| 19.06.2008 |
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As it seems the season to praise Andrei Arshavin, let me join in the chorus started by those two consistently class football writers, Guardian Unlimited's Barney Ronay and Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl. (UPDATE: How could I forget my boy Nick Amies?!? Tip of the cap, Nick.)  Arshavin really does look to be the missing piece to Russia’s puzzle, lending their fast, well-trained, but somewhat inflexible team a whiff of the unexpected. I was starting to be convinced by Russia after their match against Greece, but thought their attack looked a little rote, in that they were always looking for the same ways in once reaching the final third. (Which can work against a team like Greece, of course.) I wouldn’t be surprised now, with an injection of Arshavinity (Arshavineity? Arsha-Velva?) if they give Holland a genuine scare on the weekend. Still worrisome, however, is the finishing of Russia’s other ‘striker’ Roman Pavlyuchenko. I know, I know, he scored a goal against Sweden and everything, but the man should have scored at least three, and the same goes for the Greece game. He hasn't yet had any misses in the same league as Mario Gomez, but give him time and he might well conjure one. (It was no surprise when, in the midst of the second-half Russian offensive pile-on, Arshavin thought better of passing to Pavlyuchenko when the two were through on goal.) I’ll post another of my radio pieces, one whose flavor is far from red-sports-meaty. It’s a visit with some Portuguese here in Germany who are getting ready for the big match tonight, and who ruminate a little on the difference between the teams and fans. |
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| 19.06.2008 |
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I'm going to get this one in early as there is a good chance that after the quarter-final between Germany and Portugal on Thursday night, the opposite camp might have a lot more power: "SAVE JOGI LOEW!!" Remarkably, the Germany coach is seen by many (our own Jefferson Chase among them) as hanging onto his job by a thread despite being awarded a new contract to see him through to the 2010 World Cup after steering Germany to Euro 2008 qualification. Lackluster and uninspired performances so far in the European Championships have heaped pressure on Jogi to the extent that a defeat to Portugal in Basel could end the Incredible Loew's tenure. Normally we could shrug this type of hysteria off as a knee-jerk reaction by the rabid German press who demand world class performances AND trophies. (Only after the silverware is at home do they tend to forget about how it was won – which is often by way of luck and bluster over finesse and skill). This time however the stress is palpable and manifested itself in the Incredible Loew's outburst against Austria on Monday. That outburst led to Jogi being banned from the touch-line for the quarter-final and so he will watch his team play out his and their fate from the stands. It seems unbelievable that we are now talking about the possible removal of a coach who is widely credited for Germany's return to form at the 2006 World Cup and whose record as sole coach remains impressive: 18 wins, four draws and three defeats since taking over after the World Cup. (DW-WORLD.DE Reviews Loew's First Year as Germany Coach) This tournament was always going to be Jogi's big chance but as yet, he has not been able to get the Germans firing on all cylinders. He has appeared paralyzed by some of his own strange decisions: retaining Jens Lehmann in goal, persevering with the misfiring Mario Gomez and Miro Klose up front, keeping Lukas Podolski – Germany's most likely goal scorer – shackled in midfield, and leaving the creative livewire Bastian Schweinsteiger on the bench for long periods of time. Taking these and the performance to date into consideration, the "JOGI OUT" camp has a lot of ammunition. So, you might well ask, what has the "SAVE JOGI" camp got to offer? Well, as unofficial chairman of this campaign, I must say that so far I have not been impressed with the Germany team. But I will not join the voices of discontent against the coach. I don't think that Loewie has suddenly become a terrible manager or one which cannot rally his troops when their confidence seems to be ebbing away. Previously I mentioned that Germany has only suffered three defeats during his tenure so far. Count them…one (0-1 against Denmark)…two (0-3 against the Czech Republic)…and three (1-2 against Croatia). The first loss ended an undefeated streak of eight games and was a friendly used to blood new stars; the second was a shock in a largely competent Euro qualifying campaign and the Croatia defeat? I don't think we need to go there again, do we? These games aside, the majority of Jogi's reign has been filled with the attacking verve that he is credited with bringing back to the national team. There have been a few dull performances and some scraped wins but Loew has kept Germany on a slow, upward curve. Let's not forget that everyone looks back on the 2006 World Cup as the moment of Germany's renaissance but The Dog & Duck Sunday XI could have got that crowd behind them if they had been wearing Germany shirts. Germany were crap for long periods against Argentina in the quarter-final and only equalized with ten minutes to go. They were also quite ordinary against Poland and for most of the game after taking a very early 2-0 lead against Sweden. It would be wrong to think that Jogi Loew has somehow spoiled a good team just because Germany go into their quarter-final against Portugal as underdogs. Take off the Klinsi-tinted glasses, Jogi-haters, and face the truth: Germany did not win the 2006 World Cup, even though it may have felt like it. They showed promise while surfing a wave of huge public support. That promise continues under Jogi Loew. And if the Euro adventure ends on Thursday night, I urge you all to stick with the man who has done the most to nurture that promise. Because the next man they hire could be Lothar Matthaeus. Think about it. |
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