Coach Joachim Low boasts a stacked German team with world renowned athletes are playing with a lot of confidence, especially after winning the Confederations Cup. A strength of the team is their ability to roll out players who play together on club teams during the year. Athletes such as Manuel Neur, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, and Thomas Muller all play together for Bayern Munich at the club level. These eight athletes could possibly all start together. This is a huge advantage for them as other teams attempt to create some cohesion at the start of the World Cup. Coach Low was also able to assemble a team of individuals who have played on teams that have gone deep in tournaments and won championships. The experience from German players is impressive, especially when looking at the tournaments players have won with their club teams. Experience and maturity in the big games is something that cannot be coached but must be experienced first-hand by the players. Their ability to play under the lights with pressure is something that will greatly benefit the German team. The strength of the German team also comes in their depth. Over the past summer Lowe took an experimental squad to the Confederations Cup and the young team prevailed at the EUROs. This has created an unrivalled depth chart. These young stars would include Joshua Kimmich, Timo Werner, Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sane, Julian Brandt, and Niklas Sule. Lastly, Germany is a team that seems to have the ability to clutch out key wins in penalties. Of their last six shoot-outs in major tournaments, they found a way to win four of them. Germany is a team that is extremely difficult to put away and if it goes to penalties, they are an even more difficult team to beat.
References
Casey, Gavan. “Revenge for Brazil and Your Ridiculously Early 2018 World Cup Predictions.” The42, 1 Jan. 2018, www.the42.ie/2018-world-cup-predictions-3774803-Jan2018/.
CBS Sports Staff. “2018 World Cup Odds: Picks, Predictions, and Teams to Fade from Advanced Computer Model.” CBSSports.com, 29 Apr. 2018, www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/2018-world-cup-odds-picks-predictions-and-teams-to-fade-from-advanced-computer-model/.
Rogers, Martin. “2018 World Cup Predictions: Who Will Advance from the Group Stage?” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 2 Dec. 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2017/12/01/world-cup-predictions-draw-schedule/913547001/.
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Author: Jake Seau
How to cite this article: “German Playing Style,” Written by Jake Seau (2018) Soccer Politics Pages, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/mens-world-cup-2018-guide/playing-styles-of-world-cup-favorites/world-cup-favorites/german-playing-style/ (accessed on (date))
