World Cup 2014: Joachim Löw’s big call over Philipp Lahm was crucial
It is not unusual for World Cup-winning managers to make a significant change to their starting XI midway through a tournament, and after this win, it feels like Joachim Löw has finally found his best shape – even if Germany’s margin of victory was slender.
Having previously insisted upon playing Philipp Lahm in midfield rather than in his customary full-back position, and used Thomas Müller upfront rather than a natural poacher, Löw selected a more recognisable, cohesive Germany starting XI.
Lahm returned to right-back with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos starting as a trio for the first time in this tournament. Upfront, Miroslav Klose played as an old-fashioned poacher, allowing Müller to drift inside from the right.
Everything felt more solid, more logical, and while Germany won this game by virtue of a Mats Hummels header from a set piece, their advantage in the midfield zone was evident throughout. Schweinsteiger sat deep and played the holding role much better than Lahm, offering more penetration with his passing.
Meanwhile, Klose’s positioning up against the opposition centre-backs meant Raphaël Varane and Mamadou Sakho were unable to advance to shut down onrushing midfielders.
The combination of Germany’s passing from deep midfield positions, and Klose’s positioning, meant Germany found space between France’s defence and midfield. There were three options for vertical passes into this zone – Mesut Özil could drift inside from the left, Müller could do something similar from the right, or Khedira could charge forward from a deeper position, past Blaise Matuidi.
It meant Yohan Cabaye struggled to command that zone, and for the first time in this competition, it was obvious that France lack a genuine ball-winner.
Three examples midway through the first half showed Germany’s approach – first Özil nearly found Khedira between the lines with a dangerous pass, then Schweinsteiger knocked an excellent straight ball into Khedira’s feet in a similar position, before Kroos played another penetrative pass into Özil. The more Germany worked the ball into these positions, the more they looked likely to extend their lead, although their passing was much more cautious after half-time.
France’s approach was very different. Mathieu Valbuena played a similar role to Özil, drifting inside to act as the main playmaker, but France were more dangerous when they directly bypassed Germany’s defence from deeper positions. Although Germany’s defensive line was not as aggressive as in the narrow, second-round victory over Algeria, sometimes the back four pushed up without the midfield putting pressure upon the France midfielder in possession.
France’s best chance in the first half came from this situation, when Sakho played a straight ball in behind the opposition defence, allowing Antoine Griezmann to break forward, and the Real Sociedad winger nearly squared for Karim Benzema in the centre. Valbuena was also capable of running in behind, while Benzema cut inside with the ball for a good opportunity having received a long diagonal ball from Paul Pogba into the German’s right-back zone.
Pogba also played a great diagonal pass to Griezmann running in behind at the start of the second period, though the pass was met with poor control. Germany’s high defensive line is fascinating, especially with the goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, sweeping up behind, but there are obvious risks.
France’s attempted comeback was strange. The manager, Didier Deschamps, waited a long time to make his substitutions, eventually shifting to a 4-2-4 system featuring Griezmann, Benzema, Olivier Giroud and Loïc Rémy across the front. But there was never great urgency in their performance.
Still, Germany deserve credit for shutting down this contest with a minimum of fuss, and it will be a huge surprise if Lahm returns to midfield for the semi-final.
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