The loss to Italy was brutal- the young Germans, many of them coming into the competition following heart-breaking defeats with their club, Bayern, were left speechless. The tears came out in full flow afterwards especially from the young players such as Thomas Mueller.
Matches against Argentina nonetheless provide fonder memories for the Germans.
In 2006, in the World Cup, Germany beat them in a penalty shoot-out to reach the semi-finals. They repeated the feat in 2010, except with much more ease- 4-0 was the final result in South Africa. The two sides met in a friendly between those two meetings which saw Argentina triumph 1-0 but Germany come away with knowing how their system would work from then on.
Joachim Loew has stated that the Germans will be much changed. Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger have both been omitted from the squad considering their requirements for rest. Manuel Neuer has withdrawn from the squad following an injury he sustained in Bayern’s DFL Supercup victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Sven Bender has withdrawn with illness. Mario Gomez is out; he is recovering from surgery on his ankle and will not return to the pitch for at-least the next six weeks. Julian Draxler has been recalled to the squad following his omission prior to the Euros. Both Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker have been left out as they are set to embark on their newest Premier League campaign with Arsenal on the 18th.
Argentina has included the likes of Hugo Campagnaro, Ezequiel Garay and Federico Fernandez in their squad. The main attraction is of course the captain Lionel Messi. This will be a tough test for their new coach Alejandro Sabella. He has recorded great results this year but playing the talented German youngsters will be a different test altogether.
Fabricio Coloccini has been included. Jose Sosa, who spent some time with Bayern and then with Napoli in Italy, has also been included. Ezequiel Lavezzi had a great season with Napoli and has moved to PSG; he will be looking to start. Pablo Guinazo and Enzo Perez are the two in the squad who ply their trade outside Europe. Perez is replacing Maxi Rodriguez.
Both the back-lines are suspect. With the exclusion of Manuel Neuer, Argentina might be presented with more chances. However, Neuer’s withdrawal does allow Marc Andre ter-Stegen or Ron Robert Zieler to prove their worth as the main back-up following the return of the former starting keeper Rene Adler.
Germany in 2010 used swift counter-attacks to embarrass Diego Maradona’s Argentina. Loew might want to utilize a different strategy this time around due to the variable options available to him. Loew lacks strikers in this squad due to the absence of Mario Gomez. He has named only one- Miroslav Klose. There is a chance that Reus or even Bayern’s Thomas Mueller will be the starting striker.
