World Cup 2014: Germany Needs Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer to Play Well
Photo
Thomas Müller, 24, was
playing for a third division German team as late as 2009 and now has
nine World Cup goals in two tournaments.Credit
Patrik Stollarz/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
RIO
DE JANEIRO — It has been a hot and cold World Cup for Germany: from its
bold statement match in steamy Salvador against Portugal to its botched
lines and opportunities in the chill and drizzle of Porto Alegre
against Algeria.
Despite
fluctuating form and Manager Joachim Löw’s concern about seven players
with mild flu symptoms, the Germans are, as usual, in contention with
the World Cup reaching its business end.
Germany
is hard to read and difficult to categorize, and its protean nature is
particularly evident at the front of the attack and the back of the
defense. Thomas
Müller, again its leading scorer, is an unconventional, unusually
versatile forward. Manuel Neuer is an unconventional, unusually
versatile goalkeeper.
The
two players cover enormous ground inside and outside the penalty areas.
Even on a rough night in the Round of 16 victory over Algeria, their
confidence and resourcefulness under pressure were pivotal.
Müller
kept missing shots or connections, even stumbling on a free kick —
either a big gaffe or an ineffective ruse — late in the second half. But
he never stopped hustling and eventually picked the lock, sliding a
pass through traffic to André Schürrle in the opening minutes of extra
time that Schürrle spun into gold with a back-heel flick.
By
then Neuer, roaming free and taking big risks, had already snuffed
several promising Algerian attacks far from the usual zones where
goalkeepers operate.
“He is certainly the most complete keeper in the world,” Hugo Lloris, his French counterpart, said on Thursday.
Müller
and Neuer at their best will most likely be needed if Germany is to end
what is now a serious drought, with no World Cup title since 1990 and
no major trophy since the European Championship in 1996.
Müller
and Neuer are not short on trophies. As two of the many national team
members who play their club soccer for Bayern Munich, they won the
German Cup, the Bundesliga and, above all, the Champions League in 2013.
At
age 24, Müller is no longer the Wunderkind who, in barely a year, went
from playing in Germany’s third division to becoming the leading scorer
of the 2010 World Cup.
Louis
van Gaal, the former Bayern coach and a fine talent spotter who is
managing the Netherlands, was the man who gave Müller his big break at
the club after Jurgen Klinsmann had tested him briefly without recalling
him during his days running Bayern.
Müller,
raised in Bavaria and married at 20, is happy to have recently signed a
contract extension with Bayern through 2019. He was an attacking
midfielder in 2010, usually operating on the right and sniffing out
opportunity after opportunity. He scored five goals and has four more in
Brazil. In light of his age and craftsmanship, it is no stretch to
imagine him finishing his career with more goals than any man in World
Cup history. With nine for now, he is still well behind his German
teammate Miroslav Klose and Ronaldo, who are tied at the top with 15.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has covered plenty of ground.Credit
Patrik Stollarz/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
“Müller’s
a player who’s honest and genuine and keeps getting in there and keeps
arriving on the scene,” said Chris Waddle, the former English star
working here as a BBC analyst. “He gets his chances because of his
honesty and endeavor. If you make 20 runs, you might get one chance, and
he’ll make every one of those 20 runs.”
He
is being used as a striker this time, but he is no pure No. 9. He has
played all over the attacking map during his club and national team
career and is doing more of the same in Brazil, sometimes retreating
deep into the midfield to try to create a new threat. And it is hardly
all about his own goal count.
“He
is a very generous player who makes a lot of defensive efforts,” said
Didier Deschamps, France’s manager. “He’s an engine for their team.”
With
his long stride and endurance, he likes his open space, and one of his
gifts is finding it at just the right time. He might not be a playmaker
like his teammate Mesut Ozil, but he undeniably has vision.
“He’s
the only player in the world who manages to see, at the same time, the
space around him, the ball, his teammates and his opponents,” van Gaal
once said of Müller.
And
Müller’s view of himself? “I know I don’t have the most elegant style;
I’m not a magician,” he told the magazine France Football last month.
“But I’m unpredictable, and I know what needs to be done: Go where it
hurts, never give up, and play with lots of spontaneity.”
Lots
of cool precision as well. Consider his goal against the United States,
beautifully struck off a rebound past the diving Tim Howard, a
goalkeeper who has since proven to an even larger audience just how hard
he is to beat.
Howard
is an aggressive, acrobatic keeper. But he is old-school compared with
Neuer, whose play far off his line here has been the ultimate expression
of the 21st-century goalkeeper’s expanded role in the flow of play.
The
catalyst was a rule change in 1992 that prohibited goalkeepers from
handling the ball when a teammate intentionally kicked it to them.
Intended to open up the game, that new rule gradually put more emphasis
on foot skills for goalkeepers and ultimately helped produce a man like
Neuer, who has been called a sweeper-keeper.
Already
inclined to venture outside traditional boundaries for Bayern, he took
his style to new extremes against Algeria, when he touched the ball 19
times outside the penalty area, and not only with his foot. In the
second half, with the Algerian striker Islam Slimani bearing down on a
long, high-bouncing through ball, Neuer sprinted outside the area and
snuffed the danger with a leaping header. On other occasions, he played
with the ball at his feet, visibly enjoying the joust at one stage in
the first half as he fooled an Algerian forward and only then delivered
the pass upfield.
“Manuel
has the same technical skills as the others; he could play in
midfield,” Löw said Thursday. “He has a good sense of orientation and a
good sense of distances, and that’s what makes him so valuable. And
that’s why he is welcome to take this risk.”
Others
in Germany get more nervous, including Franz Beckenbauer, a former
German star and manager who played plenty of sweeper but not as a
goalkeeper. “Yes,
Manuel Neuer saved us in some situations, as an outfield player would
do, but he threw caution to the wind,” Beckenbauer said at a news
conference this week. Beckenbauer added, “I would prefer that he remains in goal against France.”
That
might be wise, particularly when it is difficult to imagine Löw asking
his defenders to play quite as high a line against France as they did
against Algeria. That should leave less open space that Neuer will feel
obligated to patrol.
France’s
Lloris is also an aggressive keeper with a lesser case of Wanderlust,
so there should be plenty of new-age goaltending on display.
Plenty of new age Müller, too. Germany, in this time of trouble, is counting on it.
NYTimes BONUS:
Graphic: All of Tim Howard’s 16 Saves Against Belgium
Greenwood, Cameron Shine in Big Night for Former Rams
KINGSTON, R.I. – In a remarkable night for Rhode Island alumni, Geoff Cameron helped the United States Men's National Team defeat Ghana, 2-1, in the World Cup and Nick Greenwood earned the victory in his Major League Baseball debut.
Cameron started in the middle of the U.S. defense that played well in front of keeper Tim Howard. He also drew the attention of the Ghana defense, helping clear space for John Brooks to head in the game-winner for the Americans in the 86th minute.
ESPN.com's Jeff Carlisle rated Cameron’s performance a 7 out of 10. Only Howard and Brooks received higher grades in Carlisle’s report. Cameron – who helped lead Rhode Island to the 2006 Atlantic 10 championship – is the second URI men's soccer player to appear in a World Cup as Andy Williams competed for his native Jamaica in 1998.
The Attleboro, Mass. product will be back on the pitch Sunday when the USMNT plays Portugal (ESPN, 6 p.m. EST).
Following the Team USA win, Greenwood made his big league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball. He entered the game against the New York Mets as a relief pitcher in the top of the fourth inning and pitched 3.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out three batters. Greenwood fanned seven-time all-star David Wright for his first career strikeout.
The Southington, Conn. native exited the game in the top of the eighth inning, heading back to the dugout while nearly all of the 42,808 fans at Busch Stadium rose to their feet to give the rookie an ovation. St. Louis would hold on for a 6-2 victory, securing Greenwood the first win by a Cardinals relief pitcher making his Major League debut since 1988 (John Costello).
Muss man auf Deutsch lesen, um über unsere Mannschaft diese Nachrichten zu lesen? Danke, Jaco.
18.06.2014·01:30·FIFA WM
Klinsmann optimistisch: Altidore kehrt zurück
Leidet an einer Oberschenkelzerrung: Altidore
US-Nationaltrainer Jürgen Klinsmann rechnet mit weiteren Einsätzen
des angeschlagenen Jozy Altidore bei der WM. "Wir sind voller Hoffnung,
dass er noch während des Turniers zurückkommt. Wie schnell, das hängt
vom Heilungsverlauf ab", sagte der ehemalige Bundestrainer im
WM-Quartier der USA in Sao Paulo.
Altidore hatte sich am Montag im Duell der deutschen Gruppengegner
gegen Ghana (2:1) eine Zerrung im Oberschenkel zugezogen. Das nächste
Spiel der Amerikaner gegen Portugal findet am kommenden Sonntag in
Manaus statt, am 26. Juni kommt es beim Gruppenfinale zum
Aufeinandertreffen mit Deutschland in Recife.
Abwehrspieler Matt Besler, für den Siegtorschütze John Brooks (Hertha
BSC) nach der Pause eingewechselt worden war, werde am Sonntag
einsatzfähig sein, sagte Klinsmann.
Gleiches gilt nach Angaben eines
Team-Sprechers für Kapitän Clint Dempsey: Der Schütze des 1:0 gegen
Ghana werde nach seinen Nasenbeinbruch womöglich mit einer Maske
spielen.
2014 World Cup: America's best and brightest head to Brazil as soccer's biggest event kicks off
The
US begins play in Brazil a week from Monday
in the so-called
Group of Death: Group G, which features
Germany,
Portugal and
Ghana,
the nation which has eliminated us from the previous 2 World
Cups.
By Frank Isola NEW YORK DAILY NEWSJune 7, 2014, 11:51 AM
Jozy Altidore says he hasn't lost his confidence despite a dismal season with Sunderland.
Jurgen Klinsmann wasn’t exactly channeling his inner Vince Lombardi
when he declared that it is “not possible” for the United States to win
the 2014 World Cup. Talk about a buzz kill.
There is something very American about a rah-rah speech to rally the
troops. The German-born Klinsmann, though, turned that concept on its
proverbial head with his reality based preview that raised just as many
eyebrows as did his decision to cut Landon Donovan, the country’s most
accomplished player, from the 23-man roster.
Maybe there is a method to Klinsmann’s madness, or perhaps he is just mad.
“Since Jurgen was hired we’ve trusted in his decision-making and his
opinion on what he thinks is best for the team,” says starting
goalkeeper Tim Howard. “He obviously has a vision for his team that he
thinks is a winning one and we believe in that.”
The US begins play in Brazil a week from Monday in the
so-called Group of Death: Group G, which features Germany, Portugal and
Ghana, the nation which has eliminated the U.S. from the previous two
World Cups. In theory, Klinsmann’s team should not be one of two teams
to advance to the knockout rounds; Ghana is talented enough to reach the
semifinals, while Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s Player of
the Year, and Germany is traditionally a threat to lift the
championship trophy.
But a case could be made for the US to earn enough points to
survive the group. The fact that they play Ghana first plays in their
favor, since Ghana is the most vulnerable of the three. Ronaldo arrives
in Brazil with a leg injury following a long and successful club season
in Spain with Real Madrid, which two weeks ago won the Champions League.
In 2002, the US shocked the heavily favored Portuguese so
anything is possible.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesCaptain Clint Dempsey is the top goal scorer on Team USA with Landon Donovan staying home.
The objective is to get to the final group match against Germany, the
nation that Klinsmann led to a World Cup title as a player and later
coached, with a chance to advance. The most optimistic scenario is that
the Germans show up for their third match having already advanced and
their manger, Joachim Löw, who worked under Klinsmann, rests some of his
stars. That would be wunderbar.
“I kind of had a feeling in my stomach that we were going to get
Germany,” Klinsmann says. “It is one of the most difficult groups of the
whole draw. It couldn’t get any more difficult, or any bigger, but that
is what the World Cup is all about.”
As the U.S. team arrives in Brazil there remain several troubling
issues, starting with Donovan being omitted from the roster despite his
experience and penchant for delivering in big games. Donovan has
appeared in 12 World Cup matches while the rest of the roster has
appeared in a combined 25. His five goals in the tournament are more
than the number scored by England’s Wayne Rooney, Argentina’s Lionel
Messi and Ronaldo combined.
To recap: Klinsmann says the US has no chance to win the
World Cup before cutting its most accomplished player. Donovan’s
dramatic last-minute goal against Algeria in 2010 helped the US win the group under Bob Bradley, who was fired a year later.
Klinsmann managed to secure a contract through the 2018 World Cup while
at the same time lowering expectations. Clearly, Bradley erred in being
so successful.
It was a shrewd move by Klinsmann: claim you can’t win it all, cut a
top player and if somehow you advance, you look like a genius. If you
fail, you point to players like 19-year-old Julian Green and simply say,
“See you in four years.”
Green is one of the players referred to as a Jurgen-American; players
who were either born or spent their formative years overseas and have
dual citizenship. John Brooks, Timmy Chandler, Fabian Johnson and
Jermaine Jones were all born in Germany. Mix Diskerud is from Norway and
Aron Johannsson was born in Mobile, Ala., before his parents moved back
to Iceland when he was was 3. “Players on the national team should be — and this is my own feeling —
they should be Americans,” L.A. Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, who coached
the United States in 2002 and 2006, told ESPN The Magazine. “If they’re
all born in other countries, I don’t think we can say we are making
progress.” Having a melting pot for a roster is very American. In fact, it is a
common practice among other nations, most notably France, Portugal and
even Germany. Klinsmann is just taking advantage of the system to
enhance the roster.
Johannsson’s goal-scoring prowess earned him a spot, especially after
starting striker Jozy Altidore struggled this past season with
Sunderland of the English Premier League.
Corey Sipkin/New York Daily NewsAn
honest Jurgen Klinsmann says his team has no shot to win the World Cup, but a quarterfinal berth is not out of the question as the Americans
(and German-Americans) head to Brazil.
“Everybody’s so worried about my confidence. My confidence is fine,”
Altidore says. “It’s not going to change at all. Whether I score a hat
trick or I don’t score at all, I’m fine. It doesn’t matter how I play as
long as we win.”
Jones, 32, will start in midfield and while a physical presence he is
prone to yellow cards. Johnson, who scored a brilliant goal last week in
a friendly against Turkey at Red Bull Arena, can play either midfield
or outside back and is dangerous making runs down the flank.
The team’s best players, however, are still American-born. Michael
Bradley, the son of the former U.S. coach, could play for a number of
top clubs in Europe but elected to return to Major League Soccer and
sign with Toronto. He is a terrific two-way player with a non-stop
motor. Clint Dempsey, a veteran of two World Cups, tends to float in and
out of games but he is incredibly skillful and creative. Four years
ago, it was Dempsey’s goal that gave the U.S. a 1-1 opening-match draw
against England.
Howard, raised in North Brunswick, N.J., plays for Everton in the EPL
and is considered one of the top goalkeepers in the world. And he’d
better be, because the soft underbelly of the U.S. team is its backline,
which has little experience playing together as a group, essential at
this level.
Germany has the ability to pick the Americans apart, and considering
that Ronaldo scored three goals against Sweden just to get Portugal into
the World Cup, the U.S. defense needs to be at its best. Klinsmann will
pick two of the four center backs — Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, John
Brooks and Geoff Cameron — to be his starters. And then he’ll cross his
fingers.
DAN LEVINE/EPAThe U.S. faces perennial power Germany, Portugal and Ghana in Group D action at the World Cup.
The US has advanced out of group play in every other World
Cup dating back to 1994. Eight years later, Arena took them to the
quarterfinals, and in 2010, Bradley’s team was eliminated by a late goal
from Ghana that was caused by a poor marking.
If you go by the “Eight Year Itch” theory, this is Klinsmann’s year to
at least make it to the round of 16. He never said that is impossible.
“There’s always pressure no matter what World Cup you’re in,” Dempsey
says. “You always have to be performing. We’re excited by the 23 that
are here, and now we can push forward. We look forward to that chance of
trying to do something special in Brazil. We’re focused on going down
there and doing well in order to move things forward.
“You do that by doing well in major competitions.”
USA: Brooks, Chandler, Green und Johnson im Aufgebot
Am Montag hat US-Nationaltrainer Jürgen Klingsmann
sein vorläufiges Aufgebot für die Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 2014 in
Brasilien bekannt gegeben. Im 30-köpfigen Kader finden sich mit
John-Anthony Brooks (Hertha BSC), Timothy Chandler(1. FC
Nürnberg),Fabian Johnson (1899 Hoffenheim) und überraschend auch
Julian Green (FC Bayern München) gleich vier Bundesliga-Legionäre sowie
weitere bekannte Gesichter.
Innenverteidiger Brooks sowie die Außenverteidiger Chandler und
Johnson zählen schon seit längerem zum festen Bestand der USA.
Wie schon
damals 2006, als Klinsmann plötzlich David Odonkor für die Heim-WM aus
den Hut zauberte, überraschte der amerikanische Nationalcoach auch
dieses Mal und nominierte den erst 18-jährigen Green. Der in Tampa
(Florida) geborene Mittelfeldmann feierte erst Anfang April sein
Länderspiel-Debüt für die Vereinigten Staaten und wurde im
Prestige-Duell gegen Mexiko (2:2) eingewechselt.
Des weiteren vertraut Klinsmann auch auf einige Spieler, die früher
schon in Deutschland aktiv waren: DaMarcus Beasley (Hannover 96),
Michael Parkhurst(FC Augsburg), Michael Bradley (Bor. Mönchengladbach),
Jermaine Jones (FC Schalke) und Landon Donovan (Leverkusen, FC Bayern)
standen schon in der Bundesliga auf dem Rasen.
"Wir mussten ein paar schwere Entscheidungen treffen und sind jetzt
sehr zuversichtlich mit den 30 Spielern, mit denen wir in die
Vorbereitung starten", sagte Klinsmann. In besagter Vorbereitung
bekommen es die US-Boys mit Aserbaidschan (27. Mai), der Türkei (2.
Juni) und Nigeria (7. Juni) zu tun. Bis zum 2. Juni muss Klinsmann dann
seinen endgültigen 23-Mann-Kader benennen.
Bei der WM trifft die USA in
der Gruppe G auf Ghana (17. Juni), Portugal (23. Juni) und Deutschland
(26. Juni).
Das erweiterte Aufgebot der USA:
Torhüter: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (FC Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Verteidiger: DaMarcus Beasley (FC Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting
Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha BSC), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City),
Timothy Chandler (1. FC Nürnberg), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Omar
Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Fabian
Johnson (1899 Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew), DeAndre
Yedlin (Seattle Sounders)
Mittelfeldspieler: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro
Bedoya (FC Nantes), Michael Bradley (FC Toronto), Joe Corona (Club
Tijuana), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg
Trondheim), Maurice Edu (Philadelphia Union), Julian Green (Bayern
München), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas Istanbul), Graham Zusi (Sporting
Kansas City)
Stürmer: Jozy Altidore (FC Sunderland), Terrence Boyd (Rapid
Wien), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy),
Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
KINGSTON, R.I. – In a remarkable night for Rhode Island alumni, Geoff Cameron helped the United States Men's National Team defeat Ghana, 2-1, in the World Cup and Nick Greenwood earned the victory in his Major League Baseball debut.
ESPN.com's Jeff Carlisle rated Cameron’s performance a 7 out of 10. Only Howard and Brooks received higher grades in Carlisle’s report. Cameron – who helped lead Rhode Island to the 2006 Atlantic 10 championship – is the second URI men's soccer player to appear in a World Cup as Andy Williams competed for his native Jamaica in 1998.
Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News Michael Bradley is a two-way player that drives the engine of the U.S. World Cup squad. 
Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News An
honest Jurgen Klinsmann says his team has no shot to win the World Cup, but a quarterfinal berth is not out of the question as the Americans
(and German-Americans) head to Brazil. 
DAN LEVINE/EPA The U.S. faces perennial power Germany, Portugal and Ghana in Group D action at the World Cup. 
