World Cup Final Preview: Brazil-Germany
Germany - Brazil | News Archive
06/29/2002. BACKGROUND
It is has been billed as the ultimate encounter between flair and function but amazingly Germany and Brazil have never locked horns in the history of the World Cup. That staggering statistic is set to change in a big way on Sunday, when the South American entertainers will be seeking to buffer their record World Championship tally to five, while the thrice-crowned Teutonic machine will be aiming to equal Brazil's current record.
No one is more surprised than the German public that their frill-free national team have made it all the way to the final, as the expectations in Deutschland going into the big show in Japan and South Korea had been as low as they had been in recent memory before the start of an international competition.
German football was supposed to be in decline after the unsatisfactory France '98 quarterfinal exit at the hands of Croatia was followed by a pitiful showing at Euro 2000. It was but less than nine months ago that Germany suffered one of the lowest points in their proud footballing history, as they were demolished 5-1 by their deadly rivals England in their own backyard, which condemned them to barely squeaking through to Asia with a playoff success at the expense of Ukraine.
Factor in the injury-induced losses of defensive leaders Jens Nowotny and Christian Woerns as well as two top midfield creators in the form of Sebastian Deisler and Mehmet Scholl ?the latter of whom shocked the nation by retiring from international football in May - and the overwhelming feeling in Germany, in the immediate buildup to the World Cup, was not can we win it, but rather can we avoid the embarrassment of failing at the first round.
Should Germany prevail over the Samba Kings on Sunday, it would go to show just how thin the line can be that separates the also-rans from champions, as there hasn't been a great deal that has changed about the Nationalmannschaft since they were mauled in Munich by Sven Go and co. Germany's detractors will cry that their unexpected success in the tournament can be mainly put down to the fact that they have not been forced to match skill and wits with the planet's established elite en route to the final (see below), while others ?namely Italy and Spain - will moan that the Germans were not once victimized by faulty officiating.
Luck surely factored into it - but then, no team has ever won a major title without a fair serving of good fortune. Ability, undeniably, has also been a major player in the piece, as the Germans have been able to summon the kind of joint commitment to the cause that is essential to succeed when all odds seem stacked against you. That can, and must, be largely attributed to the expert guidance of Herr Rudi Voeller, who also deserves a great amount of credit for being almost faultless in his tactical decisions during the course of the competition. Other key ingredients to Germany's unexpected success have been the continued metamorphosis of Michael Ballack from an undeniably talented midfielder with an aggravating habit of choking in bid games to a certified superstar, the graduation of Mirsolav Klose from the Bundesliga's most promising young strikers to one of the world's most coveted goal-getters, and most importantly the transformation of Oliver Kahn from a world-class goalkeeper into a nigh-impenetrable wall. Multiply that by the fact that Germany are the biggest team ?both in height and weight - in the tournament and you have all the ingredients for a surprise finalist, who have done just enough to deserve to be still competing for the world's most coveted trophy.
Brazil are most people's second team at the present time. While one has to admire the way Germany have gone about their job with typical efficiency, there is the thought that the Selecao are streets ahead of any other team in the tournament and if there's any justice whatsoever, they'll be lifting the fifth World Cup of their illustrious history come Sunday.
The job that Luiz Felipe Scolari has done over the past few weeks has been little short of miraculous and he deserves every plaudit that comes his way. He's working with one big happy family as wing-back Roberto Carlos said this week, and everyone seems to be pulling in the same direction. There is none of the infighting that can be so damaging to a team's World Cup campaign. Perhaps the Brazilian public are starting to see why 'Big Phil' elected to leave out a tearful Romario when the whole nation were calling for him to be included.
It seems that everything has fallen nicely into place at exactly the right time. Brazil's defence is no longer being slated in the way that it was earlier on in the tournament after the Selecao had conceded two goals against Costa Rica and looked far from steady in the second-round match against Belgium. And again, this is down to Scolari. The introduction of Kleberson has provided an extra shield in front of the back-three and as a result Lucio, Roque Junior and Edmilson look a far more assured unit. Against England they were always in charge, and while Turkey offered them problems they could find no way past an impressive Marcos. The Palmeiras goalkeeper, as well, has proved many of his critics wrong in this tournament.
And so have two other players - perhaps the most important ones of all. The input from Rivaldo and Ronaldo has been little short of sensational and there is no wonder they have both been named in Fifa's team of the tournament. We'd venture to say that they were probably the first two names on the list.
While Rivaldo's despicable playacting in the first match of the competition can't be condoned, it shouldn't be allowed to take precedence over the Barcelona magician's pure artistry on the ball. He's been an absolute delight to watch at times, and none more so than in the first-half against, Turkey where Senol Gunes' back-four were given a torrid time by his dancing feet and deadly cuts.
Needless to say, Ronaldo's not bad on the ball either. He has gone on record this week as saying that the 'nightmare is over' and has thanked Pele for his helpful advice when many were predicting the end of the road.
It must be a relief to all genuine football lovers to see the Inter striker back and close to somewhere near his old form. Scolari has even suggested that he's six months away from full-fitness. God help the rest when he's firing on all cylinders.
Ahead of the final Scolari has paid tribute to his frontman saying: "I am proud and honoured to see him playing so professionally. He has learned to trust himself and when he did that the hard work and belief followed." A glowing assessment from a coach not previously renowned for his ability to shower praise upon his players.
LATEST TEAM NEWS
Germany: Five-goal Miroslav Klose will tough out damaged ribs to play on the stage that every footballer dreams of, while simultaneously striving to overhaul Ronaldo (six goals) in the race for the golden boot. Carsten Jancker, in the meanwhile, is long over a bout with the flu which kept him out of practice earlier in the week, but his best hope is for a substitute appearance for Sunday's ultimate showdown. Voeller is expected to revert from 4-4-2 back to a 3-5-2 formation, in large part to make up for the massive ?some say fatal ?absence of yellow-card suspension-victim Michael Ballack. Jens Jeremies is the man expected to benefit from Ballack's misfortune, though he will be assigned a considerably more defensive role, next to Hamann in the centre of midfield, than his future Bayern Munich teammate. In Ballack's absence, it will be his former Leverkusen teammate Bernd Scneider who will almost solely be entrusted with the burden of creativity for Germany.
Brazil: 'Big Phil' has a full compliment of players to choose from and is expected to make one change from the side that beat Turkey. Out will go Edilson, and in will come Ronaldinho who has now served his suspension. Lucio, Edmilson and Roque Junior will man the back-three, Roberto Carlos and Cafu will operate at wing-back, Gilberto Silva and Kleberson will play in a deep midfield role, with Ronaldinho floating, and Rivaldo playing off Ronaldo.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Germany (3-5-2) Kahn ?Linke, Ramelow, Metzelder ?Frings, Jeremies, Schneider, Hamann, Bode ?Klose, Neuville.
Brazil (3-5-2): Marcos, Cafu, Lucio, Edmilson, Roque Junior, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, Gilberto Silva, Kleberson, Ronaldo, Rivaldo
ROAD TO THE FINAL
Germany: Voeller's warriors made it to the knockout stages of the competition courtesy of a 8-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia, a hard-fought 2-0 win against Cameroon and a 1-1 tie against the Republic of Ireland. In the knockout stages, Germany just barely squeaked through the second round on the strength of a 1-0 defeat of Paraguay, followed by an even less convincing victory over the US, by the same score. In South Korea, another non-established footballing nation ?who nonetheless had claimed many an impressive scalp ?awaited Germany in the semifinal, and yet another huge goal by Ballack cemented their third 1-0 victory in succession and effectively confirmed their seventh appearance in a World Cup final.
Brazil: Scolari's side began the tournament with a not altogether convincing 2-1 win over Turkey. Their attacking play was, at times, delightful but they needed a late Rivaldo penalty to seal the win. Then came a 4-0 thrashing of China, a game most memorable for Roberto Carlos' thunderbolt free-kick to put his side 1-0 up in the first-half. A 5-2 win over Costa Rica then followed, but so did much criticism of a wobbly looking back-three. The 2-0 second-round victory over Belgium may look routine on paper but in reality it was anything but. Brazil had to wait until the 67th minute before Rivaldo opened the scoring, and only sealed the win when Ronaldo converted a Kleberson cross in the 87th minute. On another day Belgium would have tucked away at least one of the four or five presentable chances that came their way. England were next up, and it was actually Sven Goran Eriksson's men that took the lead when Michael Owen struck after a mistake from Lucio. Rivaldo, though, converted just before the break and Ronaldinho's freak goal put them 2-1 ahead. His subsequent sending-off did little to put Brazil out of their stride. Wednesday's semi-final win came courtesy of another Ronaldo goal, and although Gunes' men had their chances, the Selecao marched on to their third successive World Cup final.
WHO'S HOT
Germany ?For the umpteenth time this tournament we are obliged to identify Oliver Kahn as the most in-form German player at the moment. Now damn near indisputably the best shotstopper in the world, Kahn has garnered unabashed admiration from all corners. Bayern Munich supremo Franz Beckenbauer has been singing Kahn's praises for many years now and his opinion of the ferociously determined player just keeps rising. "The most spectacular player of the World Cup has been Oliver Kahn," trumpeted 'der Kaiser'. "He has been fantastic from the beginning of the tournament and has conceded only one goal so far. Kahn is, quite simply, the best goalkeeper in the world. It will be very difficult for Rivaldo and Ronaldo to beat him.
Brazil: This is the perfect opportunity for Ronaldo to exorcise the ghost of 1998 when he walked comatose around the pitch as Zinedine Zidane et al ran riot against the then world champions. The World Cup's six-goal top scorer looks finally to be back to his old self and a cup final goal would be a fitting end to a truly stunning tournament for El Phenomeno and the Selecao.
WHO'S NOT
Germany - Spare a thought for the luckless Michael Ballack, who was so integral to Deutschland's over-achievement in this tournament, but will be forced to sit out the biggest game in any footballer's career due to suspension. The technically flawless 25-year-old confessed to shedding tears in the dressing room following the bittersweet semifinal success against South Korea, but quickly forgave Torsten Frings for involuntarily instigating the counterattack with a sloppy pass, which Ballack wisely deemed potentially lethal enough to bring to a halt illegally. It is a real shame that Ballack will be missing out the final, as he was guaranteed to add yet more spice to an already epic affair.
Brazil - It's impossible to point to a Brazil player and say: 'he is in poor form'. No one individual has had a poor tournament by any stretch of the imagination, although it will be interesting to see how the back-three cope with the aerial threat posed by practically Germany's entire team.
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