournament and along with the aforementioned Buffon, they are two of four (or five players) on the current roster that were in Dortmund in 2006 and beat Germany in Germany so the thought of playing them in Warsaw is certainly less daunting (especially with some of the holes that have been exposed in the German defense).
Finally, Scheinsteiger’s health may not be as important as previously thought since Toni Kroos could admirably fill that hole. The real question is who will start on the left wing (Reus or Poldi) and that decision will largely dictate how Germany plays. Low has already shown that he will throw caution to the wind (that was a consistent criticism of mine in the past), so now that he has broken the mold will he keep doing so? This thought of course depends on whether you believe he was resting players vs Greece (which was largely discussed only in English speaking media) versus making a tactical decision of playing guys who could better break down a predictably defensive lineup (reported in the German media).
If Reus plays, Germany finally cracks the Italian riddle and wins 2-1. It won’t be easy on this fan’s nerves. If Poldolski starts all bets are off.
If Reus plays, Germany finally cracks the Italian riddle and wins 2-1. It won’t be easy on this fan’s nerves. If Poldolski starts all bets are off.
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