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Germany
Germany kept its record alive of never failing when attempting to qualify for the World Cup finals. But it wasn't easy... Rudi Voeller's side had a traumatic qualifying campaign, which included a 5-1 thrashing by England in Munich.
A win over Finland would have put the Germans in directly, but they couldn't even do that, so they had to beat the Ukraine in a playoff to join the party in Asia. Now that they're in, how far will they go?
As the countdown to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan continues, CNNSI.com's Pedro Pinto will take a close look at all of the nations that will contend for football's greatest prize.
Pinto is an anchor on World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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Germany has always been known for simple football and tactical discipline. Rudi Voeller struggled to implement that gameplan, but in all fairness he was hampered by injuries, missing midfield maestro Mehmet Scholl at the end of their campaign. Germany was completely lost against England and only found its form against the Ukraine. Michael Ballack was instrumental in that series, and Voeller is now looking for him to keep that level in the finals.
As far as defense is concerned, the team is in good hands. Oliver Kahn is the world's best keeper and Jens Nowotny is as solid as a center-back gets. The midfield is hardworking with Dietmar Hamann pulling the strings. The problem is in attack, as Oliver Bierhoff seems to have lost his goalscoring touch.
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Mehmet Scholl. When he was hurt, Germany lacked direction and purpose. Scholl is the nation's most creative player, and Voeller needs him to be in top form in the finals. Not only does he provide plenty of assists to the front line, but the Bayern Munich ace also scores his share of goals. He is always deadly from set-piece situations. |
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Attack. They hit the back of the net only 14 goals times in eight qualifiers, and midfielder Ballack was their top scorer with five goals. Voeller has to answer the following question: Who will lead Germany's strike force at the World Cup? Oliver Bierhoff? He has an impressive international goalscoring record but has struggled to find the net for his nation in recent times. Carsten Jancker? His size creates all kinds of problems, but he misses too many easy chances. Ulf Kirsten? He always finds a way to finish in the Bundesliga top goalscorers list, but he is too old to be a factor throughout the tournament. There are plenty of other players in the mix... Miroslav Klose, Oliver Neuville and Alexander Zickler will all be aiming to get their chance.
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Confidence.
Germany was embarrassed at Euro 2000 and it is desperately trying to erase those memories. The qualifying campaign for the World Cup wasn't exactly stellar either. A good 4-1 win over the Ukraine raised hopes, but if the Germans lose their first game in the finals, they might even not make it past the group phase. That's how shaky their confidence is at the moment.
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Germany finished second in UEFA's Group 9 behind England, winning five, drawing two and losing one of their eight games. They had to play a final playoff with the Ukraine, winning the series 5-2 on aggregate.
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Germany has won the World Cup three times (1954, '74 and '90). It finished as runners up in 1966, losing to England in the final. It has played a total of 78 World Cup games, winning 45, drawing 16 and losing 17.
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For once, Germany isn't one of the top-five favorites to win the title, in my view anyway. I expect them to make the second round, but they will struggle to make the quarterfinals. Why? Because they do not have strikers at the top of their game at the moment. They have enjoyed great times in the past with Muller, Klinsmann, Rummenigge and Voeller. But Bierhoff is past his prime and none of the other forwards have what it takes to score consistently in the tournament.
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