Germany Lineup To Play Against France
An all European quarter final beckons at the Maracana as Germany take on France in what promises to be a stellar encounter. There have been reports that a majority of the German squad have been hit by flu ahead of the match which is certain to hamper Joachim Loew’s side’s preparations for the huge game. However the Die Mannschaft have been known to be ruthless and have the ability to get past any hurdle in their quest for success as history has shown over the past decades.
Joachim Low confirms that 7 German players had flu symptoms. “But yesterday all players were able to train,” with slight cold.
— Paul Hayward (@_PaulHayward) July 3, 2014
Loew’s side will definitely go in as favourites, but can Didier Deschamps’ side unsettle the odds? We here at Soccersouls provide our readers with the strongest Germany lineup going into the quarter final knockout clash against France.
Goalkeeper:
Manuel Neuer had a fascinating game coming out repeatedly as a sweeping goalkeeper to thwart the Algerian attackers who tried to expose Per Mertesacker’s lack of pace. 36% of Neuer’s touches against the African side were outside the box. (59 touches of the ball – 21 of them outside the area). It did pay off in the end as Germany went through, but it certainly would be however risky tactic against France who will have the lively Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema leading the line up front, who are equally quick if not better. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper faces a side that has ten goals in their four games and carry the pedigree to unlock any position.
Defenders:
So gut wie wieder hergestellt :) Almost back at 100% :) pic.twitter.com/Mp1ncU81fw
— Mats Hummels (@matshummels) July 2, 2014
Jerome Boateng has been tactically flexible and should start in the right back slot while Benedikt Howedes will man the other flank. Mats Hummels looks to have shaken off his injury doubt to be fit for the clash and will partner Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker in the heart of the defense. France’s attacking prowess will try to stretch the German backline which have shown vulnerability to wilt under pressure, albeit straight and attacking play in the final third.
Midfield:
Phillip Lahm will have Bastian Schweinstieger and Tony Kroos alongside him to hold fort in midfield while Mesut Ozil will start out wide on the right with Mario Gotze on the left flank. Both the midfielders will gradually draft in to creat spaces for the wingbacks to overlap and fill in a an attacking 4-4-3-3 setup which looks like a more conventional 4-5-1 while overloading the midfield.
Strikeforce:
The lack of a quality number nine might hamper Loew’s side, but till now Thomas Muller has taken up the mantle with great effect. The Bayern Munich man should start as the farthest midfielder looking to the line getting ample support from the decoy runs of Mesut Ozil from the right and Mario Gotze on the left. The Germans are sure to take advantage of France’s lack of quality wingbacks who are slow and leave back spaces when they get get caught ahead of the ball while joining attacks from the deep. Miroslav Klose is always in hand if Loew feels to inject a fresh pair of legs if the tie reaches extra time.
