| 12.06.2008 |
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| If ever there was a game in need of a strong leader to take it by the scruff of the neck it was Thursday night's Group B match between Germany and Croatia. The chaotic early pace, the slipshod passes, the ill-timed tackles; the match needed a firm master, someone who would play the ball and control movement. It was an occasion crying out for Michael Ballack at his best. Instead of mastering the situation around him, Ballack seemed dictated by it. He chased the lung-bursting pace; he wasted possession through harried thought and on more than one occasion left a cynical stud behind in the challenge. At times, he was petulant where he should have been imperious. Croatia were very much up for it and Germany found themselves to be over-run for most of the first half. The team's youngsters were knocked off their stride and hassled into hastily taken decisions which often resulted in a Croatian counter-attack. Even seasoned internationals looked overwhelmed. Frustration was written all over the face of Torsten Frings after every fluffed cross and Miroslav Klose looked even more goal-shy than he had against Poland. Everyone needed pulling together. Someone needed to have a word. The only words the Kapitan gave were the constant complaints he directed at the Belgian referee.  Leadership and influence. On form and in the right mind, Michael Ballack can exude both. He can drag the collective sock up, roll the sleeve and get stuck in – more often than not while encouraging his team to do the same. But if something is ever so slightly off, he can disappear – or worse. For one reason or another, the Germany captain still does not realise that he is one of those players who can lift a team and raise the crowd; he seems oblivious to the fact that his performance can bring out the best in everyone. In some ways, he is a more robust version of Denis Bergkamp in his pomp in that respect. And just as precious. A journalist asked assistant coach Johan Neeskens before the 1998 World Cup semi-final whether or not Holland would beat Brazil. "Maybe, just maybe…if Bergkamp plays." This raised questions over the player's fitness. "No, he is not injured, he will be on the field – but will he play? Who knows?" The very same can be said for Ballack. He is a player you can't leave out. I'm sure there are statistics to back this up when I say Ballack has proportionately more good games than bad. And you wouldn't want to leave him in the hotel if he was having a better day. But when he has a game like he had on Thursday night, you just have to be hoping you're playing a friendly at the time. He didn't disappear. He was there or there about but very little of what he did went right. A number of times, he would have been more useful if he had been invisible. Croatia started numerous attacks from his loose passes. What made it worse was that he was not alone. It seemed as though the Poland victory had made winning Euro 2008 a distinct possibility and everyone had suddenly got the impression it would be a breeze. By the time Germany had realised that Croatia were a very different proposition to the Poles, they'd already been worked out. Croatia's pressing game soon had the Germans struggling for cohesion. If the jolt of realisation they received in Klagenfurt was sufficient to stun them into disbelief at the final whistle, hopefully the shock will have soaked in by the time Germany wrap up the group stage against Austria. But even if they successfully qualify, question marks will still remain over whether this Germany team is ready to scrap for the title – and whether or not their captain is prepared to flex his muscles. |
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| 6 Comments |
| Ballack is just as much guilty as the rest of our team...including the coach who showed he is incompetent of such high profile games... Just like the rest of the german team with the exception of Frings, Lahm, and Schweinsteiger, the rest didn't play at all. We may have a chance of qualifying thanks to playing a country that is ranked 92nd in the world, but this team does not deserve to win. Portugal will humiliate us completely. We put too much faith on the Bierhoff propaganda, without demanding results. Now the captain comes out to say "DON"T EXPECT MUCH OF ME IN EURO2008. I never thought our contry would accept a loser philosophy, playing to win a game, instead of becoming champions... Loser do their best, Winners become Champions... LOew is not the right man for the job...Too much talk too little football...SO while the rest of you will cheers against Austria, I will only say that I will believe in this team, if they reach the semifinal. That is the test Loew, Ballack and Co. have to pass to prove their are a team worth supporting and not a bunch of drama queens who simply enjoy 5 star hotels and undeserved honor at home. |
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| Rae | Homepage | E-Mail | 14.06.2008, 01:06 | ||
| Yes Michael Ballack was very lackluster during the Croatia game. All he did was complain to the referee rather than rallying his teamates. For me Germany approached the game in the wrong. There is room for improvement though. As the game with Austria will be do or die for them. | ||
| Mark-Daniel | Homepage | E-Mail | 13.06.2008, 11:23 | ||
| My intention was not to blame Ballack for the final score, only to highlight the fact that he could have made a big difference to a very ordinary Germany performance had he been on his game. The result was not Ballack's fault but the fact that Germany couldn't respond falls mainly at the capitan's feet. Nick. |
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| Nick | Homepage | 13.06.2008, 06:56 | ||
| Thank God for Deutsche Welle and positive criticism. It feels like everyone is exuberant that we have lost. | ||
| Daniel | Homepage | E-Mail | 13.06.2008, 06:48 | ||
| I agree. Ballack, really, has been egregious thus far in the tournament. | ||
| Jack | Homepage | E-Mail | 13.06.2008, 04:59 | ||
| I do not think it is fair to blame Ballack for the final score,which is the result of the team performance.Croatia was a very smart team,with neither confussion nor doubts, about what to do with the ball at foot,quite on the contrary to the german team. | ||
| ewulf | Homepage | E-Mail | 12.06.2008, 21:22 | ||