Germany a Well-oiled Machine...

Ah, Germany. How I love you.

For years I have danced where others fear to quick-step: I have followed and adored the soulless functionalism that has seen them appear in every Quarter-final of the World Cup since 1954, going on to win 3, lose 4 in the final and drop-out four times at the Semi final stage. A scary record for a nation that, until the '94 tournament was divided, and has rarely boasted a squad with half the quality of less successful nations such as Holland and England.

It may come as a surprise that I, a believer in the beauty of sport, idolise a team that is anything but beautiful: the Germans are victory machines. Devoid of charm as they may have been in the past, they are supremely well-coached (an ever-present reminder that coaching in soccer is an art even though it seems too fluid for it to matter all that much beyond team selection), and possess the kind of bottle that, if in the hands of Vinnie Jones, would refuse to shatter upon contact with an unfortunate copper's bonce.

They were a machine. They were ice.

But dawn is breaking across a nation so long renowned for its glacial composure. The polar caps are melting and have revealed beneath their surface a glistening future. Germany are the new Brazil. They are fast, clinical and full of flair. They play beautiful counter-attack football. They defend with men behind the ball and break with the speed of a poorly made Chinese watch. England threatened them in yesterday's quarter-final, scoring two goals (only one of which recorded) in almost as many minutes.

I though then that this plucky, spunky, feverishly inventive German side would buckle under the onslaught, which continued well-into the second half. Skill and beauty often comes at the expense of backbone. Surely Low's men couldn't possess both..?

Then this happened: Germany defended resiliently for twenty minutes and, upon stealing the ball on the edge of their own box, proceeded to run the length of the field an score. Simply as that.

England were sunk - the Titanic met its Iceberg.

And now one question remains: how good are Germany really? England were solid in attack, but amateurish in defence, no question. Is this Germany team the real deal? Will they beat the woefully coached Argentina and book their place in the Semis against, I fancy, Portugal for a rematch of the 2006 semi that they won 1-0?

Yeah they will. And I, an England supporter who has found himself without a team, will be wearing the schwarz rot geld of Deutschland and cheering Lahm, Podolski and the vibrant Oezil to another win en route a dream final with Uruguay.

Don't stop believin'...


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