The self-appointed armchair and keyboard arbiters of footballing morality will doubtless rage about the supposed lack of spectacle and free-flowing fare in today's World Cup quarter-final in the Maracana, but I thought that the German team provided an object lesson in how to get through a tricky game with an apparent minimum of fuss. They were clinical, professional, pragmatic and economical, and got their tactics exactly right.
The hot conditions may well have dictated the somewhat sluggish tempo, and once the Germans scored from a set-piece, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for France. The French, when they fashioned promising positions, displayed a lack of composure in front of goal, and Joachim Loew's men were happy to soak up what passed for French pressure in the last hour, relying on their pacy and talented forward players to search for a possible second goal on the counter.
Before the match, I thought that the French might be able to cause problems for the German defence. Mertesacker's was omitted, and although he lacks pace, the backline did look potentially a little thin without him. In the event, the German defence played solidly, although of course they were aided by the lacklustre French showing.
Did the buoyant French showing in the group stages flatter them? Possibly. This could have just been a bad day at the office, and they chose to have it at a particularly inconvenient time, for there are no second chances in the knock-out phase.
It will be fascinating to see how the Germans line up in the semi-final. Miroslav Klose was a touch ineffectual today, although he had a plausible penalty shout in the first half when his shirt appeared to be tugged. Will Mertesacker return to the heart of the defence? They are likely to be confronted with a much sterner test by either the Brazilians or the Colombians.
No comments:
Post a Comment