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Victory feels right for both Messi and the Mannschaft

12th July, 2014
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Are there alternative methods to picking the World Cup winner? (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
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12th July, 2014
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Largely played and officiated in the right spirit, with drama throughout, it’s fitting there’ll be a feel-good factor regardless of who wins the World Cup final.

On the one hand it would be absolutely right if one of the greatest ever, Lionel Messi, caps his incredible career with the big one.

On the other hand it’s impossible to begrudge a National Mannschaft who have been building to this moment for over a decade.

These are two proud and great football nations, and each have waited their turn – Argentina since Maradona inspired them in 1986, Germany since getting their revenge four years later in Italy.

That was a fairly dour German national team, but to this then-teenager, besotted by the trio of Internazionale Germans Jurgen Klinsmann, Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthaus, it was the greatest team ever. Of course, experience and the education football provides over time eventually got me back on track and I soon realised that the German team were anything but the bee’s knees.

Indeed, as we moved through the ’90s it became clear the Germans were more robots – or as the modern marketers might say, clones – than gods. I went through the second half of that decade and the early part of the last despising the likes of Oliver Bierhoff, Carsten Jancker and Jens Jeremies. They symbolised the ugly side of the beautiful game, in which the physical too often dominated the technical.

Fortunately, the use of brawn over finesse failed Deutschland exactly a decade after their last World Cup success, and it triggered the nation’s governing body to institute a regime of producing more technically refined footballers.

As Han Berger once said to me, the Germans being German all recognised the problem, immediately took the collective responsibility and played their part in the process change.

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What it eventually produced was an incredible array of attacking talent, including the likes of Thomas Mueller, Mesut Ozil, Mario Goetze, Toni Kroos and Julian Draxler who adorn this squad. That’s not even including the unfortunate Marco Reus, who missed Brazil due to injury.

But before the arrival of the current generation came a revolution in thought from the 2006 team, coached at home by Jurgen Klinsmann.

While the team that finished second in 2002 had been known for its dour physicality, there was a freshness in the way Klinsmann’s side approached things, getting on the front foot and playing an eye-catching brand of attacking football.

With current squad members Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker all part of that exciting squad, there has been a seamless evolution over the years. At the core of that transition has been the fact the Joachim Loew was Klinsmann’s assistant, and he has continued to evolve the Mannschaft in the subsequent eight years.

It’s therefore impossible to begrudge a nation like Germany, encouraging creative forces through the system, their moment if it eventuates in the Maracana.

In many ways it would be ironic that they will have taken out Brazil and Argentina, South American powerhouses noted for their player production over the years.

While Argentina still boast the world’s greatest player, their work in Brazil has been far more workmanlike than flowing. Nevertheless, I’ve been impressed with the way Alejandro Sabella has evolved the team throughout the tournament.

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In the early stages they faced a succession of of roadblocks, teams sitting back and asking Argentina to overcome them. It wasn’t easy to play against, but Argentina invariably found the solution at the feet of Messi, even if it wasn’t always pretty.

But in the quarter final and semi there have been different tests, and I’ve been impressed by the way Sabella has set out his stall in a 4-4-1-1.

Defensive discipline has been at the centre of the wins over Belgium and the Netherlands, and Sabella has taken the decision to bring Martin Demichelis in central defence alongside Ezequiel Garay and Lucas Biglia into central midfield alongside the indefatigable Javier Mascherano.

What we are seeing is a team growing by the game, a trait you often see in World Cup champions. All have been making a contribution.

I was in awe of the way Sabella didn’t get sucked in to Louis van Gaal’s trap in the semi, calculating sporadic attacks so that the Dutch wouldn’t go quickly and hurt them the other way. It was clever, heads-up play from the street-smart Albiceleste, and they were clearly the better side.

What this defensive base has provided is a foundation for Messi to flourish. In both the quarter and semi-finals he was without Angel di Maria and Sergio Aguero for the most part, and having them back for at least a part of the final can only be a bonus.

While in their absence Sabella has had good contributions from the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Enzo Perez and Rodrigo Palacio, showcasing the depth to the the job done, Messi will relish having a bit of focus thrust in the direction of di Maria or Aguero.

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With Argentina undoubtedly keen to engage Germany in an arm wrestle, this is like to be a tense, tight and tactical final, decided by the finest margins.

Sabella will be doing everything in his power to stop the collective German flow, and my sense is Messi might enjoy a little more room against this offensive Germany than he has hitherto had. That may ultimately prove the difference.

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