Will Bayern Munich’s star men be key to Germany getting back on track in Euro 2016?

Add as preferred source on Google

Germany’s rule as the world’s number one football team was short-lived soon after their World Cup triumph, but now they are on a downward spiral down the rankings. Now placed fifth in FIFA’s world ranking system, Germany have lost four of their last six games with the Euros nearly upon us.

Embed from Getty Images

Joachim Löw’s side struggled in their qualifying group, slipping up on several occasions, with defeats to Poland and the Republic of Ireland meant they only topped the group by a point to second place Poland. If it were not for either of the two draws against Ireland and Scotland, then the Poles would have easily finished first.

Since the end of qualification, things have not improved, as emphasised by a defeat to France in Paris – a night scared by the devastating Paris terrorist attacks – was followed by throwing a 2-1 lead away in the final minutes to eventual winners England. Things looked as though they were back on track after a storming 4-1 win over Italy but a 3-1 home defeat by Slovakia, a result that would have turned the head of England Coach Roy Hodgson leaves German football in a precarious position going into a major tournament.

So, where has the World Cup winning side gone that demolished home favourites Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals? Well for starters, only two players from the starting XI in the final against Argentina actually started the match against Slovakia in what was a very experimental side. Löw seems keen to blood some youngsters into the squad ahead of the competition while most other international sides have been fielding players who will be starting in the tournament.

The likes of Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels and Thomas Müller all missed out in the match-day squad against Slovakia, despite all the players from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund finishing club duty on May 21^st when the two met in the German Cup final. Germany will be boosted for the tournament by the fact captain Bastian Schweinsteiger has recovered from a knee injury in time to make the final squad of 23, but a major name to miss out is Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus. The midfielder has struggled with injuries this season and Löw determined that he was too much of a risk to take him to France.

Germany’s struggles in the forward position are no secret, for they are still relying on 30-year-old Mario Gomez to lead the line for them. There is no other out-and-out striker that Germany have to call upon. Thomas Müller is seen as more of a number 10 behind a main striker – although he is almost certain to score a hatful of goals this summer given his tournament reputation – while Lukas Podolski and Andre Schürrle play in a wider position. That leaves World Cup hero Mario Götze, who is a midfielder by trade and also has been cast away in Pep Guardiola’s time at Bayern Munich. If Gomez were to pick up an injury at any time, then Löw would have a serious re-shuffle on his hands.

Embed from Getty Images

Germany’s group is far from a picnic. Ukraine are a tough team despite coming through the play-offs and Northern Ireland will be looking to emulate their neighbours by taking points away from Germany. Then, there is Poland, who pushed Germany all the way in the qualifying campaign and in a one-off match, they could prove quite the challenge for the world champions.

With goals coming at a premium for Germany at the moment, they will be relying on a rock solid defence during the tournament, it sure helps when you have the world’s best ‘keeper in goal. The stars lie in midfield and will be the source of creativity that the lonely Gomez will be hoping to feed off. Germany last won the Euros in 1996 and are not favourites for this year’s competition, for that title belongs to the hosts in many people’s opinion. As long as Germany top their group and manage to weave their way through the knock-out stages, then a meeting with France in the final is a distinct possibility – what a match-up that promises to be

Featured Image: All rights reserved by lupinsixth