Goalkeeping dilemma
February 28, 2010
In recent tournaments it's been clear who the best goalkeeper in the country is and who should be given Germany's No.1 jersey. But as Loew contemplates who should be in the squad he will take to South Africa, it seems that he cannot decide on which out of the three candidates available should be his first choice.
Loew has named all three in his squad for the friendly against Argentina next week - Germany's biggest test before the main event gets underway in June. Bayer Leverkusen's Rene Adler, Manuel Neuer of Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen's Tim Wiese have all been picked despite calamitous losses in form and confidence over the past few weeks.
Despite assuring the German public that "all three goalkeepers have maintained a high level of quality over the season as a whole," Loew must be concerned at the mistakes the trio have made in recent matches and the fact that not one of them has risen to the top to make a clear case for the coveted No.1 shirt.
Adler's recent lack of concentration is a worry
Loew does have a point. Adler, as the shot-stopper for the Bundesliga leaders, has had a great season on the whole. He has been ever-present as Leverkusen have gone unbeaten to remain top of the league, with nine clean sheets. He has conceded 20 goals so far this season but none will be as damaging to his reputation as the gift he gave Werder Bremen's Claudio Pizarro last weekend. Adler let a free kick slip through his legs during the 2-2 draw.
While still one of the favorites - on Leverkusen's form - to become Germany's No. 1, such lapses in concentration will be much more devastating should they occur at the World Cup, a fact that won't be lost on Jogi Loew.
Manuel Neuer has also been in good form with Schalke, keeping 12 clean sheets and letting in just 17 goals all season.
Neuer still in contention but mistakes come thick and fast
Neuer was even being spoken of as a possible replacement for the aging Edwin van der Sar at Manchester United but Sir Alex Ferguson may not have been that impressed by his display against Wolfsburg last week. Neuer was clearly at fault as Wolfsburg's Brazilian striker Grafite equalized and then won the match after failing to be closed down by the Schalke keeper. Neuer remains the other main contender for the No.1 jersey but such mistakes come at a critical time for both club and country.
The door of opportunity is likely to be closing for Tim Wiese. The Werder Bremen keeper has been there or thereabouts in the fight for the No.1 jersey but his time has probably been and gone.
Tim Wiese's time may have come and gone
The form he showed in Bremen's 2006 Bundesliga-title season has never fully been replicated and his gaffs have become more spectacular and regular in recent seasons. Even at the age of 28, in an era when goalies can play to the age of 40, Wiese looks to have missed the boat, especially as Loew is looking to younger stars in a number of positions.
That none of these three is an automatic choice and each has failed to convince the national team coach in the run-up to South Africa 2010. This leaves Germany wondering if the goalkeeping conveyor belt, which for years has helped keep the country at the top of the international game may finally have run out of legs.
Goalkeeping production line drying up
Great German goalkeepers usually come along with the regularity of London buses. Whenever one is seen to have taken center stage, a precocious upstart is already waiting in the wings for his chance to take over. When one is ruling the roost, it is hard for many people to imagine finding a successor; such is the expected resilience of Germany's No. 1. But for the Germans, it is a matter of course that the keeper-in-waiting should be of equal or better quality than the incumbent.
Germany's 1990 World Cup-winning keeper Bodo Illgner looked as though he would be the No.1 forever when he took over the shirt from Eike Immel after Euro '88. Illgner's understudy, Andreas Koepke, then became the clear choice between 1996 and 2000 with a young Oliver Kahn breathing down his neck.
Kahn was, of course, to go on to become one of the greatest German goalkeepers of all time - and even if he hadn't, Germany would still have been blessed with a top-draw stopper.
While King Kahn was racking up his 86 appearances for the national team, his main rival was Jens Lehmann, a goalkeeper who could have been the first choice for most international teams. Only Kahn's consistency and form kept Lehmann from making the No.1 jersey his own on a permanent basis.
When Lehmann finally creaked his way out of the international arena after losing the final of Euro 2008 with Germany, there were a number of possible successors but not one clear choice. Eventually one of the following pack rose to prominence over the others.
Robert Enke appeared the most obvious choice to become the next German No.1. One can only wonder what heights he might have reached had he not tragically taken his own life last year. Coach Loew has made it clear that Enke would be his No.1 in South Africa.
Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Chuck Penfold