Germany and Argentina are set to lock horn as the World Cup Final approaches on Sunday, July 13, 2014. While there are a few interesting storylines to play attention to today, the end result will be a German victory.
image via INFphoto.com
As a team Germany has a lot of depth and talent at every starting position. To start Germany could have the best goalkeeper in the world with Manuel Neuer. Through six games this world cup Neuer has only allowed four goals and has recorded three clean sheets. The Argentine goalie has only allowed three goals, but hasn’t faced as much talent as the German team. Germany’s last three games were against Algeria, France and Brazil who posted a combined 28 goals this World Cup. Germany only allowed two goals in those three games.
Next is the defense. This is the only area where Argentina could have an edge. Their defense is fast and tough. They are very good at positional defense but struggle when it comes to corners are crosses. The Germans will have a hard time trying to beat them straight up the middle. On the other side, Philipp Lahm is the most versatile player on the German side. He is a small but fast defender/midfielder who can play the ball up the sideline and get a cross into the box. He will be a big key to shutting down Lionel Messi.
On to the midfield, Germany is heavily favorite in this area of the field. Between the likes of Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Özil have a lot of speed and talent. Özil and Khedira both play for Real Madrid while the other two play for Bayern Munich. As a group they are all very technically sound, staying in their zones and keeping possession of the ball. Özil will be a huge part of the German game plan today because he is typically responsible for setting up nearly all their big opportunities on offense. While he isn’t a big threat to score, he can still shoot from decent range and is great at finding the likes of Miroslav Klose and Thomas Müller. While Angel Di Maria is a big addition to the Argentine midfield if he indeed does return for the World Cup Final, he is still not playing at 100% and will not be able to contain the core of the German team.
Finally on to the forwards the two big names heading into the final are Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller. Both of these players are excellent finishers and know how to be in the right place at the right time. While Messi is obviously more skilled than Müller, partly because he is the best player in the world, he has yet to be as effective as Müller in the World Cup. In consecutive World Cups Müller has recorded five goals. At 24 years old he is already chasing Klose’s World Cup scoring record of 16 with the possibility of playing in another three World Cups. Also what could be seen as fate, Müller’s first international game of his career was against Argentina on March 3, 2010.
Messi on the other hand is chasing immortality by simply helping his team win the World Cup, meanwhile he has only recorded five goals in three World Cups. With that said he is also responsible for setting up a majority of Argentine goals with his ability to penetrate opposing defense and demand the attention of opposing players.
However when things are all said and done Germany will be the newest World Cup Champions.