Germany Faces Critics and Opponents

It is a rare occurrence indeed that a German team goes into a major tournament with so few prospects of success. The only hopes being fostered by the fans back home are based on the weaknesses of the other teams and the enduring myth of the all-dominant German teams of the past with their "tournament mentality."

Apart from this latest development in the history of the national team, everything else went as per usual in the run-up to this year's tournament. The German national team got a relatively light qualification group in their bid for a place at the European championships in 2004 and, remaining true to the form books, scraped through with their notorious luck and a handful of lackluster displays.

Having precariously navigated the potential minefields of Scotland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, the Germans sighed with relief at their qualification and managed to claim the scalps of Croatia (2:1) and Belgium (3:0) in post-qualification friendlies.

However, France and Italy brought a dose of reality to the Germans which was compounded when, on April 28, 2004, Rudi Völler took his seasoned professionals to Romania to play a team of teenagers and barely-capped players. The result? Germany received the thrashing of a lifetime, capitulating 5-1 to a team that failed to qualify for Portugal.

Bad memories of the Low Countries remain

The omens were bleak. The last European Championship in the Low Countries in 2000 saw a Germany team on the point of collapse, devoid of tactical and technical know-how in comparison to their international contemporaries and performance that resulted in a qualifying round exit. The question remained: could the World Cup runners-up have decayed so much in two years that Euro 2004 could well be another chapter of humiliation?

Be under no illusions; Germany continues to limp behind many of its European neighbors despite the strong showing in Japan/Korea in 2002. That run of form may have whitewashed over the cracks but the team now faces a stern test to see how such makeshift repairs stand up against the talent of a continent which has caught up while the soccer superpower has been sleeping.

There were huge plus points from the World Cup. Coach Rudi Völler, a novice on the international stage, inherited an untried squad and instilled a strong team spirit which carried them all the way to the final in Yokohama. He also got the best out of players such as Kahn, Metzelder, Ballack, Schneider, Frings and Klose who all seemed to reach the upper apex of their form curves in time for the finals and who made the most out of the exceedingly favorable draw the Germans enjoyed throughout the tournament.

Tired World Cup stars off the pace

So what about their chances at the European Championships? The fact that German players in their league teams have looked tired since the World Cup and have floundered against European opposition in all the major international club cup competitions shows that Germany could do with some improved training in stamina and tactical awareness in regards to international opposition.

The Germans have lost all their recent games against well-organized and physically superior teams, a fact that does not bode well for the upcoming clashes with Holland and the Czech Republic this month at the European Championships. With just two qualification places available in the Group of Death, Germany faces a challenge to overcome two of the tournament's favorites.

The players themselves know the task ahead is a difficult one. "We are not the favorites," midfield player Dietmar Hamann has said and the performances are not the only thing that indicate that he may be right.

Missing in action

The team members who so surprisingly blazed a somewhat fortunate trail to the World Cup final now appear lost at their stations: Oliver Kahn seems a shadow of his dominant self in games when it matters, seemingly suffering from the effects of his media image and changes to his domestic situation; Christoph Metzelder, the shooting star of Japan/Korea, is injured for an unspecified amount of time while Michael Ballack reaches his once proven heights only sporadically.

And it is an absolute tragic joke that the consistent bearer of Germany's hope, the much lauded "star of the century" Sebastian Deisler, issued a sick note on mental health grounds at the start of the year and is far from the player he was after his battle against depression.

So when the Germans face the Dutch on June 15, Völler will have his work cut out. He will try to inspire his team and to find a formation suited for the stiff competition the Oranje will offer. Whether the winning formula apparently touched on during the 7-0 thrashing of the Maltese minnows will prove enough against stronger opposition, only time will tell.

Hoping for an Achilles' heel

What does remain, however, are the hopes that possible weaknesses in their opponents will aid Germany's cause. The Czechs lost embarrassingly against Japan recently and Völler will be hoping there is a chink somewhere in their amour. He will also be hoping that the Dutchmen will fall out with each other again.

Other factors that may slot into place to aid Germany could be that rival stars are tired from international competitions, that early elimination from European competition plays into the hands of such teams later in the season or the fact that maybe the old myth of the German tournament mentality will prove true again.

"Everyone fears Germany," Oliver Kahn recently growled in an interview. If this is true, this seems to be the biggest glimmer of hope for a miracle in Lisbon.