How did they qualify? Pretty comfortably in all honesty. As expected the European powerhouse breezed through qualification winning 9 out of 10 games. The only surprise came during a pulsating 4-4 draw against Sweden where the Swedes came from 0-4 down with 30 minutes to play. During the campaign it was not a question of whether they would score, but how many. Der Mannschaft went berserk, scoring 34 goals, the most of any European nation.
Who will be key for them? It may be an odd choice but German manager Joachim Low needs to be spot on tactically if Germany are going to come out on top. It is no secret that they are one of the favourites to take out the crown and just reading through the squad list is like looking at a who’s who of world football. However it is often the case where talent alone is not enough to decide games. We only have to look back to the disaster that was the Semi Final v Italy at Euro 2012 to see what can happen when a trainer goes in with the wrong game plan and is too stubborn to change.
Time will tell whether Low has a plan B, during qualification he stuck with his guns however great managers are able to adapt their tactics when the time comes. Some people in Germany were very critical of the decision to keep Low on for another four years and anything less than a Semi Final appearance here could see him come under real pressure.
How will they do? If this tournament was being held anywhere else apart from South America, I think there would be no doubt they could and should go on to win it. The strength of Brazil and Argentina on their home continent may just be too tough a bridge to cross, however it would surprise no one if they came away with the Cup.
With man mountain Manuel Neuer in goal and what seems an endless choice of world class midfielders, the only question marks are whether the defence shows up. Boateng and Mertesacker have both enjoyed fantastic seasons with their respective clubs however can be prone to lapses in concentration. The other question mark will be on who Low decides to play upfront. The baffling decision to only name one striker limits Low tactically and it will be interesting to see whether he deploys Özil, Müller or even Götze up front instead.
Mesut Özil is under immense pressure in Germany to perfom. @Steindy
Fixtures:
Portugal, Salvador, 16th of June
Ghana, Fortaleza, 21st of June
USA, Recife, 26th of June
Squad
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96)
Defenders: Kevin Großkeutz (Borussia Dortmund), Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg), Benedikt Höwedes (Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Eric Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Mesut Özil (Arsenal), André Schürrle (Chelsea), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Julian Draxler (Schalke 04), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Mario Götze (Bayern Munich), Christoph Kramer (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria)
Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio)
Road To Brazil 2014’s projected starting XI: Neuer; Boateng, Mertesacker, Hummels, Höwedes; Lahm, Schweinsteiger; Podolski, Özil, Müller; Klose
Road to Brazil 2014 