The German Football team is placed in Group D along with Australia, Serbia and Ghana. The Germans enter this World Cup as the 6th ranked team and with a good history backing them up with 3 world Cup titles and 3 European Championships. They have also been runners-up for 4 times in the World Cup and 3 times in the European Championship!

The German’s World Cup preparation suffered a severe blow even before the World Cup started, losing their captain Michael Ballack due to injury. Ballack is a player every coach would want in his team. He is the player to whom his team-mates look up to for inspiration. He has the great quality to lift the confidence of the players at any time and he has proved it in the previous Euro Cup 2008!

Losing such a player at such a crucial period has shattered the hopes of Germans of a 4th World Cup title. The team would surely miss his spot on free-kicks! He is one of those players who has the ability to turn the game on his side at any point of the match. He is also very effective with his accurate passes which just need a shot to be converted into a goal…

The team has showed signs of overcoming his absence announcing Philipp Lahm as the new captain. Lahm plays as a defender for the national team but also fits in the role of right back and left back. He is also very effective with his long run and has the great ability of giving in excellent crosses. He is considered as one of the best full backs in the world. After Ballack’s injury I was expecting either him or Schweinsteiger to take his place and Lahm won the race.

In the absence of Ballack, Bastian Schweinsteiger will have to take up the role of Ballack and lead the midfield. There would be a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. He has grown as a player since the Euro Cup 2008 where he was in great form. He has emerged as a matured player becoming a regular member of the scoring sheet for his national side as well as Bayern Munich. I expect him to be the trump card for Germany in their captain’s absence…

Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski are the next men who can take the Germans a long way in the tournament. Klose has been in good touch for his national side with 48 goals which makes him the third highest goal scorer of all time for Germany. Klose has the experience of performing at such a big stage and this can help Germany…

At just 24 years of age, Klose is one of the youngest but one of the strongest too in the German side. He had a great World Cup back in 2006 where he won the award for the World Cup’s ‘Best Young Player’ ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He scored 3 goals in the tournament and is capable of handling the pressure!

The German side was overshadowed by Ballack! But now with his absence the other players have got a great opportunity to prove themselves. The team has players who can take Ballack’s place but finding a replacement for him is definitely impossible. The team looks a little weak without Ballack but they have it in them to turn the table upside down on their day!

I am just hoping that they win the World Cup!

Best of Luck!!!