Posts Tagged germany
Being eclectic: Despite Spain’s win, direct football still matters
This entry was also posted @ Sportingo
Euro2008 may not be remembered for overall quality, but as a spectacle it was one of the best. For me the sticking point was how direct football has come to the fore as a strategy that is adept and workable with other styles of play. Germany, against Portugal, in what was considered by some as one of the best German displays since the 1990 world cup, displayed a ruthless edge in combining a direct style of play and passing, with well executed set pieces. They were able to break Portuguese play and did not retreat to their own half, chase the game and defend deep, as did England in previous match-ups with Portugal, or even Holland in their quarter-final clash with Russia.
Gone are the pure schools of football, Holland and Spain adapted strategies which were different to what maybe expected of them. The Dutch ditched the 4-3-3 formation and Spain changed their formations during the tournament, from two strikers to one, depending on the players available. Similarly, Lippi, who has returned as Italy coach, identifies Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United as a source of contemplation and emulation. He argues United do not play in a set way, nor do they pin players in positions, players move from defence to attack in lightening speed, only to for them to retreat back. That is the dynamic nature of the game today, which also requires incredible levels of fitness. If Italy are to adapt and succeed, then Italy should be more than ‘Catenaccio’.
While it is true Spain played possession football, with quick short passes, but that is not the entire story. As Sid Lowe of the Guardian notes,
It was Aragonés who used tiki-taka to protect a defence that appeared suspect (but which he had worked to improve), maintain possession and dominate games, but did not take it to its slow, directionless extreme, as displayed by Barcelona over the last two years. An extreme that simply does not suit Villa or Torres, the men providing the cutting edge. Aragonés recognised the need to be effective as well as aesthetic. He admitted that Spain had played Italy on the break and of Spain’s first six goals, five came from a direct break (even the occasional aimless punt), one from a set-play – the very antithesis of tiki-taka. Xavi’s goal against Russia in the semi-final was the first real tiki-taka moment. Even Torres’ goal in the final owed as much to pace, faith and physique as touch and class.
Spain do have their style of play and as a general ethos it remains. However it is not short passing football in its purest form. Whatever formation a manager plays, the players on the field are the ones that see an opening, whenever and however it comes. As Lippi noted, players need to be adept and they are the ones that can change their game when required.
If England are to learn from this tournament, then an intelligent, and not speculative ball from the back is still an effective strategy. Set pieces are still important as well. The difference is that England should also stamp their authority on a game, to press and break the play of the opposition. Yes, that requires England keeping possession — that is common sense, but that is not the whole story. If anything the German game against Portugal offers an ideal blueprint for Capello to consider, in a breathtaking first half Germany not only scored twice but also harried Portugal every time they regrouped for another move. Had it not been for poor defending, Germany could have won more comfortably. Do England have the players to do that? In the midfield they possibly do, but the fullbacks in such a scenario should have the ability to move up quickly, as there would be little space in the centre. The Germans, on the day, had those players, specifically on the left. I have always thought that there lies England’s weakness, they do not have natural attacking full backs. Micah Richards showed potential when selected for England, but he must develop his defensive game.
After Euro2008, we can say direct football is very much alive. Spain’s victory was not solely a victory for the passing game, but also a game that thrived on the gritty defensive midfielders (in the likes of Senna) and, ironically, that long pass from the back.
Add comment July 9, 2008
The Secret of Germany’s Football Success
An insightful piece on the success of German teams over the years, here’s an en excerpt:
Once again, the German national team has advanced to the latter stages of a major international tournament. But what makes the team so successful? It could be because they are so average.
and,
The German side, in short, will hardly ever make you jump out of your seat — but it will only rarely disappoint. Its periods of success are brief, but so too are the lulls in between. In the last European championship tournament in 2004, the team didn’t make it out of its group. But in the 2002 World Cup, the team came in second and in 2006, it finished an impressive third.
2 comments June 28, 2008
Euro2008 update: The Semi-Finals
One prediction I got right was Holland not winning Euro2008 and even predicting accurately how they would implode. However I thought it would be in the semis and not the quarter-final match against Russia. No one can ever discount the Hiddink factor, as with Germany, fortune seems to conspire with him (well not with Australia in the 2006 World Cup). Then there was my prediction that Spain, considering the relative average age of the squad, would not have the mental resolve to beat Italy (as is the history with these type of fixtures.) Again, Spain managed to win that match on penalties. This tells me that maybe, as widely tipped, this could be their year. Will they implode in the semis against Russia, as is typical with the nearly achievers like Holland and Portugal? Without doubt this match will be very different then their encounter in the group stages, and Hiddink will do his homework. It’s a very difficult one to call, but I think Spain will win this one, for the simple observation that unlike Holland they showed a solid defensive display against Italy and might be able to close down the attacking threat of the Russians (Holland’s defence was carved up by Russian play). Whatever they do, they will have to defend tight and keep their concentration, and maybe man mark Andrei Arshavin? Unlike the Dutch, they will have to prevent the Russians taking the initiative. Well that’s the observation of the Spain coach “We will have to play in a way which stops them playing and prevents them from counter attacking. We need to keep at them and give them less space.” We will see…
That leaves us with a potential final between Spain and Germany. I’ll leave that to a future post…
Add comment June 24, 2008
Why Portugal didn’t make it, again
Another tournament and Portugal miss out, once again, on the big prize. Other than the obvious, that there was some weakness in defending set pieces (as was the case in Euro2004), Portugal have more deeper problems. Portugal were closed down in midfield by the Germans, and weren’t able to play their normal exquisite passes that often open up defences. Just as with Arsenal in the premiership and Barcelona last season in the champions league, the best way to defeat a technical passing team is stop them in their game plan. Here I believe is the problem with Portugal, when teams close them down, they lack the ability to play direct football — the use of set pieces, crosses and intelligent long balls from the back. The ability to improvise.
Maybe one obstacle for Portugal in adapting their game plan (as Gary Neville noted after the match), is the absence of an out and out striker. A player like Klose, Van Nistelrooy or Torres, someone they can target with quick balls. In the last world cup they were toothless in the semi-finals against the French. Their main striker (Pauleta) was woeful at times (he was substituted by Scolari against France). On the other hand, in the match against Portugal, the Germans, as the Dutch, showed the potential of combining different styles of play – technique & passing coupled with quick direct football (often through counter attacks).
The future of the game? Any team that can improvise their game plan against the dictates of the game itself. Obviously this would require more intelligent footballers who would be able to think on their feet — when to attack, when to hold the ball and when to make that decisive move. North European direct football, dynamic total football or Brazilian/Portuguese flair/technique all have their advantages. I suppose its about keeping the strengths of a certain ethos alive but combining it and improvising with different styles, with good teams being able to change and switch styles when necessary. A recent example of this would be Manchester United last season, where they often played contrasting styles in the premiership and the champions league, changing the team line-up when necessary — the players best suited for any given system.
In our country we have a great reverence for 4-3-3, for the Ajax way of playing. But there are other systems and you have to be open-minded. Marco Van Basten thought a change of shape would better suit the players he has at his disposal. He had the courage to be flexible … It’s been wonderful watching us dismantle the Italians and the French. We’ve proved ourselves to be the complete team. Collectively we look strong, we have a vast array of individual attacking talent and are able to take the game to the opposition or hit very effectively on the break. Our combination play has been outstanding, we’re able to change rhythm quickly and at the back we’ve been pretty solid’
On a side note, when will German luck run out in major tournaments?! The third goal against Portugal should have been disallowed, it was a clear push by Ballack. England scored from similar situations in the 1998 world cup and Euro 2004, but both were disallowed. Then there was the legendary luck that got them through the 2002 world cup, where the draw and woeful refereeing decisions (remember the quarter finals against America?) got them to a final, only for them to be brushed aside by stronger opposition in the final (this not including the never ending wins by penalty shootouts). In Euro 2008 that tradition continues. I honestly think that this German team is not that special. Either way since 2006 the ‘Mannschaft’ has shown some improvement, considering the spiral decline from the late 90s all the way to 2006.
I find it interesting that German players, in contrast to the England players, do not always perform well for their clubs (e.g. Podolski and Klose) but seem to do well with the national team. I think Germany has always set the national team as a priority, while England (as Spain) have a stronger club culture, more considering the insanely long and energy sapping football season we get in England.
1 comment June 20, 2008
Has Capello finally worked it out?
The post below was also posted at Sportingo.
I think he has. In an interview before the friendly with America he implied that he had finally worked out how to play England. In the recent two friendly matches he finally reverted England to a 4-4-2 formation and ditched playing Rooney as a lone striker. It’s taken some time, but after Sven and Mclaren, Capello has worked out that he can’t play England like other teams, they are almost moulded to play in a certain way and instead of ditching the tried and tested, why not just adapt and play to existing strengths. I remember in an interview, during the 2006 world cup, a Brazilian football journalist was asked about the key factor of Scolari’s success, compared to Sven. His response was that Scolari plays a system that best suits his team, depending on the players available, he later contrasted this with Sven’s approach. It’s also interesting to note that the BBC interviewed Beckenbauer before the 2006 world cup qualifier between England and Portugal. After observing the line-ups he quizzed why Sven had decided to play Rooney on his own, prophetically he noted that this might be a tactical error. But the team went out playing that same system — packing the midfield and playing Rooney alone, supposedly he would be supported, but he never was.
This all goes back to Capello. When Capello played both Switzerland and France with the same formation preferred by his predecessors, I just thought history is simply repeating itself. The weakness of playing England with that formation became apparent once again in the friendly against France. Thankfully Capello reverted back to the old 4-4-2. I have always thought the best way to play England is to adopt the German style of the 2006 world cup — quick and dynamic attacking football. It plays to the existing strengths of the England team, but nuances the tactics with intelligent and flowing football, with players switching positions and playing off each other. I think that is what Capello has finally realised is the best way forward, keep the tried and tested but cut out on all the faults of the past. As Rio Ferdinand stated in a recent interview, it’s not just ball retention but what we do with the ball. As I noted before during the 2006 world cup, putting aside common sense assumptions, England did keep possession in the world cup, but without purpose or penetration of opposition. That is the weakness I think Capello is trying to remedy, how can he get England to open up defences with intelligent and creative play, whilst not simply relying upon dead ball situations. I noted he was particularly pleased with England’s second goal against America (it came from a passing movement), as it was demonstration of how he wants England to play.
Add comment June 4, 2008
