Hitting the Same Löw

The first two lines of Germany’s National Anthem read: Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,/Über alles in der Welt, which translated means: Germany, Germany above all,/ Above all in the world. Prior to tonight’s match against Spain, these words rang true within the hearts and minds of Germans across the globe, their native contingent of footballers having advanced to yet another World Cup semifinal, their confidence level through the roof. They had won with both patience and panache, exerting their dominance over their opponents with incisive passing and timely shooting, slotting four goals per game past Australia, England, and Argentina, respectively, in the run-up to their showdown with Vicente del Bosque’s La Roja. Save a 1-0 slipup against Serbia in the group stage, Joachim Löw’s squad was, in fact, living up to Hoffmann von Fallersleben’s lauding poetry, at least from a football standpoint, especially with Spain’s recent run of atypical unconvincing play: Germany, Germany above all,/Above all in the world. Then came this evening in Durban.

Whether it was the absence of the suspended Thomas Müller, Bayern Munich’s enterprising young forward who blossomed vigorously in South Africa tallying a quartet of goals, Löw’s inability to make tactical adjustments at halftime to disrupt Spain’s methodical means of moving the ball forward, or simply Deutschland’s opponents themselves, tonight will go down as one of the more pallid German performances in recent memory. The contagious influences of Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski that had become so second nature this tournament had conspicuously evaporated, and while Müller’s replacement Piotr Trochowski initially provided a spark, it came in the form of a blistering shot that Iker Casillas had little trouble turning away, the lone, innocuous imprint the Hamburg winger made all match. Even the normally reliable Mesut Özil—who still should receive consideration for player of the tournament—whose passes were expectedly crisp and precise, was a salient nonfactor, Sergio Ramos’ tackling of the 21-year-old inside the box being the most memorable moment of the match containing the Werder Bremen midfielder. So just how was this train that had gained so much momentum, that been accelerating at a seemingly unstoppable rate, halted so sharply?

It seems ages ago when German captain Michael Ballack was ruled out of South Africa having sustained an injury from Portsmouth’s Kevin-Prince Boateng in May’s FA Cup Final at London’s Wembley Stadium. To be sure, it was a blow to the squad that had grown so accustomed to Ballack’s efficacious presence and pull in the center of the midfield the majority of this decade, but as the group stage progressed, the pundits began to surmise that this nascent, free-flowing fast-paced attack was coming as a result of the former Chelsea star’s absence, a notion that became more and more believable after the 4-1 deposing of England and the 4-0 drubbing of Argentina. It was the latter match in which a FIFA camera spotted the Matt Damon lookalike near the German tunnel, revealing a radiant, and purportedly genuine, smile after teammate Arne Friderich netted his first international goal to make it 3-0. But one couldn’t help wonder if his beaming wasn’t somehow belying his true sentiments, especially if he had heard Martin Tyler coronate Müller as this German generation’s number thirteen, the 20-year-old having sported Ballack’s usual kit number this tournament.

In my opinion, Ballack’s presence in the lineup this evening in Durban would have made a difference, and one for the better I might add. It’s true that a cabal of youngsters—most notably Müller and Özil—had been largely responsible for Germany’s progression this tournament, the injection of youth critical to the team’s success. But this evening, when Spain effectively subdued the infectious exuberance that had encapsulated the German camp all World Cup, the lack of an authoritative leader became glaringly apparent, and Ballack might have filled those shoes (he would have succeeded where Podolski failed in notching the game-tying penalty against Serbia in the group stage, at least). They may not have scored as many goals with their captain patrolling in the middle, but they certainly would have had more direction (and they might have scored more goals, who knows), an area where the Spanish thrive.

Wednesday night’s 1-0 defeat was the German’s second consecutive semifinal loss at the World Cup, and the second consecutive time they have been ousted by Spain in major tournaments, having lost to La Roja in the final of Euro 2008 two summers ago, also by a 1-0 score. Undoubtedly, after a relatively meaningless clash with Uruguay for third place on Saturday, the flight back home to Berlin will be a long one for Joachim Löw and his men. And Lord knows the manager will have to answer for much more than his prominent robins egg blue v-neck he was sporting on the sideline in Durban. But where did they go wrong? And more importantly, how can they fix it? It’s now been twenty years since the Germans last hoisted football’s holy grail, it won’t be for another four years until they’ll be given a chance to break the ongoing drought in Brazil. There will be a lot on the players’ minds as well as Löw’s and his adjutants as they begin to prepare for Euro 2012 qualification next month, but if one thing will stand out the most it will almost definitely be that of the current state of German football: good, but not good enough.