Germany (twice as West Germany) has won the European Championship in each of the decades since the seventies – 1972, 1980 and 1996. This is a last chance to keep the streak going.
How they qualified Germany was the first country to secure qualification through group play but finished as runners-up in Group D to the Czech Republic after drawing two and losing one of their last four games.
The Germans finished two points behind the Czech Republic but ten points ahead of the Republic of Ireland. Lucas Podolski scored nine times (five in one game against San Marino Nil).
In all Germany had twelve different scorers (plus an own goal) contributing to their total of thirty-five goals – the most by any country in the qualifying round.
The Coach The switch from World Cup boss Jurgen Klinsmann to Joachim Loew has been seamless – an improvement even. Given that the improvement came about from a willingness to experiment and to offer youth a chance means that Germany’s performances since Klinsmann moved on can be categorized under the heading of extremely impressive.
But with the improvement comes increased expectations and most German fans expect another European Championship this summer. A far cry from 2006 when the World Cup was being dreaded rather than anticipated.
Key Players Michael Ballack’s late season return to form is encouraging for Germany as an in-form and revitalized Ballack is pivotal to German hopes. The German defence looked wobbly in the early going of the 06 World Cup but matured into a solid unit.
Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen) and Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid) will be likely be depended upon at the centre of the defence although doubts linger as to the Spanish based players fitness. Bayern full backs Philipp Lahm and Marcell Jansen enter the tournament as German’s first choice full backs.
David Odonkor will probably play the role of speedy substitute once again while Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose and Kevin Kuranyi will rotate through the two striking positions.
Great Euro Memory With three European Championships and another twice as runner-up there are no shortage of memorable moments for German fans. However, the 3-0 destruction of the Soviet Union in 1972 can be considered special given that it ushered in a period of dominance for German football.
Runners-up to England at the 1966 World Cup and a beaten semi finalist to Italy four years later the 1972 tournament was a break through win. A Gunter Netzer inspired performance destroyed England in the first leg quarter final at Wembley and Gerd Mueller scored doubles in the semi final win over Belgium and again in the final against the Soviets.
A World Cup win followed in 1974 and West Germany became the first country to hold the two trophies at once. At the club level Bayern Munich completed a hat trick of European Cup wins in 1974, 1975 and 1976 while Borussia Moenchengladbach won the 1975 UEFA Cup.
Synopsis What do you do if you are 3-0 up against Germany? Make sure you score another goal that way you will at least get a draw. Such is the never say die spirit of Germany a country never to be discounted in a big tournament.
Germany looks to have more fire power than they did two summers ago and have received a favourable draw – but don’t they always. And you know that if penalty kicks are needed that there are few teams that will fancy their chances against the Germans.
Coming Up in World Cup Qualifying Liechtenstein, Azerbaijan, Wales, Finland and Russia in Group 4.
Amazingly this will be Poland’s first appearance in the finals.
How they qualified Poland seemed to be suffering a severe World Cup hangover as they started with a home loss to Finland, a draw away to Serbia before a second half goal away to Kazakhstan gave them their first three points.
They then set off on a run of six straight wins before a three game stumble brought a loss and two draws. Nonetheless they recovered to win Group A and finishing a point ahead of Portugal and four ahead of third place Serbia and Finland.
Ebi Smolarek was Poland’s top scorer in qualifying with nine goals including a ten minute hat trick away to Kazakhstan after a power failure.
The Coach Leo Beenhakker broke an 85 year-old tradition of Polish born coaches when he took over from Pawel Janas after the last World Cup. For the sixty-six year-old Dutchman it is another stop on a road that has seen him manage more than twenty teams since taking his first coaching join in 1967 with Go-Ahead Eagles.
At the international level Beenhakker has coached the Netherlands and Trinidad and Tobago at 1990 and 2006 World Cups.
Key Players Ebi Smolarek spent time with Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund before moving to Racing Santander in Spain last summer. However, Smolarek can be a temperamental character who has been known to lose the plot from time to time.
Celtic’s Artur Boruc is currently the starting goalkeeper while Beenhakker is able to leave Jerzy Dudek out of the squad all together. Premiership-based keepers Lukasz Fabianski and Tomasz Kuszczak are in the Polish squad.
Great Euro Memory Polish fans will be hoping that the best is yet to come.
Synopsis A lack of consistency and quality has hurt Poland in the past and it may strike again. The final group game against Croatia may require a Polish win if they hope to move on to the last eight.
Coming Up in World Cup Qualifying The Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino will provide the opposition in Group 3.
Arne Friedrich as he decided to run his own offside trap three yards behind the other three members of the German defense.
Per Mertesacker - first goal - and Christoph Metzelder on the second marker didn't look too smart either. Mertsacker was caught ball watching while Metzelder decided it was time for a bad Tony Adams impersonation.
Jose Porras didn't have a chance on any of the four German goals but nevertheless it is not a great start to the tournament for the Costa Rican keeper.
The Polish midfield was unimaginative and pedestrian against Ecuador. They moved the ball well until they hit the Ecuadorian midfield and then it all went pear shaped.
Tim Borowski was given the job of replacing Michael Ballack but he failed to establish himself in the game against Costa Rica.
It was a good day for....
Bayern Munich'sPhilip Lahm who has struggled with injuries for the last year or so. He was the unlikely scorer of the opening goal and set up the third German goal. He got forward to support the attack and linked well with Bastien Schweinstieger on the left hand side in the first half.
Miroslav Klose and Paulo Wanchopeboth notched doubles in the first game but failed in an attempt to become the first player to score a hat trick in the first game of the World Cup finals.
Torsten Fringswent close in the early stages but waited until the 87th minute to unleash a goal of awesome power. Taking a ball coming across your body is not easy but to hit the ball as well as he did - well that was quite something. Not dissimiliar to a winning goal by Arie Haan of Holland against Italy at the 1978 World Cup I thought.
Agustin Delgado set up the first goal for Ecuador with a near post flick from a long throw-in ala Bolton and scored the second one. I wonder what Gordon Strachan has to say about that performance.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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