Germany World Cup Preview

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M CHRISTIAN ZIEGE Q&A What are your earliest memories of the World Cup? I remember being captivated by the Brazilian team of 1982. The likes of Zico and Socrates were real showmen and lit up the tournament. Then there were the goals of Paolo Rossi. He proved that if you apply yourself in the right way, you don't have to have a big reputation to emerge as a star. Which of your teammates should people look out for at the World Cup? Michael Ballack has had a tremendous season for Leverkusen. He has a chance to become a leader for Germany in the same way David Beckham has become with England. I also think Didi Hamann can add the stability to the midfield that we will need to be successful. What stage do people back home expect you to reach? I don't think certain sections of the German media expect us to do that well, but I have stopped reading many of them. If you don't win the World Cup, who will? France still have a very strong team, and Argentina are very good. But don't discount Italy, Brazil and maybe even Spain and England. Is there too much money in football? I don't think you'll find any players at the top end of the scale complaining, but we shouldn't forget the small clubs and their players. They should benefit from the huge sums that are in the game.

How they line up

Germany's base formation is a 3-2-3-2. Oliver Kahn is the first-choice keeper, with Jens Lehmann his deputy. A first-choice three-man defense would comprise Marko Rehmer on the right -- provided he recovers from injury -- the injured Jens Nowotny as the central organizer and Thomas Linke on the left.

Other defensive candidates include the combative but injury-prone Jorg Heinrich, who can operate on either side of the back line; the right-sided Christian Worns; the versatile Sebastian Kehl, who can play anywhere in defense as well as in midfield; and Christoph Metzelder, the left-footer from Borussia Dortmund.

The two midfield holders are likely to be Didi Hamann and Carsten Ramelow. Once upon a time, Jens Jeremies would have been an automatic selection here, but after a long layoff with knee trouble he has struggled to rediscover his optimum form.

Of the trio of attacking midfielders, two are out-and-out wide men. In normal circumstances, Sebastian Deisler would be found on the right flank, but his injuries have allowed the busy Bernd Schneider to stake a compelling claim for the spot. On the left, Christian Ziege is in pole position, though Jorg Bohme and Marco Bode have not said their last word.

Equally able to create and get forward to score goals, Michael Ballack is the centrally positioned master of midfield ceremonies. There is no doubt about it: Ballack holds the key to Germany's chances in this World Cup.

In attack, manager Rudi Voeller will probably go with a little-and-large combination, using the presence of Oliver Bierhoff or Carsten Jancker in conjunction with the more lively qualities of Miroslav Klose or Oliver Neuville.

An alternative tactical set-up would be a 3-2-3-1-1, with the use of a lone striker, while 3-4-3 is not out of the question.

This more narrow system would feature two holding midfielders, with Ballack on the right and Ziege on the left. A natural striker would be supported by Neuville on the right and possibly Bode or Bohme on the left.

From World Soccer magazine.

 

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