Rise of German Football

[san_rko]

Germany suffer double WC blow
Rene Adler and Simon Rolfes to miss the World Cup

Germany's World Cup bid has been hit by a double injury blow with the news that Bayer Leverkusen's Simon Rolfes and Rene Adler will miss the tournament. Midfielder Rolfes has been ruled out of this summer's finals because of a knee injury, while goalkeeper Adler needs rib surgery.

Rolfes, 28, has not played for Bayer since an operation in January and on Tuesday confirmed to Germany coach Joachim Low that he has lost his race to be fit for South Africa. He told DFB - Deutscher Fu?ball-████ e.V.█ "I am very pleased with the healing process but it is now definitively clear that the World Cup finals for me make no sense.

"My plan is now to look to start the new Bundesliga season fully fit. Missing out on the World Cup is not easy. It only remains for me now to wish the team every success in South Africa."

Rolfes, who has 21 caps, last played for Germany in the 1-0 win over Russia last October which booked their place at the finals. Germany coach Low admits his absence will be a blow to his side, saying: "The decision by Simon is the only correct one for the best possible recovery after surgery. We regret his absence, and hope he gets fit quickly."

Meanwhile, Leverkusen team-mate Adler will also miss the World Cup after being told he needs rib surgery following an injury he picked up last month, the German soccer federation has confirmed.

His absence will be a major blow after he was recently picked by Low as the team's first-choice keeper ahead of Manuel Neuer and Tim Wiese and he was expected to hold that responsibility in South Africa. But the 25-year-old, who won the first of his nine international caps in October 2008, is out after he broke a bone while on domestic duty against Stuttgart last month.

Low's side have been drawn in World Cup Group D alongside Paraguay, Saudi Arabia and hosts South Africa.​

 

[blake]

Looks amazing San!!

Please continue! This could have some great potential.

 

[LongLegs?]

Awesome! Germany is the national team I'm supporting for this year's World Cup! Will be reading. Good start this.

 

[san_rko]

Butt called up for Germany WC squad
Badstuber and Aogo the other surprises in 27-man squad

The Bayern Munich goalkeeper Hans-J?rg Butt has made a spectacular international comeback after being selected in Germany's preliminary World Cup squad.

The 35-year-old, who won the last of his three international caps in June 2003, was initially seen as an emergency replacement for the injured Ren? Adler with Schalke's Manuel Neuer and Werder Bremen's Tim Wiese battling it out for the starting spot.

Butt has been part of Bayern's successful title run and will also play in the German Cup final. The keeper, who clinched the No1 spot at his club late last season, is one of seven Bayern players to be called up, with Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Thomas M?ller, Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario G?mez also in the squad.

An experienced backbone of the captain Michael Ballack, Lahm, Per Mertesacker, Arne Friedrich, Schweinsteiger and Klose is supported by a group of talented younger players including Toni Kroos, Mesut ?zil, Sami Khedira and Marko Marin. The Hamburg defender Dennis Aogo and Bayern's Badstuber were the surprise names in the squad.

The former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger is not part of the squad, after his switch to Lazio in the winter to recover his form failed to pay off. L?w's 27-man preliminary squad will be reduced to 23 players by 1 June.

Goalkeepers: Hans-J?rg Butt (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Schalke), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Defenders: Dennis Aogo (Hamburg), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim), J?r?me Boateng (Hamburg), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart), Heiko Westermann (Schalke)

Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Sami Khedira (Stuttgart), Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen), Mesut ?zil (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Christian Tr?sch (Stuttgart), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg)

Forwards: Cacau (Stuttgart), Mario G?mez (Bayern Munich), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Thomas M?ller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Cologne)​

 

[ARay]

Definitely interesting read! Keep it up

 

[san_rko]

FC Bayern Munchen 4-0 Karlsruher SC
Ivica Olic brace lands domestic double

FC Bayern Munchen hit Karlsruher SC with a second-half salvo to win 4-0 and claim the DFB Cup for the fifteen time in the club's history and also complete the domestic double.

Ivica Olic cashed in on confusion between Matthias Zimmermann and Matthias Langkamp to fire FC Bayern ahead. Phillip Lahm crossed for Mario Gomez to score FC Bayern's second before Christian Demirtas gifted the ball to Gomez to set Arjen Robben up for their third. Rooney rounded off a blitz of three goals in twelve minutes to ensure FC Bayern will end the season with a domestic double.

In the opening seconds Timo Staffeldt outstripped Holger Badstuber to whip in a cross which Nigerian striker Macauley Chrisantus headed wide when well-placed, setting the template for an action-packed game. There were only three minutes gone when Karlsruher SC keeper Jean-Francois Kornetzky clutched his hamstring after innocuously fielding a ball and was clearly in trouble.

With replacement keeper Kristian Nicht warming up, Olic thumped a header against the Karlsruher bar. Olic was in ebullient mood and was the driving force as FC Bayern applied the early pressure. FC Bayern were finding too much space for Karlsruher's liking and with Arjen Robben at his mercurial slick-footed best, Matthias Langkamp and Demirtas were at full stretch in the heart of the Karlsruher's defence.

There was little finesse about FC Bayern's opening goal, inevitably scored by Olic. Hans Jorg Butt's long punt downfield was flicked on by Gomez - and Zimmermann and Langkamp collided to leave Olic with a clear run on goal to slot clinically past Nicht. But Karlsruher showed the spirit which has typified their dream run in the DFB Cup and Aleksandr Iashvili tricked his way past Lahm and Daniel van Buyten did superbly to head clear as Anton Fink closed in.

Karlsruher carried the game to FC Bayern at the start of the second half and Chrisantus showed skill and pace to beat Martin Demichelis but Butt got his angles right to beat the shot away. But just as Karlsruher were pressing for an equaliser, FC Bayern struck a mortal blow to their hopes with a second goal.

Franck Ribery picked his way past a couple of tackles in midfield before sweeping a pass out to Robben, who in turn laid the ball into Lahm's overlapping run. Lahm's cross was met by Gomez and although Nicht saved his first effort, the German converted at the second attempt.

FC Bayern effectively killed the game off four minutes later when Demirtas gifted the ball to Gomez who slid a pass for Robben to fire a shot across Nicht. A rampant FC Bayern made it three goals in twelve minutes when Ribery's free-kick was won initially by Gomez, and then Demichelis headed the ball goalwards for Olic to spin and tuck away his second goal. Although Karlsruher were staring at an act of damage-limitation, they went searching for a consolation but found FC Bayern's defence in a mean-spirited mood.

Match Stats:
Bayern Munchen: Butt, Lahm, Demichelis, van Buyten, Badstuber, Schweinsteiger, van Bommel(c)(Tymoshchuk 80), Ribery, Robben, Olic(Muller 85), Gomez(Klose 85).

Subs: Rensing, Contento, Gorlitz, Pranjic.

Karsurher: Kornetzky(Nicht 14), Zimmermann, M?ller, Langkamp, Demirtas(Akin 55),Staffeldt, Engelhardt, Fink, Sch?fer, Iashvili(Stindl 89), Chrisantus.

Ref: Florian Meyer.

Att: 75,420.

Goals: 1-0(Olic 34), 2-0(Gomez 56), 3-0(Robben 63), 4-0(Olic 68).

Yellow Cards: Robben / Langkamp.​

 

[san_rko]

Toni Kroos picked in 23-man squad for WC
FC Bayern Munchen youngster picked up

The Bayer Leverkusen playmaker on loan from FC Bayern Munchen Toni Kroos is the most surprising name in Germany's 23-man World Cup squad, which was announced today by coach Joachim Low.

Kroos, 20, has won one cap for the national team and was a surprise inclusion in the 27-man provisional squad for South Africa named last week. That appearance came in a 3-0 friendly win over Malta two weeks ago, when Germany fielded a side made up entirely of home-based players, and he clearly made an impression on Low.

German skipper Michael Ballack who injured his ankle in Chelsea's FA Cup final win over Manchester United has also been named in the squad. Joachim Low is confident that the Chelsea midfielder, will be back to full fitness before the start of Germany's World Cup campaign. "We have a very vigilant recovery programme for him," said Low "All the information we've received has been positive and he should be 100% for the tournament."

The four men cut from the provisional squad are the Hamburg defender Dennis Aogo, the Stuttgart midfielder Christian Trasch, Piotr Trochowski of Hamburg, and Stefan Kiessling of Bayer Leverkusen.

Germany have been drawn in Group D alongside Paraguay, Saudi Arabia and hosts South Africa.

Goalkeepers: Hans-J?rg Butt (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Schalke), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Defenders: Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim), J?r?me Boateng (Hamburg), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart), Heiko Westermann (Schalke)

Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Sami Khedira (Stuttgart), Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen), Mesut ?zil (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)

Forwards: Cacau (Stuttgart), Mario G?mez (Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Thomas M?ller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Cologne)​

 

[m_vaughan]

Good to see the Stuttgart trio of Cacau, Khedira and Tasci in there. Kroos' inclusion is not really a surprise but the start of something special for the 20-year old.