Germans = Overrated

[Dr. Ogba]

With the dust settling now on the WC and the eyes of the nation looking to forward to the Euro qualifiers thought I'd throw in my tuppence worth on our chances in Germany...

Basically it needn't be all doom and gloom for Stuttgart cause I honestly believe that the Germans flattered to deceive in this World Cup:

Starting with the defence:
Lehmann is ok but still liable to a few clangers and he ain't getting any younger, CB's Mertezacher (sp??) and Metzelder well known to be dodgy - let Keane and Doyle have free run at these guys and we could get some joy, Lahm is handy enough but is nowhere near as good as people crack him up to be - has absolutely no left foot for a left-full and always has to cut inside,Finnan will have him in his pocket going forward...Can't even remember who the RB is!!!

In Midfield, for Lahm read Schweinsteiger - Often flatters to deceive and again has no left foot for a left winger - very overrated. Frings = plodder, nothing to fear there. Ballack - obviously class but am hoping the Chelsea factor kicks in and he loses some of his attacking spark. Schneider is a distinctly average player that offer no kind of attacking threat for a winger, no worries there...

Its up front that we should be a wee bit worried. Klose has proven his class and is the main threat in this German side, if Richie Dunne keeps him quiet then I fancy us getting a clean sheet...
I'm unsure about Podolski, sometimes he looks very lively and dangerous but has a tendency to drift in and out of the game...

Obviously I'm really just basing this on watching them during the WC but, along with Klinnsmann leaving, I think that they may be there for the taking...provided we put in a performance on par with France away in '04...


Feel free to comment/ridicule as necessary:)

[colster]

I agree. I wouldn't fear them. If we get our attitude right and go for the win I think we can do it.

[Over the post]

I agree that the Germans are overrated and the fact they were hosts gave them a bit of a boost. Costa Rica showed up the German defence in the first match and the midfield gave the CBs more cover after than. I was particularly impressed by Lahm though. I thought he had a huge tournament both defensively and going forward. Playing a right-footed player on the left (or vice versa) does not necessarily rule them out as an attacking force. Schweinsteiger played a stormer against Portugal and bagged a couple of goals into the bargain. If memory serves we've used Duff on the right (v Spain in WC2002) to great effect. I reckon Odonkor will be given the nod ahead of Schneider on the right and his pace could cause us big problems, particularly if Harte is at left back. I'm not saying Harte isn't an option, it's just that his lack of pace would be exposed. I agree completely about Klose and Podolski. The aspect I most fear is the solidity of the German midfield; with players like Ballack, Kehl, Borowski, etc. to choose from, they have far better options than us at present.

[Dr. Ogba]

I agree that the Germans are overrated and the fact they were hosts gave them a bit of a boost. Costa Rica showed up the German defence in the first match and the midfield gave the CBs more cover after than. I was particularly impressed by Lahm though. I thought he had a huge tournament both defensively and going forward. Playing a right-footed player on the left (or vice versa) does not necessarily rule them out as an attacking force. Schweinsteiger played a stormer against Portugal and bagged a couple of goals into the bargain. If memory serves we've used Duff on the right (v Spain in WC2002) to great effect. I reckon Odonkor will be given the nod ahead of Schneider on the right and his pace could cause us big problems, particularly if Harte is at left back. I'm not saying Harte isn't an option, it's just that his lack of pace would be exposed. I agree completely about Klose and Podolski. The aspect I most fear is the solidity of the German midfield; with players like Ballack, Kehl, Borowski, etc. to choose from, they have far better options than us at present.

Agreed on Odonkor, his pace would be a bit of a worry for Harte/Kilbane/O'Shea...final ball lacking though?
As for Schweinsteiger/Lahm, I watched all of Germany's matches and as soon as defenders copped that they were turning inside the whole time and started showing them the wing they became very predictable and ended up passing backwards....I really think if we have a rhs of Finnan and Carr we should be able to keep both of them fairly subdued...

[RogerMilla]

okonkor more of an impact player i reckon , if schneider doesn't retire then he should start , right back is friedrich , muck imo , an on-form duff would take him to the cleaners , schweinsteiger had a poor world cup which will be glossed over due to his performance in the 3rd place game when the pressure was off. germany beat a poor costa rica , struggled against the poles , hammered an ecuador who had already qualified and rested players , beat sweden who should have pulled one back with that peno. they did well against italy and argentina but if crespo had pounced on that dodgy infield ball by lahm it would have been all so different .
In short , we should have nothing to fear. It's time we re-established ourselves.

[Jens1893]

The squad is gonna be different. Friedrich hopefully and most likely will be replaced. Taking only one true right back to the WC was a mistake, but we have options there with Lahm (put Jansen at LB), Owomoyela and Andreas Hinkel. Odonkor has pace and passion, but not much else. He´s a sub for now, especially as he can´t cross to save his life. Schneider is fine and most likely won´t retire until 2008. Frings is a lot more than a plodder (3g, 7a last season) ....

Injuries withstanding, I think Stefan Kiessling will be in the squad. I hope Germany and Ireland both qualify.

[wws]

Germany were immense at the world cup - defying all expectations.

.....but the world cup factor will have died out in a few weeks and they could possibly be caught with a hangover after the party.....our only hope of catching them on the hop.

Ireland being Ireland though....best we can ever get against a top ranked team will be a draw away

[youngirish]

Agreed on Odonkor, his pace would be a bit of a worry for Harte/Kilbane/O'Shea...final ball lacking though?
As for Schweinsteiger/Lahm, I watched all of Germany's matches and as soon as defenders copped that they were turning inside the whole time and started showing them the wing they became very predictable and ended up passing backwards....I really think if we have a rhs of Finnan and Carr we should be able to keep both of them fairly subdued...
It amazes me that if Germany are so distinctly average with so many predictable and average to poor players how they almost succeeded in winning the World Cup playing against and beating some of the best teams in the world.

Optimism is all very well but some of the comments here are bordering on pure fantasy. We'll be very, very lucky to get a draw against Germany in September full stop. For all their supposedly average players only Duff and Given (possibly Finnan) would get a look into their first eleven if all our players were German (or Poles as the case may be).

[colster]

It amazes me that if Germany are so distinctly average with so many predictable and average to poor players how they almost succeeded in winning the World Cup playing against and beating some of the best teams in the world.

Optimism is all very well but some of the comments here are bordering on pure fantasy. We'll be very, very lucky to get a draw against Germany in September full stop. For all their supposedly average players only Duff and Given (possibly Finnan) would get a look into their first eleven if all our players were German (or Poles as the case may be).

They got to the final in 2002 and we drew with them then with a team that included the likes of an ageing Staunton,Breen, Harte, Kilbane and Kelly as wingers and a central midfield of Kinsella and Holland. I think we have a better defence, better wingers in Duff, McGeady, and pace and attacking options from the bench then the team that played in the 2002 WC.
So in short I don't think it is pure fantasy for us to go into this game with a bit of optimism. Remember we only narrowly lost out to the WC finalists in qualifying.

[Jens1893]

They got to the final in 2002 and we drew with them then with a team that included the likes of an ageing Staunton,Breen, Harte, Kilbane and Kelly as wingers and a central midfield of Kinsella and Holland. I think we have a better defence, better wingers in Duff, McGeady, and pace and attacking options from the bench then the team that played in the 2002 WC.
So in short I don't think it is pure fantasy for us to go into this game with a bit of optimism. Remember we only narrowly lost out to the WC finalists in qualifying.

The current German team is totally different to the team we had in 2002 from top to bottom. Klinsmann has given the team a whole new philosophy .... and as Löw used to be his assistant that is not going to change. The changes he made had been long overdue.

[DotTV]

I think the main thing we have to worry about is how to handle Klose and Podolski.
Is Stan going to start with Richard Dunne and O'Brien and will they be able to cope?
The Germans scored a lot of goals in this world cup and the goals came from a lot of different areas.It's hard to see us keeping a clean sheet over there so hopefully Keane and Doyler can do the business up front.

[colster]

I think the main thing we have to worry about is how to handle Klose and Podolski.
Is Stan going to start with Richard Dunne and O'Brien and will they be able to cope?
The Germans scored a lot of goals in this world cup and the goals came from a lot of different areas.It's hard to see us keeping a clean sheet over there so hopefully Keane and Doyler can do the business up front.

Who were the goals scored against? Costa Rica (4), Ecuador (3) and Portugal (3), Sweden (2). Apart from Portugal I wouldn't class the other 3 as being good teams or having great defences. The Portugal game was practically a friendly game anyway.

[DotTV]

They all qualified for the world cup and we didn't.
OK.I'll take your point on Costa Rica and Ecuador but they did get six goals against European opposition.

[zinedineontour]

Far from overated imo.. Could have made the final with a bit more luck . Should the question not be are we not overated in regards to some opinions on here !

[Jens1893]

They all qualified for the world cup and we didn't.
OK.I'll take your point on Costa Rica and Ecuador but they did get six goals against European opposition.

We didn´t qualify ... technically :)

[Reality Bites]

What a Stupid thread, The Germans brand of fast attacking football made them the one of the best sides in the World Cup, they were good to watch and will cause us a World of Pain in stuttgart if they maintain the same momentum, Judging by this Forum i can clearly see despite our dismal failures the rosr tinted glasses have not gone away,, remember our midfield is as weak as water!

[PaulB]

It amazes me that if Germany are so distinctly average with so many predictable and average to poor players how they almost succeeded in winning the World Cup playing against and beating some of the best teams in the world.

Optimism is all very well but some of the comments here are bordering on pure fantasy. We'll be very, very lucky to get a draw against Germany in September full stop. For all their supposedly average players only Duff and Given (possibly Finnan) would get a look into their first eleven if all our players were German (or Poles as the case may be).

Agreed, and for the record I don't think Duff would get in their squad. Hasn't played consistently well in over a year. Finnan and Given would get in, thats it

[Donal81]

In a way, this reminds me of the debate about the Kerry GAA team every year. They're overrated, they're plain rubbish, players not good enough, manager rubbish, etc, etc. But yet every year they get to the final stages and generally make it difficult for those that manage to beat them. The Germans got beat in the final in 2002 with what was supposedly a very weak German team. They play excellently to knock out the tournament favourites and could have gotten to the final with a bit of luck.

I don't think they're overrated as they don't receive the hype that the likes of Argentina, Brazil or Spain do. They'll be difficult to beat but like all the teams at the World Cup proved (except Italy), no team is unbeatable.

[Kingdom]

Watch thos Blasphemous words Donal81, or I'll send the Bomber Liston round after ya!

[Stuttgart88]

Germany are a fine side with a central midfield we'd kill for. Overrated? No, I don't think so. I think it's accepted that they played beyond expectations and probably only got to the SF because Argentina let them off the hook.

But, as always, I think we're capable of a result against anyone on any given day. In fact I think we play better against better teams. It was the same story in Amsterdam. Nobody gave us a chance against arguably the best side in Euro 2000 but we played out of our skins and should have won.

I'm really hoping we have our key players fit and especially, for the first time in years, a fully match fit forward line. At no stage in the last campaign were either Morrisson or Robbie fully fit. Both only got their seasons started after we were eliminated. Elliott had barely been tried & Doyle was still only finding his feet in England. If everyone's fit & on form, and the management team gets the preparations right, including getting the right mindset into the team, then we can give it a real go.

I think we'll have a huge support out there too which will count.

Given, Finnan & Duff are as good as anyone in Germany's team if not better. I'd have Robbie Keane in the form he showed for Spurs in 2006 ahead of Podolski. Mertesecker and Metzelder aren't impregnable by any means & I think Dunne & O'Brien could turn into a fine pairing for us if they keep their concentration. Personally I'd pick Carr RHM & KK at LB for solidity & experience and each can add to our attacking threat on the flanks.

I think it'll hinge on whether Reid & O'Shea can hold their own in midfield & whether Dunne & O'Brien can play a strong, error free game. In fact Steven Reid might even be a surprise for the Germans.

I sincerely hope that Stan & Sir Bobby add some set-piece threat to our armoury.

In reality we'll be second favourites but not overwhelmingly. Don't tell me second favourites never get resuts in football.

[colster]

What a Stupid thread, The Germans brand of fast attacking football made them the one of the best sides in the World Cup, they were good to watch and will cause us a World of Pain in stuttgart if they maintain the same momentum, Judging by this Forum i can clearly see despite our dismal failures the rosr tinted glasses have not gone away,, remember our midfield is as weak as water!

Yes and we only lost out by a single goal to the eventual WC finalists.
I think from your comments you are definitely of the glass half empty type.
Ireland have problems. They had problems in the last campaign yet still came within a goal of finishing in the top 2. A lot of the problems we had were to do with tactics and attitude set out by the manager. A lot of the players did not play to their potential in the last campaign.
The optimism that I and some other people have is based on players playing closer to their best and with a more attacking and fearless attitude. And also with a manager who (I hope) will play a formation and tactics that suit the team.
In short if we play with the same attitude that the German team had in the world cup we will do well and stand a chance in this group.

The other point is that while Germany performed well in the WC there are still areas we can look at to exploit. Firstly they may suffer from a WC hangover. They have put a lot of effort and passion into the WC. The hype and enthusiasm of the fans may die down. Also, the pressure will be on them to beat this Irish side. How will they handle this? Remember before the WC their results were not very good and some were even calling for Klinnsmanns head.

[Stuttgart88]

hopefully Keane and Doyler can do the business up front.Personally, I'd still go with Morrisson unless Doyle makes a compelling case in his early games in the Premiership or against Holland.

If Morrisson can play anything like he did in Paris before he got injured he'll be a real asset. Doyle barely figured against Sweden I thought and only got a few good flicks in against Chile. I'm hesitant to rate his performance against Chile though because midfield failed so badly no forward would have got a sniff.

I'd be more inclined to use Doyle off the bench. Let Morrisson run his socks off for 60 minutes then bring on a fresh, enthusiastic Doyle.

Good use of the bench this time around would make a marked contrast to the last few campaigns, including the successful WC02 campaign.

[RogerMilla]

fully agree stuttgart , clinto is the man in possession. heres hoping doyle explodes into action in the premiership and pushes his way in. I agree with everyone here who thinks that we have cause for cautious optimism going into the game

[livehead1]

Agreed, and for the record I don't think Duff would get in their squad. Hasn't played consistently well in over a year. Finnan and Given would get in, thats it
are you shteaming??? their centre back, mertzacher, has hardly played football at all, and your telling me that damien duff would not make their squad. he would make their side, hands down. I would also like to mention robert huth, the chelsea reserve who is a regular german international. you seem to forget robbie keane also, one of the best strikers in the premiership. better than neuville and podolski, and probably better than klose. s.reid is another who would be likely to make their squad, if he was english there would have been all kinds of clamouring for him to be in their squad, at the expense of someone like jenas.

if you are going to post, maybe you should construct the post better. ending it with "thats it" doesn't really give many people an idea of why other players wouldn't make their national squad.

[DotTV]

Doyle had a much better season than Morrison last year and I think he deserves a chance.
We all know what Morrison is capable of and to be honest its not much.He doesn't link that well with Keane and what we need up front is someone who can get the best out of Robbie.
Maybe that won't be Doyle but hopefully the Holland game will give us an idea.

[Jens1893]

are you shteaming??? their centre back, mertzacher, has hardly played football at all, and your telling me that damien duff would not make their squad.

74 Bundesliga games and 29 caps at 21 is "hardly having played football at all?

If you mean Metzelder, he´s been unlucky with his injuries and almost didn´t play for 2 years from 2003 to 2005.


I would also like to mention robert huth, the chelsea reserve who is a regular german international.

He´s a regular squad member, but no means a regular international. It´s not like Chelsea don´t have other options and they have 2 half decent center halves in John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. And then there´s William Gallas ... it´s hard to beat out that kind of competition at his age, although I view Huth as a center forward myself.


you seem to forget robbie keane also, one of the best strikers in the premiership. better than neuville and podolski, and probably better than klose.

Podolski is 21 and the sky is the limit for him. And I reckon Klose´s record speaks for itself.

If you´re going to analyze this team, you shouldn´t base it on seven World Cup matches, but you should rather go and watch the players at their clubs.

[Plastic Paddy]

Jens, don't be fooled; this thread epitomises blind Irish optimism at its very best... :)

(maybe I can lull him into a false sense of security... ;) )

:ball: PP

[CollegeTillIDie]

Only Oliver Kahn and Jens Nowotny have retired from the 2006 World Cup squad, a team that is 3rd best in the World. Underrate them at your peril! :cool:

[Jens1893]

Jens, don't be fooled; this thread epitomises blind Irish optimism at its very best...

(maybe I can lull him into a false sense of security...

:ball: PP

A draw is entirely possible and if it was up to me I´d just cancel the games and put Germany first and Ireland second :) Ok, I wouldn´t cancel the games against youse as I´m really looking forward to having a beer with some Ireland fans here and in Dublin.

I´m not underrating the Irish team by any means, but I´ve always had the feeling that Robbie Keane is somehow wasting his talent and could be a much better player. Maybe I just played the old CM too much when Robbie Keane regularly bagged 50 goals a season for me. :)

An Irish friend of mine summed it up pretty well when he said "Robbie Keane is a scorer of great goals, but not a great goalscorer"

If you want to qualify for Switzerland/Austria the key isn´t getting points off the "top teams" like us or the Czech Republic, but rather beating the likes of Wales, Slovakia, Cyprus ... Ireland have a good chance to qualify, and I hope you do, but obviously not at our expense. Our record of never having failed to qualify for a tournament has to be preserved and I´ve never been as excited about a German team as right now as the team is really young.

When you look at the age of some players in the Czech WC Squad (Poborsky, Nedved, Koller, Galasek) I think you´ve got a very good to chance to get a draw away and beat them at Landsdowne/Croke Park.

I actually do own an Ireland top from around 2002/2003

[bennocelt]

With the dust settling now on the WC and the eyes of the nation looking to forward to the Euro qualifiers thought I'd throw in my tuppence worth on our chances in Germany...

Basically it needn't be all doom and gloom for Stuttgart cause I honestly believe that the Germans flattered to deceive in this World Cup:

Starting with the defence:
Lehmann is ok but still liable to a few clangers and he ain't getting any younger, CB's Mertezacher (sp??) and Metzelder well known to be dodgy - let Keane and Doyle have free run at these guys and we could get some joy, Lahm is handy enough but is nowhere near as good as people crack him up to be - has absolutely no left foot for a left-full and always has to cut inside,Finnan will have him in his pocket going forward...Can't even remember who the RB is!!!

In Midfield, for Lahm read Schweinsteiger - Often flatters to deceive and again has no left foot for a left winger - very overrated. Frings = plodder, nothing to fear there. Ballack - obviously class but am hoping the Chelsea factor kicks in and he loses some of his attacking spark. Schneider is a distinctly average player that offer no kind of attacking threat for a winger, no worries there...

Its up front that we should be a wee bit worried. Klose has proven his class and is the main threat in this German side, if Richie Dunne keeps him quiet then I fancy us getting a clean sheet...
I'm unsure about Podolski, sometimes he looks very lively and dangerous but has a tendency to drift in and out of the game...

Obviously I'm really just basing this on watching them during the WC but, along with Klinnsmann leaving, I think that they may be there for the taking...provided we put in a performance on par with France away in '04...


Feel free to comment/ridicule as necessary:)


yeah i agree
germany are a team looking for a good beating, Robbie against that defence, no problem
the only decent players they have are Lahm, who had a cracking World CUp, even if (as you pointed out) he cant cross it with his left foot, so easy to close down then for a good defender (do we have one?)
I like frings, he is a good midfield worker, but ballack is over rated, did ye notic the way he pulled out of tackles in the italy game? result...a corner, and a goal for italy, what a lazy *******
that sweistenger is rubbish, so much promise after his good show in the Euors, but he was generally awful in all the games bar the last one
podolski is useless, wouldnt ir shouldnt trouble us, but Klose could be a danger but is easy enough to mark out of a game
no, i would be very dissapointed if we dont get a result in germany

[bennocelt]

It amazes me that if Germany are so distinctly average with so many predictable and average to poor players how they almost succeeded in winning the World Cup playing against and beating some of the best teams in the world.

Optimism is all very well but some of the comments here are bordering on pure fantasy. We'll be very, very lucky to get a draw against Germany in September full stop. For all their supposedly average players only Duff and Given (possibly Finnan) would get a look into their first eleven if all our players were German (or Poles as the case may be).

you might not have noticed but int football is dead easy to win these days,
Korea were the 4 best team in 2002?
portugal?
int football is for the heart, club football for the head

[Stuttgart88]

An Irish friend of mine summed it up pretty well when he said "Robbie Keane is a scorer of great goals, but not a great goalscorer"
Yes & no. In fact a proper analysis would go deeper than that. He's actually become much more of a typical predator in the last season or so. His goals against Sunderland and Arsenal were good examples. British TV analysts highlighted the cleverness of the way he loses his marker and attacks the vacant space in front of goal. The key here is that these guys were relatively impartial & had no reason to talk him up. In fact, they did so to highlight a flaw in Jermaine Defoe's game.

But Robbie is far more than just a goalscorer. Look at someone like Michael Owen and what he contributes to a game (i.e., nothing) and contrast it to Robbie. Robbie is involved in everything and according to defenders in the Premiership is a handful to mark. It's a bit like Thierry Henry - he can definitely be far more clinical in front of goal but it's not just his goals that add value to the team. If Robbie can reproduce for Ireland the form he showed since Christmas for Spurs then it's happy days. Ireland's problem is that we rarely threaten goals from midfield. If more people shared the goalscoring burden then we'd be less critical of Robbie.

I think Robbie played fewer games but got the same number of goals as Rooney this season. I can think of a few games later in the season where with a bit more luck (OK, or a bit better finishing :)) Robbie could have added half a dozen goals to his tally.

[Dr. Ogba]

It amazes me that if Germany are so distinctly average with so many predictable and average to poor players how they almost succeeded in winning the World Cup playing against and beating some of the best teams in the world.

Optimism is all very well but some of the comments here are bordering on pure fantasy. We'll be very, very lucky to get a draw against Germany in September full stop. For all their supposedly average players only Duff and Given (possibly Finnan) would get a look into their first eleven if all our players were German (or Poles as the case may be).

I hope you're taking the p!ss here, its nothing new a team playing above all expectations to do well in a WC...see Bulgaria 94, Croatia 98, South Korea 02 and even ourselves in 1990...you're making out that Germany are unbeatable without even giving any explanations as to why. As already stated on this thread the whole world cup euphoria will have long since passed, they now have a new coach who may not get the best out of them as Klinsmann did and there's also the fact that there will probably be 10000 Irish fans over there (including myself!!:) )creating an atmosphere like no other.

I know that we are no world-beaters ourselves but the worst thing that we can do is approach this game with the attitude of "wow these guys are world cup semi-finalists, wouldn't it be great if we got a draw"....We must approach this game positively and set the tone for the campaign from the off...

[youngirish]

Lad's Ireland have a chance but if your to be honest a fairly small chance of getting anything from the German game if we go on recent past form. I'd say our chances of a win are slim to nothing. If you're that confident go down to the bookies and stick a few bob on the Irish win. You'll get very good odds.

Let's look at this realistically. Frings and Ballack will tear our midfield to shreds. Our best central midfielder is Reid and he's an average (maybe slightly above average) premiership player that only established himself in the first team for Blackburn late last year so to suggest we'll have much joy in that area is pure dellusional nonsense.

Podolski and Klose are capable of tearing Dunne and O'Brien to pieces. O'Brien is very very average at best and Dunne always can be counted on to f**k up at the most inappropriate times. We should have better luck down the flanks and hopefully Doyle and Keane can strike up a partnership that can test the slightly dodgy German central defence.

[PaulB]

are you shteaming??? their centre back, mertzacher, has hardly played football at all, and your telling me that damien duff would not make their squad. he would make their side, hands down. I would also like to mention robert huth, the chelsea reserve who is a regular german international. you seem to forget robbie keane also, one of the best strikers in the premiership. better than neuville and podolski, and probably better than klose. s.reid is another who would be likely to make their squad, if he was english there would have been all kinds of clamouring for him to be in their squad, at the expense of someone like jenas.

if you are going to post, maybe you should construct the post better. ending it with "thats it" doesn't really give many people an idea of why other players wouldn't make their national squad.

Robbie keane was getting slaughtered on this forum a year ago, and now he's better than Klose, get your head out of your arse.... As for Huth, Ok didn't play regular for Chelsea, but he was only a squad member with the Germans. So who else would make their squad, I don't want to go thru the Irish squad 1 by 1 explaining the reasons why x won't get in, but I think based on current form, Finnan, Given, Keane would make the squad, with only Finnan a definite starter.

[Donal81]

Watch thos Blasphemous words Donal81, or I'll send the Bomber Liston round after ya!

The bloke is well into his 50s, I'm sure, and that's still a fearsome threat! They needed him at the weekend, that's for sure.

If you're consistently successful, people's expectations of you are raised. So, like Kerry, Germany do well in most tournaments but yet people bang on about them being rubbish, overrated, etc. Player for player, a very good Irish team might come close to matching up. As a sum greater than its parts, the German team leaves us floundering. We'll have to pull out a magnificent performance - one that is long, long, long overdue - to get a good result against them this autumn.

[DmanDmythDledge]

People shouldn't take to much notice of Germany's WC performance. Portugal was the only good side they beat and that was only in the third place playoff.

[nshoop]

People shouldn't take to much notice of Germany's WC performance. Portugal was the only good side they beat and that was only in the third place playoff.

They bet argentina,albeit on penos,and were unlucky against italy.They weren't outstanding but deserve more credit than they got because they work hard for eachother unlike a lot of teams.

[eirebhoy]

PaulB - don't be silly. I doubt there's one international squad in the world that Duff would fail to get into.

I think Germany are strong in central midfield and upfront and we haven't exactly got world class players to stop them in those positions. Judging by the bits I've seen of Odonker I don't rate him in the least and I don't rate Scheider too highly either. Schweinsteiger can blow hot and cold and thankfully he's up against Finnan. I think Duff is the key for us going forward as Germany are weakest down the right.

[PaulB]

PaulB - don't be silly. I doubt there's one international squad in the world that Duff would fail to get into.

I think Germany are strong in central midfield and upfront and we haven't exactly got world class players to stop them in those positions. Judging by the bits I've seen of Odonker I don't rate him in the least and I don't rate Scheider too highly either. Schweinsteiger can blow hot and cold and thankfully he's up against Finnan. I think Duff is the key for us going forward as Germany are weakest down the right.


At his best I'd agree, I was basing it on his performances over the past year..

[eirebhoy]

At his best I'd agree, I was basing it on his performances over the past year..
He hasn't been playing badly. A bad game is one like in the Faroes where everything he tries to do doesn't come off. He has been doing everything he tries to do and his success rate with everything he tries is better than most players in the premiership.

[PaulB]

He hasn't been playing badly. A bad game is one like in the Faroes where everything he tries to do doesn't come off. He has been doing everything he tries to do and his success rate with everything he tries is better than most players in the premiership.

We'll just have to disagree on this one, for me he just hasn't been at the races for a while now. Maybe that's down to Jose's tactics at Chelsea, but Robben seems to be faring OK. Hopefully just a 1 season blip. A move would do him good, tottenham sound sideal for him. Apparently he was forced to take a big pay cut this year..

[eirebhoy]

It's more than a season blip. He's been playing that way since January '05 but it didn't stop him going out and destroying the likes of Portugal, Italy and Sweden. It can only be a good thing if he's playing with freedom for club and country so a move away from Chelsea would be great imo.

[Metrostars]

I don't understand why people are saying Germany are overrated. A lot of us said that France were on the way down and that Switzerland are no great shakes the last time round. Quite simply, France and Switzerland were better than us. And Germany is better than us too. They exceed everybody's expectation at the World Cup.

Now that doesnt mean we can't do well against them. We will have to play out of our skin to get a result against them and maybe we might get a draw in September.

[Dublin12]

I don't understand why people are saying Germany are overrated. A lot of us said that France were on the way down and that Switzerland are no great shakes the last time round. Quite simply, France and Switzerland were better than us. And Germany is better than us too. They exceed everybody's expectation at the World Cup.

Now that doesnt mean we can't do well against them. We will have to play out of our skin to get a result against them and maybe we might get a draw in September.


I agree with that,plus we'll have to have our strongest team possible,if Duffer,Robbie or Shay are missing for the game we will struggle.

[RogerMilla]

strongest possible squad , all players fit and all performing at their best and we can shock the germans , anything below par and they will pounce..

[Irish Pride]

I didnt even think Germany were going to get out of there group let alone finished 3rd. They impressed me the most with there attacking football. lets face it, it wasnt luck they finished 3rd. they a great team but have lost there manager now so that could help us.

What Kerr always said was it will come down to the France/Swiss games. The is looking ahead when he should of taken it one game at a time and see what happens. Thats what Mick did with da group for the WCQ2002. I dont believe cause Germany arebetter we will lose in Sept, we can get a result.

Mourinho describled Duff as his best defensive winger awhile ago. But we want the Duff that got into the 2002 world cup team. I expect him to be great at Newcastle and that will only help us.