FOOTBALL: The German Revolution

Germany crashed out at the semi-finals of the 2010 world-cup but left a lasting mark few would have noticed. They had brought up a new style of play to rival the Germans.

The 4-2-3-1 formation worked wonders..it gave the team the ability to defend and switch into attack mode without missing a step. The Khedira-Scheweinsteiger combination sitting in front of the defence allowed the likes of Ozil-Muller-Podolski the freedom to cause enough damage in the final third without worrying too much about their defensive duties. Klose and Mario Gomez offered good options upfront.

After the world cup,this tactics was all but forgotten except by the German clubs and a few coaches who had started to see the merits in Joachim Low's new formation and tactics. Even the defensive Jose Mourinho began his Era at real Madrid with this formation. Took a while for him to master it (a season actually). Jurgen Klopp got two bundes liga titles under his belt before Bayern Munich could adapt to the tactics. Roberto Di matteo after clinching the Chelsea job on a short notice,switched the formation from 4-3-3 which had been the status quo since the era of Mourinho to 4-2-3-1. 

Using Ramires and John Mikel Obi in front of the defence gave Juan mata and Frank lampard even more room to cause damage. More recently,Roberto Mancini has turned it to Manchester-city in-built formation,perferring to start a lone-striker despite the enormous options at hand.

The defeats however of Real Madrid and Barcelona last season by German giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich began to throw up questions about the formations. The Spanish had brought the Tiki-taka brand of football which came with no fail-safe,no plan B as evident in Barcelona's loss to Chelsea two seasons ago and to Inter in 2010. 

Tiki-taka was based on possesion and recycling of the ball. Emphasis wasn't laid on pressing and recovery. Scheweinsteiger is a world class recycler of the ball while Javi Martinez was the recovery-man. Something very much missing in the Spanish set-up where only one defensive midfielder was required and considering the fact that Bayern often run on 4-1-4-1 gives room for quick counters and pressing in the final third. The new German formation gave a lot of alternatives,the ball was sent forward much quicker. And when lost each player offered good defensive pressing in their zones. The full backs could roam forward with confidence of cover from the two sitting midfielders. 

The two defensive midfielders were required to be of different qualities. A box to box midfielder and a recycler were needed. True to form,all teams using the 4-2-3-1 had this sort of midfielders already. Bayern had Martinez(who most times acts as the anchor man in d reversed 4-1-4-1)and Scheweinsteiger. The crowning glory of it all was a very good point-man..Dortmund had Lewandoski,Bayern had the luxury of either Mandzukic or Mario Gomez to pick from. Mourinho's Madrid had Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain,two center-forwards who had been below-par the whole season. Chelsea who had successfully adopted the formation too had a waivering Fernando Torres to look up to. Something that was bad considering that they had Juan Mata,Oscar and Eden hazard as their Holy trinity and after the Confederations cup final in which Brazil out-played their spanish counterparts,perhaps the Spanish tiki-taka would be confined to the bin of history and we can all agree it was flawed right from the get-go. Watching the final reminded on of the champions league semi-final clash between Bayern and Barcelona. 

The Tiki Taka simply can't cope with defending and keeping the ball confidently in their own half. And if and when they do break,lack of natural wingers often make their counters ineffective. Something which the German teams have thrived on bringing up in the last few years is quality and fast wingers.
The new European season is about to commence once again..and unlike previous seasons..the two top German teams have strengthened like never before. Though Dortmund lost talisman Mario Gotze to rivals Bayern Munich,they have refused to let top marksman Lewandoski follow suit. 

Instead they have brought in the likes of Henrikh Mkhyitaryan from Shaktar Donesk to replace Gotze,Pierre Emerick Aubameyang to provide competition for Lewandoski upfront while Sokratis papaduopolous has also been brought in to replace the departed Santana. Bayern have also been busy in the transfer market after confirming Pep Guardiola as their new coach,they had Gotze as a ready gift for him and to signal their intent to be dominant once again snapped up talented Thiago Alcantara from Barcelone to complete and already packed midfield.

#BASS