Schweinsteiger teaches Dutch a lesson
Reuters - Wednesday 13 June 2012, 22:18
The Netherlands have plenty of
marquee names in their Euro 2012 squad but they do not have an
enforcer in the mould of Germany midfielder Bastian
Schweinsteiger.
Approaching his prime at 27, Schweinsteiger's influence was
evident again on Wednesday when he set up both goals as Germany
beat the Dutch 2-1 with a lesson in fast, powerful and
clinically effective football.
Mario Gomez will rightly take the plaudits after scoring
both goals to take his tournament tally to three but it is
Schweinsteiger's ability to set the tempo that could help
Germany finish what they started at the 2010 World Cup finals.
The Bayern Munich player was one of Germany's best
performers two years ago when they played the most eye-catching
football of the tournament, only to lose to Spain in the
semi-finals.
He may not wear the captain's armband but his leadership
qualities were obvious against the Dutch, driving Germany
forward in a first half they dominated and getting stuck in at
the coal face when the Netherlands fought back late on.
"Schweinsteiger is getting better and better, he's
developing more of a presence and when it gets tough he can keep
the ball," coach Joachim Low said after Germany moved to the
brink of the quarter-finals.
"He's physically strong and wins the one-on-ones."
While talk of unrest and ego clashes in the Dutch camp have
bubbled away in the opening week of the tournament, a sub-plot
that will only gain legs after two consecutive defeats,
Germany's team spirit and togetherness look unshakable.
Discipline, hard work and ruthless efficiency have been the
hallmarks of the great German sides down the years.
This current crop boasts all those attributes but in
Schweinsteiger they have a player who would walk into any of the
world's top sides, Spain included.
Crucially too he looks 100 percent fit after struggling with
injuries during the season.
"I am getting back to my top form, I am sure of that, I just
don't know when that will be," he said this week.
His form so far suggests that he is peaking at just the
right time to help Germany to a fourth European title.
Low also revealed that the German squad received a visit
from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich before the match and
Schweinsteiger, in the Bayern team who lost the Champions League
final to the London club last month, was seen sharing a joke
with the Russian billionaire.
While Schweinsteiger gives Germany a sense of purpose in the
middle of the pitch, the contrast could not be greater with the
Dutch who gave the impression of playing like a team of
individuals.
Too often the wrong options were chosen and there was a
disharmony in their play neatly summed up by Schweinsteiger's
Bayern Munich team-mate Arjen Robben.
"There is no cohesion between our lines, there are gaps and
we are not connecting and then it is very difficult to recover
the ball," he told reporters.
Sounds like the perfect job for Schweinsteiger, if only he
were Dutch.