| 16.06.2008 |
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| I have to admit that I have always been a fan of Joachim Loew. Apart from the fact that he was the actual brains behind Germany's run to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup and the assumption that he was the fashion consultant for the impeccably co-ordinated coaching team, he just seemed like a decent bloke and one of soccer's nice guys. One thing that was missing was a bit of an edge. He always seemed so mellow; a thoughtful and considered coach rather than a ranter, raver or teacup thrower. Funny how things change. Germany's frustrating form in their last two Group B games has finally forced Jogi to show his teeth. This new darkness has really added something to his overall appeal and getting sent off during the Austria game was just the icing on the cake! Some might argue that he showed a lack of discipline to argue with the fourth official over the latest of a long list of dubious decisions before ranting at Austria's coach Josef Hickersburger but, apart from being removed from the coaching area, Jogi's outburst may have been just the catalyst Germany needed. While the nice-and-easy approach gives your team a calm environment to retreat into and helps take the pressure out of a tournament camp, an added blood-and-guts variable can be used to stoke the fires in your players' bellies when needed. Loew's passion, rarely seen except in celebration, seemed to ignite the Germans after his touchline spat. The flames in his own gut surely inspired the team talk at half-time which led to the resurgent performance we saw after the break.  If Jogi Loew is going to get angrier and angrier as this tournament goes on, maybe it'll be enough to drive Germany on to glory on June 29. Either that, or sometime in the next two weeks the Germany coach is going to turn green and shred his Boss shirt and slacks on the sidelines. It will take a brave referee to send the Incredible Loew to the stands if that happens. |
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| 16.06.2008 |
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Just after Germany’s Germany’s loss to Croatia, coach Jogi Löw told the press they “would see a different team on the pitch“ against Austria, and many took that to mean that he’d be ringing in the changes to the starting 11.  Perhaps the disappointing Mario Gomez would be left out in favor of Lukas Podolski, whose place on the Left wing would perhaps be taken over by Thomas Hitzlsperger. Perhaps Tim Borowski would play on the right in place of Clemens Fritz, perhaps Marcell Jansen’s injury would be serious enough to shift Philipp Lahm over to the left, making way on the right for Arne Friedrich. Perhaps Heiko Westermann would play at the back, as Christoph Metzelder was due for a break after some shaky sequences against Croatia. Perhaps you’ve noticed that’s a lot of perhapses, and now they appear to be all for naught. If Germany’s omniscient oracle of news the Bild Zeitung is correct, the only one of those changes that looks like it’s going to get made is bringing in Arne Friedrich at right back, and moving Lahm over. This seems unwise. Germany has looked fairly uninspired thus far in the tournament, a much less zestful side than the one that lit up the World Cup two years ago and changed a lot of minds about the Germany team, including mine. Klose and Gomez are not playing well off of each other, and Ballack is shackled to a too-deep position in midfield as he covers for the (admittedly effective) adventures of Lukas Podolski on the left. The options available to Löw with Schweinsteiger suspended are limited, but clearly this team could stand for some tinkering. I’ve been troubled by the conservatism of Löw’s selection policy for some time now, ruing his sticking by Jens Lehmann, and questioning his leaving out Marko Marin, Patrick Helmes and especially Jermaine Jones in favor of more familiar faces when picking his final squad in Mallorca. This latest episode of stay-the-course-ism may get Germany past a very mobile but largely toothless Austria side, but it doesn’t give me a lot of faith in Löw’s flexibility in tailoring sides as situations arise. On a side note, i'll post the radio report I adapted for DW’s main current affairs program Newslink, my other (real?) job. Austria is still fixated on 1978 and Cordoba… |
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| 16.06.2008 |
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| When it comes to summarizing the first week of action at Euro 2008, who better to ask for their opinion than an impartial observer? I tracked down a couple of experts who could give knowledgeable insight without the possibility of partisan allegiances coloring his comments. Enter my dad and brother: "What's this for again?" "The Deutsche Welle Euro 2008 blog." "So this will be on the Internet." "I'll make you famous, father." "Infamous more, like. Okay number three son, fire away." After hours sat in front of all the first round games, there's no-one I feel is better qualified to review Week One of Euro 2008 than these two. And considering how inane the English pundits have been so far, I thought I would extend the discussion and put it to the panel in the hope of generating some pithy comments.  Which team has impressed you most so far and why? Richard: Croatia and Holland. Some teams rely on their stars but in terms of teams which play together as a unit, then Croatia and Holland have impressed me so far. They understand one another, they play for one another and get in positions and they work hard. They don't rely on one star player. One of those two teams will win. John: I think you have to look at the managers. (Croatian coach Slaven) Bilic does his homework, he knows what his team can do and what they have to do to beat the team they're up against. And they do what he tells them to do. (Holland coach Marco) van Basten is the same. You have to see that these teams all have to be of a similar standard to be at Euro 2008 so I think it's the managers who will make the difference. But I picked Croatia to win it before the tournament started so I'll go with them. Who have you been disappointed with? John: Italy and France. I think these two…and some of the other so-called better teams…rely too much on individuals. I thought I would enjoy this tournament more because England weren't in it because the pressure would be off but I've been disappointed with the standard as a whole, to be honest. Richard: Some of their players play brilliantly at their clubs and should be included in the national teams but when they do, they don't perform. You wouldn't leave any of the Italians or French out of a league team but the way they've played for their countries this week, a lot of them look like shadows of their former selves. Any surprises so far? John: They've been true to form so far but one team which might surprise you is Spain. They have to come good sometime, surely. Getting past the quarter-finals would be a big surprise for them, knowing that they usually flop around that stage. They have so much potential but never seem to perform when it matters. Has any player really stood out for you? John: Ruud van Nistlerooy. I watched the Holland-Italy game and I was very impressed with him. Also Dirk Kuyt's been playing well. He had a good game against the Italians. His work rate is tremendous. I think he's a good player without being a great player but he makes up for it with the amount of work he puts in. At the other extreme, Thierry Henry has disappointed me. He was far from terrible but he was nowhere near the player he used to be…he didn't get a lot of service, I must admit…but he was a big disappointment. Richard: The whole Italian defense – what's happened to them? They may have lost Cannavaro, perhaps their best player, but they just haven't shown up at all. Have you picked up on anything which has really annoyed you so far? John: The theatrics. Players are getting a little tap and they're going to ground like they've been shot by a sniper. That is done for the sole purpose of getting someone booked or sent off. What kind of sport is it when your success depends on someone getting sent off? That's what gets me – how these highly paid professionals are trying to achieve success through deceit. What's the atmosphere like here in the UK, considering there's not a single representative from the British Isles taking part? John: One of the main things that I've noticed about England not being there is that when they are involved, you pick up your paper a week before the tournament and its full of information; wall charts, player profiles, potential opponents in the later rounds…they have it all. What have we got this time? A profile of each team about a week ago and a feature from some psychologist saying what effect team colors have on players! What sort of rubbish is that? There's hardly any coverage this year. And the streets…you wouldn't know there was a tournament going on. Richard: There were flags out all over the place for the World Cup and four years ago for Euro 2004 but there's nothing. Well, nothing to do with England anyway. But even the amount of other national flags are a lot less. No-one seems to be bothered. Last time, the pubs were full, there were England shirts everywhere, and being out in the town was fantastic. Some of the pubs have the games on but no-one's going out of the way to watch them. Finally, why did England fail to qualify? Richard: Bad team selection. The pressure is to put the best players you have out on the pitch but they don't always play as a team. You're picking individuals and hoping they'll gel as a team. John: Lack of self belief. Pure and simple. Do you want a cup of tea? |
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| 16.06.2008 |
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| Did you know that Wayne Rooney married his childhood sweetheart Colleen in a £5 million wedding in Italy this week? Of course you didn't because you're too busy following the European Championships. This was the main news in the UK (even eclipsing the Irish "no" vote in some cases) during my sojourn across the water to check on how my country folk were dealing with not being involved in Euro 2008. And while there weren't exactly tumbleweeds blowing down the deserted roads of old Blighty, there weren't any lobster-coloured skinheads rolling in the streets either. It was kinda eerie. Taking to the city in search of some enthusiasm for Euro 2008, it soon became obvious that retail therapy was the chosen crutch of my disappointed countryfolk. While the sale and rent of widescreen televisions were reportedly taking a massive knock in relation to figures during the World Cup in 2006, the amount of people swarming through the shops suggested that while the rest of Europe was glued to the soccer, the English were making up for losing their party invite by trying to aid the shell-shocked economy. The figures which forecasted a huge hole in the British coffers come this summer due to the failure of England to qualify couldn't have taken into consideration the fact that the only thing we English do better than drinking is running up huge credit card bills. Maybe the government thought that the sale of any old crap with the St. George's cross on it was the cornerstone of our island's financial stability. If this indeed had been the case, then we may have soon become the subject for some UN donor conference. My country's optimism is both enduring and endearing when it comes to soccer but it can also be our downfall. Judging by the endless bargain bins full of unsold tacky England souvenirs, many a hopeful entrepreneur was suffering along with the broke-hearted fans who had lost their lust for cheaply made, plastic merchandise. The lack of flags, shirts and other sundry rubbish was glaringly obvious.  However, some things seemed the same; there was the muffled sound of soccer statistics floating on the stagnant breeze and a few continental colors on show in the sun-kissed beer gardens, but the differences from previous summers were still very much in evidence. I could get to the bar in any chosen pub, in the middle of a game, and get served without having to squeeze between bulldog tattoos and rancid armpits. I could relieve myself in the facilities -- which would normally be reminiscent of the Somme -- without having to weave my way across a carpet of my fallen brethren. There were seats available near the screens and there were no out-of-tune renditions of Three Lions drowning out the pundits. It was, dare I say it, very civilised and relaxed. I engaged a couple of lads sat nearby in conversation during the half-time break in the Greece-Russia game. They were devoid of team colours and while there were a few Greek shirts on show, I safely assumed that these two would be locals – or Russians with strong Norfolk accents. "What's the atmosphere in the city been like so far during the tournament?" I asked. "This is the first game we've seen in the pub," said one. "We're out clubbing later and thought this would be a good starting point." "Have you watched many at home?" said I. "A few but only when a decent team is on, like Portugal or Holland," said the other. "These two have been rubbish," he added, waving a derisory hand at the television. "Do you think the English are bothered about Euro 2008?" I asked. "Those who like footie will watch it all, I s'pose. But what's the point really when your team's not in it?" The obvious dearth of clientele suggested many others felt the same. I went unhindered to the bar for a refill. While waiting patiently for my Guinness to settle I asked the landlord if business was suffering yet. "Looking back to the World Cup, this place is a ghost town in comparison," he said. "I reckon my takings will be down by around 40 percent by the end of the tournament, in comparison to the same period two years ago. The only thing which would make matters worse would be if the bloody Germans win it." I returned to my seat, which had remained vacated, safe in the knowledge that at least some things never change. |
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