Dealing with pressure has never really been a problem for the German
national team, which is just as well given their status as tournament
favourites going into the 2008 European Championships.
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Joachim Low: Emerging from Klinsmann's shaddow
A quick glance at the record books reveals that Germany boast
one of the richest and most successful footballing heritages in the
game, both before and after reunification in October 1990.
West Germany have won the World Cup three times in (1954, 1974
and 1990) and finished as runners-up three times (1966, 1982 and 1986),
they won the European Championships twice (1972 and 1980) and finished
as runners-up (1976). Since reunification Germany have finished as
European Championship runners-up in 1992, won the tournament in 1996
and finished as World Cup runners-up in 2002.
Add into the equation a third place finish at the 2006 World
Cup, a tournament they hosted, plus a reputation for meticulous
preparation and it is easy to understand why the Germans exude
confidence despite consistently high expectations.
Germany established their credentials as leading Euro 2008
contenders with their impressive World Cup performance, but by the time
they became the first team to qualify for the European Championships
their status was duly upgraded to that of favourites to lift the Henri
Delaunay Trophy on June 29th.
However, that is not say Germany's qualification was not without its slip-ups.
While there were emphatic wins, like the record 13-0 demolition
of San Marino, there was an ignominious 0-0 draw Cyprus and a 3-0 home
defeat against the Czech Republic in Munich, albeit after qualification
had already been secured.
These blips were the exceptions to an accomplished first
campaign in charge for Jurgen Klinsmann's replacement as national team
coach, Joachim Löw. With Löw's predecessor opting not to extend his
contract, the 48-year-old assumed control in July 2006 and went on to
notch the best ever start for a new German head coach with four
consecutive wins.
Löw's transient coaching career, which has seen as many lows as highs,
began while he was still a player with FC Winterhur in the early 90s
where he was in charge of the youth team, then in 1994 came a season as
player-coach with FC Frauenfled.
After moving to VfB Stuttgart as assistant coach Löw soon took
the hot-seat when coach Rolf Fringer left to lead the Swiss nation
team. Having stepped up, Löw enjoyed great success winning the DFB
Pokal cup final in 1997, reaching the final of the European Cup
Winners' Cup in 1998 and finishing a creditable fourth in the
Bundesliga.
In 1998 Löw spent a season in Turkey in charge of Fenerbahce,
but then came an ill-fated spell in charge of Karlsruher in 1999, a
role from which he was fired after the club were relegated while in his
control.
Another spell in Turkey ended in disappointment when Löw lost his job
in charge of Adanaspor after a poor run. In 2001 his career took a turn
for the better when he led FC Tirol Innsbruck to the Austrian
championship, but the club's financial meltdown in 2002 saw him laid
off.
A ten-month spell at Austria Wien came to an abrupt end in 2004
when Klinsmann came knocking and offered Löw a role as assistant coach
of the German national team.
Klinsmann knew he wanted Germany to embrace an attacking
philosophy based on a 4-4-2 formation, but with no coaching experience
he turned to the more knowledgeable Löw to be his right-hand man and to
translate his theories into tangible tactics; as such, many consider
Löw to have been the brains behind the German operation during
Klinsmann's short but successful time in charge.
The attacking philosophy established under Klinsmann remains in place
under Löw, who is cannily using it to exploit the speed, skill and
efficiency of the latest rich crop of young German talent in the likes
Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolksi.
Allied to the youngsters there is also a wealth of experience
across the squad including the likes of Jens Lehmann, Oliver Neuville
and Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings in midfield.
At the back we can expect to see Per Mertesacker and Christoph
Metzelder to be ever present features in central defence with Philipp
Lahm sure to start in either the left or right back slots, while
younger players such as Thomas Hitzlsperger will vie for places
alongside more established midfielders.
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Miroslav Klose: In with a chance of the top scorer's Golden Boot?
A bone of some contention in certain circles is that two of
Germany's most important squad members are in fact Polish-born and
because the two nations have been paired in Group B this summer
strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski will represent Germany
against the country of their birth.
Despite the socio-political reasons for this, which owe
themselves to the Cold War and life before the collapse of the Berlin
Wall, both players are likely start the tournament as Löw's favoured
strike partners, though Kevin Kuranyi will be pushing them all the way
as will Mario Gomez, who scored a remarkable 28 goals in 32 appearances
for VfB Stuttgart, not to mention three goals in his last two
appearances for Germany.
Germany's Euro 2008 campaign begins with very winnable game against
Poland on June 8th in Klagenfurt, next they face the toughest of their
Group B games against Croatia, again in Klagenfurt on June 12th, before
the last group stage fixture in Vienna against co-hosts Austria.
Interestingly despite their status as favourites Germany do not
of have the best of recent records in the Euros, having failed to win a
game since emerging victorious from Euro '96 12 years ago; three draws,
three defeats and just three goals scored in their six games at the two
subsequent tournaments is not too impressive.
However, the fates could be conspiring in Germany's favour; in
April 2008 the German Football Association celebrated the 100th
anniversary of the German national team's first ever match, a 5-3
defeat to Switzerland.
What more fitting way could there be than for Löw's side to mark the
centenary of German international football than by winning Euro 2008 on
June 29th?
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