WC-MOTD15
Day 15:-
USA vs. Germany:-
With the constant speculation as to whether or not both teams would play out a drab draw, not one single player from either side showed such an intention in an interesting match!
There weren’t any major tactical changes in both teams’ set-ups; as Coach Joachim Löw once again began the game with a “false nine” system, while US head Coach Jürgen Klinsmann stuck with his formation and tactics from the previous 2 games.
It was all about Germany in the opening stages of the first half; taking full control of the game, constantly exchanging short passes in midfield and switching play from one side to the other as the US defended deep.
The US were having difficulties imposing themselves on the game; due to Germany’s high-press game whenever they lost possession and the fact that they kept closing down spaces at the back.
The Germans were pretty straight-forward in their offensive approach; coming in from the sides and sending one low cross after another into the box.
The game’s tempo became rather subdued as time passed by, with the US team looking dangerous on the counter, all the while still defending fairly deep. Germany were somewhat lacking accuracy in their passing; losing possession, more than once, in crucial areas as they seemed unable to do much with the ball.
It is worth noting here that Coach Löw’s insistence on playing a false-nine striker hindered Germany’s chances of being able to find spaces in the opposition’s box; as there was almost no central German physical presence in the final third.
Germany struggled more and more to launch proper attacks as the half drew to a close. They were playing with too much width but no real penetration into the US’ box!
Meanwhile, Team USA were relying on long vertical play; looking to send high balls behind Germany’s, somewhat, static backline and catch them off-guard.
It was a tactical first half more than anything else. The US defended deep, but not too compact, aiming to counter-attack the Germans and play long balls.
Germany had the upper hand in terms of ball possession but were not very productive on it; hurt by the lack of physical offensive presence in front of the US’ goal.
Coach Löw decided to immediately address the aforementioned issue at the start of the second half by sending on Miro Klose to play in the center of Germany’s attack.
The game restarted with pretty much an encore of the first half. Germany were in full control; passing around to probe for spaces as Özil dropped deep and began playing from more central areas.
Despite the US defenders playing a more compact game at the back in the second half so far, Germany were able to take the lead courtesy of a Thomas Müller curling shot after Tim Howard had done brilliantly well to save Per Mertesacker's header following a corner.
The game became more open after the goal as the US began to push further forward hoping to grab the equalizer. The Germans, on the other hand, began to play with more freedom; comfortably passing the ball around and interchanging positions in midfield.
Slowly, the match’s tempo began to drop once more; Germany seemingly unable to get a proper passing sequence going, while the US were not urgent enough with their attacks.
The closing stages of the match saw the US play in such a way as if they were content with the 1-0 score-line; as they were not committing any extra bodies forward and still defending fairly deep.
On the other hand, the Germans were rather passive in their attacking approach; showing signs of fatigue from all the running amongst the harsh rainy conditions.
To sum it up, it was another fine defensive US performance, opting for a physical game and limiting themselves to playing counter-attacks; which might have been more fruitful had they played with more urgency.
The Germans did not perform too bad in defense either, and proved that they are more than capable of closing out a game when needed. They were somewhat ineffective in front of goal at times, with some wayward passing affecting their forward momentum.
One wonders how many more games Coach Löw needs to witness before he finally realizes that his “false nine” system is just not as good as he would like it to be, given the current crop of German players at his disposal!
Man of the match: Omar Gonzalez: A great solid display at the back as he put his body and soul into the game; preventing several dangerous German chances.
USA vs. Germany:-
With the constant speculation as to whether or not both teams would play out a drab draw, not one single player from either side showed such an intention in an interesting match!
There weren’t any major tactical changes in both teams’ set-ups; as Coach Joachim Löw once again began the game with a “false nine” system, while US head Coach Jürgen Klinsmann stuck with his formation and tactics from the previous 2 games.
It was all about Germany in the opening stages of the first half; taking full control of the game, constantly exchanging short passes in midfield and switching play from one side to the other as the US defended deep.
The US were having difficulties imposing themselves on the game; due to Germany’s high-press game whenever they lost possession and the fact that they kept closing down spaces at the back.
The Germans were pretty straight-forward in their offensive approach; coming in from the sides and sending one low cross after another into the box.
The game’s tempo became rather subdued as time passed by, with the US team looking dangerous on the counter, all the while still defending fairly deep. Germany were somewhat lacking accuracy in their passing; losing possession, more than once, in crucial areas as they seemed unable to do much with the ball.
It is worth noting here that Coach Löw’s insistence on playing a false-nine striker hindered Germany’s chances of being able to find spaces in the opposition’s box; as there was almost no central German physical presence in the final third.
Germany struggled more and more to launch proper attacks as the half drew to a close. They were playing with too much width but no real penetration into the US’ box!
Meanwhile, Team USA were relying on long vertical play; looking to send high balls behind Germany’s, somewhat, static backline and catch them off-guard.
It was a tactical first half more than anything else. The US defended deep, but not too compact, aiming to counter-attack the Germans and play long balls.
Germany had the upper hand in terms of ball possession but were not very productive on it; hurt by the lack of physical offensive presence in front of the US’ goal.
Coach Löw decided to immediately address the aforementioned issue at the start of the second half by sending on Miro Klose to play in the center of Germany’s attack.
The game restarted with pretty much an encore of the first half. Germany were in full control; passing around to probe for spaces as Özil dropped deep and began playing from more central areas.
Despite the US defenders playing a more compact game at the back in the second half so far, Germany were able to take the lead courtesy of a Thomas Müller curling shot after Tim Howard had done brilliantly well to save Per Mertesacker's header following a corner.
The game became more open after the goal as the US began to push further forward hoping to grab the equalizer. The Germans, on the other hand, began to play with more freedom; comfortably passing the ball around and interchanging positions in midfield.
Slowly, the match’s tempo began to drop once more; Germany seemingly unable to get a proper passing sequence going, while the US were not urgent enough with their attacks.
The closing stages of the match saw the US play in such a way as if they were content with the 1-0 score-line; as they were not committing any extra bodies forward and still defending fairly deep.
On the other hand, the Germans were rather passive in their attacking approach; showing signs of fatigue from all the running amongst the harsh rainy conditions.
To sum it up, it was another fine defensive US performance, opting for a physical game and limiting themselves to playing counter-attacks; which might have been more fruitful had they played with more urgency.
The Germans did not perform too bad in defense either, and proved that they are more than capable of closing out a game when needed. They were somewhat ineffective in front of goal at times, with some wayward passing affecting their forward momentum.
One wonders how many more games Coach Löw needs to witness before he finally realizes that his “false nine” system is just not as good as he would like it to be, given the current crop of German players at his disposal!
Man of the match: Omar Gonzalez: A great solid display at the back as he put his body and soul into the game; preventing several dangerous German chances.
Ahmad Al-Omar - 26. Jun, 22:44
