Low gamble pays off in Greek rout
Reuters - Friday 22 June 2012, 21:47
Joachim Low's bold decision to
completely overhaul his forward line will be viewed as a
resounding success after Germany crushed Greece 4-2 on Friday to
claim a place in the last four of Euro 2012.
Replacing Mario Gomez, the tournament's joint top scorer,
with Miroslav Klose and omitting the experienced Lukas Podolski
and Thomas Muller in favour of the relatively green Marco Reus
and Andre Schurrle may have raised eyebrows in some quarters.
But Klose responded with his 64th international goal on his
120th appearance, while Schuerrle and especially Reus gave the
Greek defence a torrid time, the latter crowning his seventh cap
with a fine volleyed goal.
The 23-year-old winger, who recently signed for German
champions Borussia Dortmund, particularly caught the eye with
his darting runs down the right and as well as a number of
attempts on goal in the first half he also provided a neat
layoff for Mesut Ozil.
Low's surprise starting line-up for the quarter-final at
Gdansk's PGE Arena underlined the depth in the German squad and
it was an accomplished performance from a strong, physical team
who will pose a stern test for Italy or England in the
semi-finals.
"I had a feeling after three wins that we had to make some
changes to breathe some fresh life into the team," Low told
reporters.
"The time was ripe to do something different. I think Miro
and the others did it very well."
Klose, now four short of Gerd Muller's German scoring
record of 68, added: "It's amazing if you look at how many good
players can come off the bench and play.
"We can now relax and watch the England-Italy match and see
who we're going to be playing against."
SLOPPY, WASTEFUL
While there was much to please Loew and suggest Germany are
serious contenders for the title there was also a sense,
especially in the first half, that sloppy passing and wasteful
finishing might have been punished by a more accomplished side
than Greece.
Playmaker Ozil squandered a clear opening from the Reus
layoff when he struck a poor shot straight at the goalkeeper and
he seemed to lack the zip and creativity he has shown during a
fine season helping Real Madrid win the Spanish league title.
A pass completion rate of 79 percent is well below what Ozil
would normally achieve in La Liga, although he did provide the
assist from a free-kick for Klose's header.
The performance of defender Jerome Boateng on his return
from suspension may also have given Low food for thought after
he let Giorgos Samaras nip in front of him to score Greece's
equaliser and gave away the late penalty for handball for their
second.
"We made it unnecessarily difficult for ourselves," said
captain Philipp Lahm.
"We were too slow at times and made too many easy mistakes,"
added the 28-year-old, who put Germany in front with a swerving,
long-range drive just before halftime.
"But the important thing is that we're in the semi finals. I
think we're finding our rhythm more each match."