Germany: The team and the stars

Frankfurt, Germany : Germany departs for the World Cup as one of the teams to beat despite having a relatively young squad. But because they made their international debuts early, many Germany players have dozens of national team games behind them. [caption id=“attachment_1564199” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of the Germany team. Reuters[/caption] Here are five players to watch: PHILIPP LAHM Captain since 2010, Philipp Lahm will be playing at his third World Cup and already has made 105 national team appearances. The 29-year-old Lahm helped Bayern Munich sweep the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup last season and was a major figure as the club recaptured the championship this year. As a defender, Lahm has been versatile, playing with equal success on the left or right flank, although he personally prefers the right side. He played both positions as necessary for both Bayern and the national team, until Bayern coach Pep Guardiola put him in the defensive midfield to fill a gap left by injuries. Lahm excelled again. Germany coach Joachim Loew says he might consider Lahm for that position as well, if needed. MANUEL NEUER Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is Germany’s uncontested No. 1. Neuer became the starting goalkeeper before the 2010 World Cup when Rene Adler hurt his shoulder, and has stayed there ever since. Neuer has conceded by far the fewest goals in the league, although that is also due to Bayern’s overall dominance. His main problem may be lack of action — he usually faces few shots in Bundesliga matches. That could explain why he is sometimes caught off-guard by long-distance shots. Neuer’s other weakness is a hesitancy in coming off the line. THOMAS MUELLER Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Mueller is another versatile player whose style of play makes him hard to figure out. Mueller can play on the flanks but he can also roam as a “false nine.” That’s where he is probably at his most dangerous. Relatively unknown internationally before the 2010 World Cup, Mueller made his name in South Africa, where he was the top scorer with five goals and three assists. He was also named the tournament’s best young player. Still only 24, Mueller is already a mature player, having won everything there was to win with Bayern in the past two seasons. Although his playing time has been somewhat reduced by Bayern coach Pep Guardiola’s rotations, Mueller is still the club’s best scorer after striker Mario Mandzukic. MARIO GOETZE Mario Goetze is the product of Germany’s exemplary youth programs and has gone through all junior selections. A 22-year-old attacking midfielder, Goetze is considered the country’s most promising and exciting talent. He helped Borussia Dortmund win two consecutive Bundesliga championships, then stunned his childhood club by taking advantage of an opt-out clause in his contract to move to Bayern Munich. Goetze had an inconspicuous start in Bayern, missing the early part of the season because of an ankle injury. He was eased into the team by coach Pep Guardiola, and often came off the bench in a star-studded squad. Goetze’s pace, vision and dribbling skills, in addition to his scoring, have drawn comparisons to some of the game’s greats, such as Diego Maradona or Lionel Messi. The World Cup could be an occasion for Goetze to prove he is worthy of the praise. Germany coach Joachim Loew has indicated his might use Goetze as a “hanging nine” if his injured strikers don’t recover in time. MESUT OZIL: His form may have dipped for Arsenal, but Ozil has always been a brilliant performer for his country. With eight goals, he was the top-scorer for Germany in their qualifying campaign and was their best player at World Cup 2010. Can only get better four years later. The complete Germany squad: Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover) Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal). Midfielders: Julian Draxler (Schalke), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Christoph Kramer (Borussia Monchengladbach), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria), Andre Schurrle (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich). Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal). [caption id=“attachment_1564161” align=“alignleft” width=“620”]  The Infographic was created before Marcos Reus was ruled out of the World Cup due to injury. He’s been replaced by Shkodran Mustafi.[/caption] AP