Not-Quite-So Ideal World Cup Preparation
Posted by Pete in Bundesliga, World Cup | 3 March 2006
Ah yes, the World Cup. That thing that Jürgen and the boys are preparing for. Not very successfully it seems. Wednesday's result in Florence carried on the German national team's continued lack of success against the big teams since England in 2000. Italy simply spanked them. 3-0 at half-time and 4-1 at full-time. The team had a collective bad night, and it seems the only German player to benefit from the result was the "ausgebooteten" defender, Christian Wörns.
After being informed, via email, that he wasn't in the squad for the Italy match, he told the world and his wife, as well as the German media, exactly what he thought of Klinsmann and his training setup. Christian might just have reason to complain. After all, he's been replaced by Robert Huth, a man who plays for Chelsea once in a blue moon. Nevertheless, slagging off your manager isn't necessarily the best way to work your way into a World Cup squad.
And so to week 24 of the Bundesliga. Hertha have the chance to turn things round with a home game against the league's whipping boys...yes, you've guessed it, Cologne. Meanwhile, Bayern take un Hamburg. The latter are probably out of the title race, but anything apart from a win for the Rekordmeister might make things interesting for Bremen should they beat Leverkusen it what might be a tight game.
Comments
Huth has been Germany's best defender by a landslide in every game he's played so far. Wörns is ok, but is old and does not fit into Klinsmann's plan for attacking d-men with speed. Who was the only player to score in that 4-1 loss? Klinsmann's program might flush Germany down the toilet, but his move to put Huth into the lineup is the right one.
Nevertheless, while Huth is definitely showing that he' a great defender (and better than Wörns), playing for Chelsea reserves doesn't prepare you for facing top international forwards.
I guess it boils down to the question of youth vs experience.
