A Look at Germany Ahead of Euro 2012: Can They Finally Lift a Trophy?

Before we look ahead to Euro 2012, let’s take a look back at Euro 2008.

For Germany, that campaign really didn’t promise much. They came with an experienced side resembling that of 2006. Germany won their first match against Poland but was found out by Croatia. Joachim Loew dropped Marcell Jansen and Mario Gomez from the starting eleven and Germany went on to win all their matches en route to the final in Vienna.

Two moments really stand out for me from that campaign. In the group stage, Germany played hosts Austria in the final match. The match was heading towards a stale-mate as Germany was unable to take advantage of their chances. Miroslav Klose could have had a hat-trick that day. In the second half, Germany was awarded a free-kick literally miles away from goal.

And that’s when Michael Ballack stood up to the task. He hammered the ball in from 40 yards to set Germany on their way to the quarter-finals. The current captain of Bayern and Germany then set the world alight in the semis.

Turkey had dominated the semi-final. Germany mustered only three shots on target while Turkey mustered 11. Germany was behind early on but was brought on level terms by Bastian Schweinsteiger. Miroslav Klose scored in the 79^th minute during a black-out. Most of the world missed his goal as a storm in Vienna disrupted the broadcasting. However, Turkey equalized shortly afterwards to set up one of the greatest moments in the history of the Euros.

In the 90^th minute, Philipp Lahm popped up with another goal in a major tournament. He took off his jersey and celebrated like never before. That is a memory that will remain with most fans forever.

Now, let’s have a look at the competition that lies ahead. First of all, let me remind everyone of two games in 2008 and 2010. In 2008, Germany lost to Croatia 2-1. This forced Loew to take off Jansen, who despite being a decent player was really having a hard time. He also benched an off-form Gomez. Germany consequently went on to improve but got to the final due more to their will than to quality.

In 2010, Germany lost to Serbia 1-0. In that game, the Germans were unlucky as usual. They had an array of chances and had Miroslav Klose sent off for a very questionable second yellow card. Lukas Podolski also missed a penalty. Again, Loew changed things afterwards; Holger Badstuber’s participation ended in that match.

This time, Loew will have to know what his best side is from the get-go. Seemingly, he will go with the team that featured in 2010, but with just one change: Badstuber will play at the heart of defence in place of Arne Friedrich, who is currently playing in America.

This group will test Loew and his choices more than ever. He has to make great substitutions or introduce a plan B when needed against the likes of the all-attacking Dutch, the Portuguese and the wall that is Denmark.

There are plenty of positives this time around. Primarily, there are two players for every position, if not more. The squad is the youngest amongst all the squads at the Euros with an average age of 24.9 years. In 2010, replacing Bastian Schweinsteiger would have been unthinkable.

This year, Toni Kroos has emerged as an excellent versatile midfielder. The same Kroos who Loew failed to trust against Spain in 2010 is now one of his favourite players. Kroos carried Schweinsteiger’s responsibilities for months when the German was injured for Bayern.

Bayern lost their form for a while during that stretch but regained it and hammered teams without Schweinsteiger. While Kroos’ future perhaps lies in the attacking midfield, he and even the Leverkusen player Lars Bender are legitimate options for that position. Schweinsteiger is said to be fully fit, though, and is ready to go for June 9^th.

The emergence of Andre Schuerrle has provided legitimate backup for Lukas Podolski. Schuerrle has been brilliant for Germany and has scored quite a few great goals. Considering the faith that Loew has in him, he will be the first sub off of the bench for Germany.

Marco Reus was brilliant in a national shirt against the Swiss. He is coming into the tournament on the back of a fantastic season and Loew has stated he might start up front.

Mario Gomez, now that he is playing for Bayern, has proved that he can score at the highest levels (not finals, of course). He has scored many goals in the national shirt, but he doesn’t exactly suit Loew’s model for Germany. He is nonetheless a capable player and can be trusted more than he was in 2010 after his transfer to Bayern that had initially gone awry.

In fact, there is so much strength and depth now that even Ron-Robert Zieler can step in for Manuel Neuer if needed. In terms of tactical variations, Germany can sit deep if required and hit opponents on the break or do it the Bayern way—with plenty of patience and possession. They are in many ways an improved Bayern team—they can score goals with minimum amount of possession and find more gaps in opposing defences.

In terms of problems, every team has got them; so does Germany. First of all, Loew still has not decided whether Philipp Lahm will play on the left wing or the right wing. Either way, Lahm is the only world-class fullback in the team. Marcel Schmelzer on the left wing has not turned out to be a great option. Jerome Boateng, Badstuber and Benedikt Howedes can all play in the full-back positions.

Lahm himself feels he can play on both wings and Loew knows that fully. At the moment, it seems like Lahm will take the left wing opposite to Jerome Boateng. Lahm played better as a right full-back than a left one though for Bayern. Not having a recognized German full-back alongside Lahm has been one of Germany’s biggest concerns in years.

Defensively, Holger Badstuber is penciled in for one of the two central defensive spots. Per Mertesacker is seemingly the candidate for the other. Mertesacker hasn’t seen action for months for Arsenal due to injury. Mats Hummels didn’t impress in his outings either. This could really turn out to be the most problematic area for the Germans despite the fact that another capable option—Howedes—is there in the squad.

Also, Germany was beaten in 2010 due to their failure to defend a simple corner despite having players such as Mertesacker and Friedrich at the back. Bayern failed to defend only one corner in a ninety minute spell properly as well. Two headed goals saw these two sides fail to win matches and this should not be overlooked.

Of course, we don’t know who will play in defensive midfield. Kroos and Schweinsteiger might line up alongside each other or Sami Khedira and Schweinsteiger will play together. The latter combination provides cover for the defence while the former offers more going forward.

Germany is quite poor from set-pieces. Free-kicks and corners amount to nothing nowadays. These were strengths of former sides. When Kroos took them against the Israelis, they proved harmless. Even Oezil’s involvement in those situations does not help Germany.

Loew has to tweak his plans a bit to ensure Germany takes advantage of set-pieces. They should be scoring more goals with headers considering the heights of most of their players. Their finishing isn’t the best either—Germany has to take more of their chances to prevent easy wins from becoming difficult.

And finally, when looking at problems, one must ask the question one never thought had to be asked about the Germans: do they have the mentality to get the job done and actually bring home a trophy rather than 23 medals this time around?

No matter what Lahm says in interviews, the mentality of the Bayern players has to be questioned.

After a season where Bayern was deprived of three trophies, arguably one of which they truly deserved to win, the Bayern players must feel down. Schweinsteiger doesn’t seem to be the happiest chap around, which is rather unusual. Of course, there is the argument that the winning mentality of the Dortmund and Madrid players might offset that, but Bayern, after all, makes up most of the starting lineup of the national side.

Bayern failed to deal with the tag of favourites. Germany’s odds to win the tournament are an unbelievable three-to-one considering the group they have been placed in. Due to Spain’s injury problems, the Germans find themselves as a "favourite." There is every chance that Germany might not qualify for the quarterfinals, let alone win the tournament. The Dutch and the Portuguese cannot be scoffed at, regardless of past results. Neither can the Danish. Both Denmark and Netherlands are former winners.

Finally, let’s take a look at the opponents. Portugal is so much more than Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal consists of highly talented midfielders such as Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso. They have Pepe at the back as well as Fabio Coentrao. However, that Portuguese back-line isn’t the strongest despite the presence of these good players.

A while ago, I watched Portugal and Bosnia slug it out in Bosnia to qualify for this tournament. The game ended in a 0-0 draw. Portugal looked uninspired and truly did not look daunting at all. The Danish beat them as well. They are not to be scoffed at but they can be beaten.

The Dutch also have problems at the back but have a very strong defensive midfield to cover for defensive deficiencies. Mark Van Bommel and Nigel de Jong can scare anyone. Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie and Klaas Jan Huntelaar all come into the tournament in form. They played Bayern last month but lost 3-2. They lost to Germany 3-0 last year.

Finally, if Germany is in trouble following the first two games, they will have played into the hands of the team that could turn out to be their toughest opponent, Denmark. The Danish are organized. They are a bullish side and Germany tends to struggle against opponents like this as Serbia proved in 2010. Denmark could turn out to be a giant killer.

And after all this, let’s remember that Germany is the best team in the competition’s history with three victories and three final defeats. Each time they have lost a final, they have gone on to win the next one. However, luck hasn’t really favoured the Germans too much except for Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal in 2010 in the Round of 16 in South Africa.

With so many broken hearts on the team, can the Germans finally get over the final hurdle and shed the "bridesmaid" tag? I would like to know everyone’s thoughts on how far they feel Germany will progress in this tournament.