Germany World Cup 2006 Group A

GROUP A

* = Seeded Team
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile & Partners]

*Germany

Useful, that Confederations Cup after all - to some more than others. For a new German generation - hitherto untested, given the lack of qualifying games - has had its thirst for glory primed once more by a coach who was third, fourth or was that fifth in line for the job!

Rookie Jurgen Klinsmann gives the impression of having taken the pressure in his elegant stride and his clear commitment to a fast, aggressive brand of attacking football has, first and foremost, bought the players with him. The double-edged sword of home advantage holds no fears for the Californian commuter, either, having expertly moderated expectations throughout the warm-up tournament last summer that saw Germany claim third place. His players won't peak in 2006 but the confidence accompanying the team's rebirth is remarkable less than two years on from their surrender at Euro 2004.

The openness that has gone with it - inclusive of Kevin Kuranyi, Gerald Asamoah and Lukas Podolski if not, yet, of Leverkusen's Gonzalo Castro or Schalke's Cassio Lincoln - only underlines Klinsmann's intelligent approach.

All the talk of FC Ballack is over and the side's heartbeat has potent, clever lieutenants in Deisler, Schweinsteiger and even veteran Frings to complement a less experienced defence.

Just how far goalkeeper Oliver Khan is past his best could be key to the hosts' hopes, but the three-time winners are certainties for the quarters at least. Though Klinnsmann needs to decide on a settled side and soon.

Fixtures


Germany Kit 1 Copyright © Soccerphile	Germany Kit 2 Copyright © Soccerphile

Germany v Costa Rica 9 June; KO 18:00; Munich
Germany v Poland 14 June; KO 21:00; Dortmund
Germany v Ecuador 20 June; KO 16:00; Berlin

Coach

Jurgen Klinnsmann

Record

1938 First Round; 1974 Second Round; 1962, 1994, 1998 Quarter finals; 1958 Fourth place; 1934, 1970 Third place; 1982, 1986, 2002 Runners up; 1954, 1974, 1990 champions

FIFA Ranking

Men to watch

Michael Ballack

Predictions & Latest Odds

Should make it out of the group with either Poland or Costa Rica but the quarterfinals is as far as they will go.
World Cup Betting

How they qualified

Germany qualified automatically as hosts.

On the sidelines

Jurgen Klinnsmann has been criticised for his laid-back approach and decision to commute from his California home and not move back to Germany.
Buy World Cup Tickets

Analysis

Germany In-Depth Team Profile

The Squad

Goalkeepers Jens Lehmann (Arsenal, England), Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich) Timo Hildebrand (VfB Stuttgart).
Defenders Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Robert Huth (Chelsea, England), Marcell Jansen (Borussia Monchengladbach), Per Mertesacker (Hannover), Christoph Metzelder (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Jens Nowotny (Bayer Leverkusen).
Midfielders Michael Ballack (Chelsea, England), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund), Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), David Odonkor (Borussia Dortmund).
Fowards Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen), Lukas Podolski (FC Cologne), Mike Hanke (VfL Wolfsburg), Oliver Neuville (Borussia Monchengladbach), Gerald Asamoah (Schalke 04)

Poland

Just pipped by seeds England to Group 6 qualification with a scoring record to rival that of any in Europe at least, Poland's class of 2006 are nonetheless limited compared to finalists past.

Playing contemporaries of coach Pawel Janas such as Wladislaw Zmuda, Zbigniew Boniek, the celebrated keeper Jan Tomaszewski, Grzegorz Lato, Andrzej Szarmach and the late Kazi Deyna ensured the Poles carved a niche in World Cup history - and last time (West) Germany were hosts their neighbours came third.

But this will be a less confident bunch entirely, despite Maciej Zurawski and Tomasz Frankowski having scored seven each in qualifying and Portsmouth gambit Emmanuel Olisadebe providing competition for their places besides Grzegorz Rasiak.

They may not fear Group A's Ecuador - having coincidentally dispatched them in a Barcelona friendly prior to the draw - but then Klinsmann's men and even Costa Rica won't yield points as easily and memories persist of Japan/Korea when Jerzy Engels saw his side's high hopes collapse around an ignominious 4-0 defeat to Portugal. Since then, despite the presence of quality pros such as Jacek Krzynowek and Tomasz Klos, the Poles failed even to qualify for Portugal in 2004.

The man now in possession of Tomaszewski's old role, Liverpool's Jerzy Dudek, having made such crucial shoot-out saves in May's Champions League final, must regain regular match action of some description if he is not to risk abetting a repeat of the ignominy.