Germany vs. Spain 2010: World Cup Clash of the Titans

In what looks like a potential classic, European champions Spain must overtake the surging German machine that at the moment looks absolutely unstoppable.

Having dumped England and the much-fancied Argentina out of the tournament by three and four goals respectively, Deutschland could just be destined for greatness again.

My mouth is literally salivating as the Germany-Spain semifinal quickly approaches. This match has absolutely everything.

Euro 2008 final rematch

Not a historical rivalry, there are no real revenge talks coming out of the German camp. Spain were simply the better team on that day in Vienna two years ago. But there will still be incentive for Germany to right the wrong of losing an opportunity to lift their first silverware since Euro 1996.

Perennial overachievers vs. perennial underachievers

Spain, a nation with such a rich footballing history and culture, have shockingly never even been to a World Cup semifinal until tomorrow’s match, let alone win the whole thing. So passionate about their game, surely many neutrals will be pulling for Spain to finally get to their first final.

Germany, on the other hand, are going for their record eighth final and fourth title, which would bring them level with Italy. When considering there have only been 19 total World Cups and only 17 in which Germany participated (did not enter in original 1930 tournament, banned in 1950 post-WWII Cup), the fact that Germany has been in the last four ELEVEN times is simply astonishing.

Their record is indicative of their mentality and approach to the game. They are born winners and play as a team better than any country in the world.

Where the Germans go into a game with unbridled confidence, Spain tend to crumble under the pressure of their soccer-loving nation. That is the only way to explain their abysmal World Cup record. They have had many talented teams but have never fully fulfilled their potential.

The old saying “never write off the Germans” has never been brought to fruition so acutely and dramatically than at this year’s World Cup. Hardly a tournament favorite, the Germans have steamrolled two proud nations in England and Argentina. They made it look relatively simple, no less.

In this tournament, Spain have looked tentative and nervous at times. Certainly they have dominated possession in all of their matches because that is what they do. But in front of goal, they have looked uninspired and cumbersome, particularly Fernando Torres.

Without the inspiration of David Villa, Spain may not have advanced past the group stage. His goals have been absolutely paramount to Spain’s Cup run.

Germany will be by far Spain’s toughest test so far. The mental aspect to the game should be interesting to watch, because the World Cup is Germany’s turf, not Spain’s, but on paper and when playing at their optimum level, Spain are better than Germany and should win.

Germany’s quick, incisive, counter-attacking game vs. Spain’s short, possession game

Spain

For the true connoisseurs of the game, the tactical and strategic aspect of this matchup is undoubtedly tantalizing. Worldwide, Spain are deservedly praised as playing a game that “celebrates football.” Their short-passing scheme is truly remarkable to watch and truly impossible to stop when firing on all cylinders.

With Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets acting as holding midfielders in front of the back four, Spain have found their ideal formation. That pair keeps the general shape of their 4-2-2-2 setup and allows attacking midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta to roam freely all over the park to gain possession and initiate attacks.

With the base of the back four, Alonso, and Busquets, the “front four” can pop up anywhere on the pitch, rendering man-marking virtually impossible. Watch for this tomorrow. Xavi, Iniesta, and David Villa have tremendous freedom to go wherever they like and with their great ball skills and precision passing pose serious dilemmas for defenses.

What has been interesting with Spain’s system is how they have pushed Villa largely out wide, almost as a left-forward. He has sparkled in this role, giving the team width from a narrow formation, allowing him to occupy both the right-back and right center-back and allowing him to run on to defenders from an angle where his powerful and accurate shot has been lethal.

There have been rumors that Spain will abandon the shockingly-out-of-form Fernando Torres and install Cesc Fabregas for his first Cup start. Despite his difficulties thus far, Torres is still a dangerous striker, and defenses must still give him much attention. This frees up Villa in a lot of ways, setting up isolation situations where he can go toe-to-toe with one defender.

Torres’ reputation definitely factors into Villa’s fantastic five-goal return thus far in the tournament, and he should be retained for the Germany clash.

Germany

While Spain get all the plaudits, Germany just goes about their business. But this new, young Germany is playing their own beautiful brand of football.

Die Mannschaft has always been labeled as strong, direct, and, simply, efficient. Oh, but there is so much more to Joachim Löw’s Germany.

Jurgen Klinnsman’s No. 2 in 2006, Löw was considered the tactician, Klinnsman the motivator. Now we can see why. Löw has told reporters that he breaks up the pitch into 18 rectangles, nine on either side. Each player knows his role and must never fall too far out of his positioning or the system fails.

When watching Germany, their cumulative movement and understanding of where each person will be on the pitch is fantastic. They are the most organized side in the world, but that only tells half the tale.

Organization and efficiency, as noted above, are hallmarks of the German national team. Löw’s team expand on this with fantastic triangular, combination passing all the way up the pitch. Watching them tear Argentina apart at will was my definition of “beautiful football.”

They never hack the ball away, but rather always try to keep the ball on the floor out of the back. Countless attacks against Diego Maradona’s men went from box to box in five floor passes or less. Germany cut out different geometric attacks and do so with one-touch football. This quick, incisive passing torched England to put them up 2-0 and had Argentinians gasping for air and clues all afternoon last Sunday.

The youth of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira have paid dividends, as they look like they could play through the night. Bastian Schweinsteiger has proved himself an international star, paralleling Xavi’s “conductor” role for Spain, and his range of passing on the counter could prove valuable as Spain pushes forward on their famous four-minute possessions.

Where other teams may get frustrated and start to break down, Germany have the patience to withstand Spain’s possessions, and that mental strength could prove pivotal.

Final Verdict

This game should have been a final. You have the hottest team in the tournament versus the tournament favorites. You have the historic powerhouse versus the underachieving artists. You have what makes for an instant classic.

One thing that Spain has not dealt with in a very long time is a team unafraid to attack them from the start. Germany fear no one, so look for them to come out flying and try and get another early goal. Even if they were to get that early goal, the Germans would not stop attacking there; it is not in their nature. They go for the throat, so I would be surprised to see them simply sit back and cede all possession to the Spanish.

This has to be the toughest game to call, but recently we have seen Spanish-style football fail to pay dividends in one-off matches. Organized and tactically-disciplined sides have been able to absorb the attacking pressure and hit a goal on the counter, whether it be Inter v. Barcelona or Switzerland v. Spain.

But Germany are not Jose Mourinho’s Inter. They are the brilliant Löw’s team. They can win games in different ways. They can have brilliant spells of possession and keep the ball on the floor. They are not simply a drop-deep and counter-attack team, which they have oft-been mislabeled as.

They combine power with finesse as never seen before in Germany. They can go toe to toe with any great attacking side and simply have no fear. When they walk on the pitch, they believe like no other nation that they will beat the opposition. That mental edge has served them quite well over the years and will serve them well again come Wednesday night in Durban.

Tough one to call, but...

Prediction: Germany 2 – 1 Spain

This article is from the blog: Pitchmen

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