What does it say about the World Cup when the most beautiful football is played by the Germans? Is the quality of the competition so low or are the Germans so good? After the 4-0 thumping of the Australians, pundits are heaping praise on the "Mannschaft" and declaring it (somewhat prematurely) to be the favorite for the title. No one really knew what to expect from Joachim Loew’s young side (average age is 24.5), but the Germans are, as former national coach Juergen Klinsmann put it on ABC, “always ready when it matters.” Well, we’ve known all along that the football god is at least half-German, and no one has described the deeply rooted respect for German teams better than Gary Lineker’s famous quip: “Football is when 11 men play against 11 men and Germany wins.”
What was different though about the win on Sunday was the way it was achieved: Granted, the “Socceroos” are by no means a football powerhouse, but still, the German team impressed with its fluidity, sharp combinations, and well-choreographed movements that one may associate more with Barcelona’s elegant style of “total football” than with the “tanks” as British tabloids often ridicule German football players. Or, as Goal.com commented: “Before Germany’s World Cup opener in Durban, coach Joachim Loew must have told his team to paint the town orange. There was something distinctly Dutch about the Germans.”
On the way to work this morning, however, this bus station ad reminded me unequivocally that it will take more than just one beautiful game to overcome the stereotypes...
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