USA 0-1 Germany: Five talking points

Thomas Muller scored his fourth goal of the tournament to hep Germany overcome USA by a solitary goal in a rather drab encounter.Both Germany and the USA reached the last 16 as a result of this scoreline and the one in Braslia between Portugal and Ghana which finished 2-1 in Portugals favour.Germany finished the group as winners with seven pointsand USA qualified for the round of 16 as runners-up having a better goal difference as compared to Portugal.Here are five major talking points from the groups top two sides.

#1 An Insipid encounter

The big question before the match remained whether Germany would go all-out against USA. The way the match started especially in the initial quarter of an hour suggested that Germany would steam roll Jurgen Klinsmann’s side.

They dominated possession and ended up creating a host of half chances which could not be converted by the front line of the German team. USA were set up to soak the consistent German pressure and counter swiftly as soon as the ball was won in defence or midfield.

However, after quite a promising start the game had slowed down by the half-hour mark, becoming a tame midfield struggle with neither side showing much attacking adventure. Apart from a Mesut Ozil strike in the first half, Germany barely managed to create any clear cut chances throughout the half with their opponents also appearing to run out of any surprises.

Die Mannschaft did manage to wake up and look like their attacking self in the second half . Thomas Muller scored his fourth goal from the edge of the box after Tim Howard had managed to clear from Per Mertesacker’s header.

No more goals were scored and the match finished with that solitary goal after a flurry of chances late into injury time for USA.

It was a poor and dreary affair in front of spectators who had braved floods, inadequate public transport and traffic gridlock in Recife city centre to reach the Arena Pernambuco.

#2 Germanys dominance pays off

In a match of high stakes, it was Germany’s dominance in the midfield and possession that saw them being victorious. Right from the beginning of the match the tone was set for German superiority in keeping the ball and the opening 15 minutes saw Germany having close to 84% possession with USA hardly getting any time on the ball.

The early part saw Die Mannschaft peppering the U.S. box with crosses and smart passes but a mixture of excellent handling from Tim Howard and equally important last-ditch defending from Omar Gonzalez ensured the early barrage was withstood.

USA started to see more of the ball as the half wore on by pushing up the field to counter the German pressure. However, an early second half introduction of Miroslav Klose gave the necessary impetus that Germany needed.

With a more out-and-out striker on the field, Die Mannschaft’s play became more direct, with deep crosses catapulted towards the veteran striker. Within minutes the pressure bore dividends when Muller was able to score to give them a deserved lead.

Germany looked comfortable after taking the lead, with the U.S. struggling to win the ball back and keep it for any sustained spell. With no goals destined, the American supporters were left to deal with the proceedings in the Ghana vs Portugal encounter

#3 Defence is USAs Achilles Heel

Jurgen Klinsmann has done a fine job in building a team that has managed to progress from a very strong group which many people would not have expected them to do.

This US team is a strong cohesive unit, disciplined, well drilled, capable of counter attacking swiftly as well as dominating possession and creating chances. However, if there is a major weakness it is their backline which is not well organized.

The front 4 of Germany caused consistent problems both on the left and the right side of the defense with spaces being found even for the runs of German full backs. The continuous switching of positions from Die Mannschaft also didn’t help in this case.

DaMarcus Beasley andd Johnson were fantastic going forward dribbling past the German defense but it was their defensive vulnerability that would be a major concern for Klinsmann.

If it wasn’t for some last ditch interventions by Omar Gonzalez and Tim Howard it would have been an even bigger scoreline in favour of Germany.

With a stiff Belgian test on the horizon, the team must now prepare to be defensively solid so that the glaring flaws in the backline are not exposed. However, Belgium’s attacking quality might be too much to contain for USA.

#4 Favorable weather conditions

Right since the start of the tournament, it has been evident that teams from Europe have been struggling to cope with heat and humidity in Brazil. Germany have had as much problems with this as any other team in the tournament.

Their previous two matches at Salvador and Fortaleza were energy sapping encounters with the players needing frequent water breaks to cope with the unrelenting heat.

The match against Ghana at Fortaleza was the toughest as the second half saw plenty of players especially in the second half on their haunches struggling to cope with the conditions. Hence, the sight of rain at Recife would have been encouraging for the players.

The weather seemed to have a positive effect on both teams especially Germany as the players were comfortable and enjoyed playing in these conditions.

However, the weather didn’t seem to have a positive impact on the match as it turned to be a rather dull affair

#5 Is this Lows preferred central midfield?

Bastian Schweinsteiger returned to the starting XI partnering Lahm in the centre of the midfield. Kroos was given a more forward role with a license to play in the front 3 and also tracking back when possession was lost.

Germany’s domination in the match was mainly due to the compact and dogged performance of Lahm and Schweinsteiger in the centre of midfield.

They held possession, played key passes, broke up play, always ensured that one of them would support the attack and the other would sit in front of the defense.

It was important that this be addressed as against Ghana, it was the centre of the midfield where they got overrun and the defense with very little support from Lahm or Khedira got more ragged as the match progressed.

Against the USA, they looked more assured, however the defense is still a suspect especially when a team counter attacks swiftly.