Germany: nags or subtle tacticians?

Is the German team a bunch of nags, or a group of subtle tacticians? This is the question we put to our Observers and former French international players Manuel Amoros and Bernard Bosquier, before comparing their point of view with that of Rainer Bonhof, the former German international player and coach.

“Germany’s success is first and foremost due to team spirit”

The German team is precisely a mix of the two definitions given by Amoros and Bosquier. Its success is first and foremost due to team spirit. On the pitch, every player plays for his teammates. Everyone knows what he has to do, it’s a form of tactical discipline. Having said that, we are indeed good at set pieces, so it’s quite natural that we’ll make the most of it.

On the other hand, I don’t believe it’s necessarily a lucky draw to be playing Turkey in the semis. The four teams that are still in the contest thoroughly deserve to be there!

“The German team has scarcely impressed me”

The German team has scarcely impressed me in this tournament. So far, I think the most attractive game we’ve seen was the Dutch one. Germany are a good side, but no more. They’re lucky to be facing Turkey in the semi-final.

The Germans are realists. They’ve got Ballack of course, but they’re best defined by their frame of mind.

“The German team is highly efficient”

The strong point of the Germans is their mentality, their desire to go ahead and give it their utmost. They have a truly extraordinary mettle! Considering that they are playing a severely diminished Turkish side, I think Germany are clearly the favourites. Of course, the Turks have proved they can also fight to the very last, but so far they have only clinched last-minute wins.

I don’t think we can qualify the German game as one of nags. Distance shots are necessary to draw the opponent’s defence out. The German squad is above all highly efficient. They are good at taking shots from a distance, so they make the most of it – which is quite natural. In fact, distance shots have been quite common throughout the competition.